Notes for guidance
The office of Director of Ceremonies in a private Lodge did not appear until about the middle of the 19th century. There is no such office in the Emulation Lodge of Improvement and it remains a permissive additional office in Lodges today (Rule 104 of the BOC). However, Lodges might have a few difficulties in trying to manage without an experienced Director of Ceremonies especially in the carrying out of ceremonies. These notes provide some hints to help the office-holder in the execution of his important duties.
The Director of Ceremonies (the 'DC') acts under the direct authority of the Master, yet the very nature of his office demands that he must be permitted to a great extent to develop his own methods of procedure. He must be fully conversant with the ritual in all the ceremonies, he must know the rules of Masonic etiquette, and he must have a thorough knowledge of the Book of Constitutions. It is essential that the DC is a Past Master.
The DC should arrive early for all Lodge meetings and ensure that the Lodge is correctly set out. It is most important that the Warrant is on display. He should ensure that the Tyler, especially if relatively new, is conversant with the preparation of the Candidate for each of the three ceremonies. If there are absentee officers he should suggest to the Master as early as possible suitable substitutes.
He should know the names and ranks of all Grand Officers and acting Provincial Grand Officers attending so that they may be seated appropriately and saluted according to their ranks.
He should be present at all rehearsals and in particular ensure that processions in and out of the Lodge are not forgotten. In Warwickshire the procession into the Lodge normally consists of the Tyler leading, followed in turn by the DC or ADC, the Deacons, Wardens, Grand Officers and the Master. The procession out is the Tyler leading, followed in turn by the DC or ADC, the Deacons, the Master, Wardens and Grand Officers. In some Lodges the Master will often invite acting Provincial Grand Officers to accompany him into and out of the Lodge as well. On nights of Installation processions will take a different form determined by the presence of one of the Rulers in the Province or a representative of the RW Provincial Grand Master. The visiting Provincial DC will advise the Lodge DC on the protocol to be observed on these occasions.
The DC should ensure that regalia is available in the Lodge for the candidate in each Degree and for the Master Elect. In the latter case in particular he should have seen beforehand that the Master’s apron is capable of being transferred with dignity and without giving rise to humour or embarrassment.
After the Initiation ceremony is completed he should ensure that the Junior Deacon escorts the candidate to a seat at the right of the Senior Deacon – this is the only place where such a candidate for Initiation may be seated as required by an edict of Grand Lodge. At other times EAs, FCs and MMs ought to be seated with more experienced Brethren; they should never be left on their own. The same principle applies when Brethren have to leave the Lodge; the DC should ensure that they know what to do on retiring and that a Past Master should accompany them and stay with them. It would be useful to give them some indication of the time that they may be outside the Lodge Room.
The wand is a badge of office for the DC. The butt of the wand should never be banged on the floor – the DC’s voice is all that is necessary to summon attention. Commonsense determines when the DC may leave the wand in its stand – salutes in the Third Degree are difficult if not impossible with a wand in one hand! Assisting the Installing Master with the Investitures is another occasion when the DC may operate without his wand.
The etiquette and protocol to be observed at the Festive Board ought to be rehearsed with appropriate Brethren and could usefully be the subject of at least one Lodge of Instruction each year. It is potentially embarrassing and not good practice to leave the new Master floundering at the Festive Board immediately after his Installation. As well as the ceremony he should receive from the DC guidance as to what is expected of him at the after-proceedings.
A good DC will be able to ensure that the Festive Board proceeds with dignity, with good humour and without undue haste but will finish at a reasonable hour. Brethren should be seated at the time agreed with the caterer. Wine takings should be agreed beforehand with the Master, should be kept to a minimum, taken between courses and may be taken with waiting staff present. There is no reason why raffles and appeals for charity should not be conducted during the meal provided Brethren are not unduly troubled while eating.
The Lodge DC should remember that the gavel was presented to the Master at his Installation as an “emblem of power” – he, the DC, was presented with a wand. The only other gavels in the room should be at the places of the Senior and Junior wardens. The DC only uses the Master’s gavel with his express permission.
It is the DC’s responsibility to see that the Master has a copy of the current Toast list. At the Master’s discretion Toasts 3, 5 and 6 may be omitted. It is not necessary for the DC to take any part in these formalities; the Master is well capable of introducing and proposing the Toasts himself. “Fire” should be given at an even pace, decorously and not rapidly.
“Absent Brethren” is the subject of much discussion. If it is given as a Toast it should be “fired” like all other Masonic toasts but may not be given until after Toasts 1 and 2. If it is a remembrance of those Brethren who for one reason or another cannot be present it may be done at any time but it cannot be “fired”.
There is nothing that can replace good rehearsals. Communication is of the essence for the Master, DC and Secretary. The DC might cooperate with the Lodge Secretary in producing a running order for the Lodge meeting and for the Festive Board which would assist not only the Master but all other members of the Lodge who might be participating on any particular occasion. Careful planning beforehand by the DC will ensure the smooth running of the Lodge and Festive Board proceedings, happiness and enjoyment for the Brethren, and a well deserved rest for the DC at the end of the evening.