Generous and Thoughtful: Volunteering At Your Local Community Theatre

Written by Ashleigh Gardner

February 14, 2019

As theatre nerds, we’re all about theatre all day, every day (and only enough sleep to function, am I right?) So if you find yourself on a short break from a show, whether it’s because you’re taking a conscious performance break, because you didn’t get cast, or because you’d just like to lend a hand, you can ALWAYS help out at your local community theatre! A lot of community theatres have limited budgets, resources, and staff, and your help is always appreciated.

Take a look below at some of the ways you can offer your presence and skills, from carpentry and painting to ushering and photography. Help your community theatre out by becoming part of their community.

1. Volunteer for set construction and scenic painting.

It’s no secret that community theatres need all hands on deck when the time comes to build and paint a set. If you’re interested or have experience in carpentry, set design, and/or scenic painting, contact the theatre and ask if there are days when you might be needed. If you have a tool bag or painter’s kit with your own tools/brushes, then bring those along! You may have something that does the job!

2. Volunteer to work with costumes and props.

When community theatres produce big musicals or complicated period pieces, they need a lot of help. Offer your time to help sew costumes or gather pieces from Goodwill. Also, if the show needs dressers for quick changes during the run of the production, offer to help out backstage! If your specialty is more prop-oriented, volunteer to find and/or make props for the show!

3. Volunteer for management, design, or tech positions.

Have a stage management background? Have none, but think your organizational skills are top-notch? Volunteer to stage manage a production! If they already have a stage manager for the current production, ask if you can shadow by being an ASM. If you’re interested in design work (like lighting or sound), see if they need someone to fill in as a spot op, design lighting for a whole show, choose tracks for sound effects, or mix the perfect background noise of a bustling café meets low-fi beats (trust me, it’s an art), then ask! You never know what a theatre might need.

4. Volunteer to usher for shows.

Many times, community theatres look for volunteer ushers during runs of their shows (keeping a full-time usher staff isn’t usually possible for a small theatre), so if you’re interested in being of service for a few hours a night during the week of shows, ask if you can help out. Sometimes, as a “thank you” for a volunteer’s time, theatres will offer a seat to ushers so that they can enjoy the show along with everyone else. Perks!

5. Volunteer your professional services for free.

If you’re a professional in your community (designer, photographer, acting/dialect/movement coach, baker) and you think your services might help the theatre (and you’re willing to offer them for free or at a reduced rate), then see if the specialties you have are needed. Designers can help create posters and social media images; photographers can take promo photos for productions and take production stills (that the theatre can use in marketing), coaches can help the cast perform better, and bakers can donate an array of sweets and goods that theatre patrons can purchase before the show and during intermission.

6. Donate if you’re able.

If you find yourself with the advantage of being in a place in your life where you’re able to donate money or objects (like furniture, clothing, props, or food) to the theatre, consider doing so. Oftentimes, if the theatre is a non-profit, your donation may be tax-deductible. Check with the theatre to see what goals they’re pursuing, and ask how you can lend a hand this season and in upcoming seasons. Your donation gives theatres the opportunity to bring stories, art, conversation, and culture to your community. By becoming a donor, you enrich the lives of those around you and help continue the message that art is an important part of society.

Apart from the great feeling you’ll get from giving your time, volunteering is also a great way to make new connections in the theatre industry. You may meet a director who needs a stage manager for another show they’re directing later in the year. If you’re a professional who offers services, like baking, word of mouth may get around about your business through patrons or cast and crew members. Or, you might just meet some great people who become even better friends.



Need some advice? We’ve got you covered.

Ashleigh Gardner received her M.A. in Literary, Cultural, and Textual Studies (with concentrations in Contemporary Film, Psychoanalytic Theory, and Gender Studies) and her B.A. in English Literature (with concentrations in Early American Literature, Victorian & Gothic Literature, and Feminisms), both from the University of Central Florida. She is a playwright, a Shakespearean trained actor, a dramaturge, and a photographer.
Photo credits:
Photo by Jana Sabeth Schultz on Unsplash
Photo by nic harper on Unsplash
Photo by Jonas Zürcher on Unsplash
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash
Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash
Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash