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Arts & Entertainment

Don't Just Watch the Show, Be Part of It

From acting and stage managing to ushering and selling snacks, opportunities abound at the area's theaters.

If you love theater, your involvement doesn’t have to end with sitting in the audience and watching a show.

Just about every theater company in the area—professional and community alike—is always on the lookout for new volunteers, and with many venues preparing for the upcoming fall season, now is a particularly good time to get involved.

No matter what your age, abilities or interests there’s a contribution to be made. Community theaters, of course, are completely (or almost completely) run by volunteers, offering opportunities to get involved in shows, both on stage and backstage.

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Debby Hennessy, the volunteer coordinator for  said that group’s productions, especially musicals, use up to 100 volunteers, doing everything from acting to directing to backstage work. She said that an analysis of one of the group’s productions of “A Christmas Carol” showed that it took 3,000 volunteer hours to put on the show.

Volunteers work in technical areas like lighting and sound. There’s also set construction, which takes place on Saturdays at Chatham. Hennessy said the turnouts for those Saturdays are huge. Even the least handy among us can help out by holding a board another person hammers or by moving equipment and set pieces.

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“There are so many areas where you don’t have to have any kind of theater expertise, like the whole front-of-house operation, with people who are taking tickets and ushering and running the concession stand,” Hennessy said. Volunteers also help distribute promotional posters and work backstage with props, costumes or makeup. Last year’s “Christmas Carol” utilized 18 volunteers work backstage, according to Hennessy.

“It’s a pretty massive operation and the volunteers make it possible, and those of us that were doing too much and started to get burned out are finding some relief as things get distributed between more people,” she said.

Chatham Community Players has been a special place for Hennessy since her childhood. Both her parents served terms as president, and she met her husband at the theater. She was also president, and after her term ended, she helped create her current title of volunteer coordinator.

“There was such a gigantic need because, like so many theater groups, we were too few people wearing too many hats,” she said. “And people would get so busy that a newcomer would walk through the door or whatever, and everyone was so preoccupied with getting the show up and running that these people were falling through the cracks. That had been happening for years and we thought, ‘What a shame,’ because we’re so desperate to have more volunteers to not have a way to recruit them.”

Chatham Players also has an intern program for high school students. The program means more volunteers for Chatham, and also helps students, some of whom go on to study theater in college, gain experience working in a theater.

With the new season beginning Oct. 14 with a run of Tracy Letts’ “Bug,” Hennessy said Chatham is in need of a costume chairman and a painting chairman.

“But volunteers are welcome in every and any conceivable category,” she said. “We welcome anybody with open arms because we are always eager to add new people and hope that they’ll stick with us. And more often than not, they do.” To volunteer with Chatham, go to ChathamPlayers.org and click on “Get Involved.”

If you’re really interested in learning about what it takes to put on a show, you might want to look into becoming a stage manager at . That’s one task where the theater in Hillsborough is seeking volunteers.

Experienced stage managers are, of course, welcome but so are novices.

SVP President Linda Giordano said non-experienced volunteers would have to work as an assistant on a few shows before getting to run a show.

“After that, you call the show backstage,” she said. “Once they get ready to open, that show is the stage manager’s, it is no longer the director’s.” Volunteers of all age are welcome, whether you’re young and interested in a theatrical career or an older theater lover looking to learn what putting on a show takes.

Giordano said SVP is also always on the lookout for ushers and people to run the concession stand. Two ushers are needed for each performance, and you get to see the show for free. For information, go to SVPtheatre.org or call 908-369-7469.

Professional theaters are also in need of volunteers. While you won’t get on stage or work on the backstage crew, volunteers make lots of contributions.

Norma Mortimer is the director for the volunteer guild for  in Madison, a (volunteer) position that involves her recruiting volunteers and assigning them duties. During a recent summer afternoon, Mortimer and two of her friends were addressing envelopes for a mailing.

“We need volunteers whenever we have a production and we need volunteers to take tickets, we need volunteers to take programs and we need volunteers to handle the concession stand,” she said.

Mortimer said many of the volunteers are older, retirees, but that people of all ages help out at the theater. She herself has been volunteering there for 15 years. A playwright herself, her interest in the theater led to her devoting her time there.

“You feel as though you’re making a contribution because whether it is the theater or any organization, they can’t do without volunteers,” she said. “You do get a serious feeling of, I made a contribution. The reward is in and of itself.” For information about Playwrights Theatre, call PTNJ.org or call 973-514-1787.

Chances are that any theater you go to can use some help, but here are some specifics about other theaters seeking volunteers.

The  is seeking volunteers to assist with ushering, concessions and the gift shop for the 2011 season, which continues to the end of the year. In return for each performance worked, volunteers receive a ticket voucher good for one admission throughout the season. Performances are held Tuesday through Sunday evenings and Saturday and Sunday matinees beginning June 1 at The Theatre’s Main Stage—the F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theatre in Madison.

For a full schedule, more information, or to sign up to volunteer, contact Heather Arney at 973-408-3694 or harney@shakespearenj.org. Information about The Shakespeare Theatre can be found online at ShakespeareNJ.org.

Pax Amicus Castle Theatre in Budd Lake welcomes teens and adults who would like to volunteer as directors, performers, doing backstage work such as set construction and painting, building and garden maintenance, costume organization, hosting and ushering. Please call Jean at 973-691-2100 to learn what volunteers the theater may need.

The Chester Theatre Group is looking for actors (next auditions are 28 and 30), stage managers and people to work on props, scenery construction and the box office. Go toChesterTheatreGroup.org for more information and box office.

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