December & January Rental Schedules Updated

The rental schedules for December and January have been updated.

New Usher Handbook

The new usher handbook for the 2013-2014 season is now available!  To view a copy online, click the "Sarasota Opera Usher Information & Schedules" link on the left side of the page.  A link to a PDF copy of the handbook can be found on that page.

Hard copies of the handbook can be obtained by calling Scott Guinn or at the box office during regular box office hours (10am to 4pm, Monday through Friday).

2013-14 Season Usher Schedules

Thank you for your help in making this new scheduling process a success!  The schedules for the 2013-14 season are now posted here on the blog and are being mailed and emailed out on Monday, August 12.

There are still some coverage needs for certain teams, primarily Team Handel and Team Beethoven.  If you are willing to work on one of these teams, please take a look at the schedule of performances and see if this might be an option for you.  Remember, an upside to doubling up is that it gives you more opportunities to see an opera if one of the performances you’re already scheduled for sells out.

Your schedule sheet lists the team roster down the left side of the page.  Across the top are the performances each team will work.  If you follow the row for your name across the page, you will see call times for each performance.  If you told me that you are not available for a performance, you will see “Excused” in a shaded box for that show.  Please note that if you are on Team Bizet (Sunday matinees) you do not work all Sunday matinees, only the ones listed.  Also, if you are on Team Rossini (Weekend matinees), you do not work all matinees that fall on a weekend; you work only what’s listed on your sheet.

This year ushers will not have to submit time sheets.  Each usher will be credited with four hours for each performance they work.  House Managers will keep track of those who are dismissed early or do not show up and will check in with me periodically throughout the season so that we are all up to date with hours.  If you are dismissed early from a performance, you will be credited with at least two hours for that shift.

If you are a new usher, please note the usher training dates on the Volunteer Events Page.  Ushers perform an essential safety and customer service function at the opera and must attend training prior to their first shift.  If you are not able to attend the dates listed, please contact me to set up another time.  If you are a veteran usher, you may also attend these training sessions if you feel you need a refresher course!

If you have any questions at all about any of the schedules or events, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  I’m looking forward to a fantastic season and to seeing you all again!

~Scott

REMINDER: The Sign-up Period for 2013-14 Users ends FRIDAY

Hello!

This is your friendly reminder that the sign-up period for the 2013-14 opera performances ends on Friday.  All forms received after that date will not be processed until forms received between July 15 and July 29 have been processed.

If you have any questions or have not received the information, please call Scott!!

USHERS: Sign-up NOW for the 2013-14 opera season

By now you should have received your sign-up packet via regular post or by email.  If you have not received your packet and you were an usher last year or the year before, please contact Scott Guinn to make sure your contact information is up to date.  You may download the packets here as well.  Simply click the link below and a PDF of the documents you need will pop up.

2013-14 Usher Sign-up Packet

Thank you for all that you do for Sarasota Opera. We are so appreciative of your time and energy in performing this very important job. Because we value your contribution so highly, we want to make sure that your experience is positive and enjoyable.

In an effort to simplify the scheduling process, beginning this season we will be using a system based on ushering teams.  Our hope is that this will be more efficient, allow us to give you more advanced notice of when you’ll be working, and cut down on the number of no-shows.

The sign-up packet has three documents:

•         Information about the new team system, and what you can expect from it.
•         A list of the usher teams and which performances each team will work.
•         A new, simpler sign-up form which allows you to indicate your “team” preference.

The new handbook, which includes some changes, can be found on the Volunteer Blog at after September 1. A hard copy can be picked up at the box office. The new information includes a clear statement of the seating policy, a new no-show policy, and an end-of-season review policy.

It is important that everyone who ushers at Sarasota Opera should be able to work all posts as assigned by the House Managers.  As stated in the job description for Ushers:

“Physically, ushers must have the ability to move quickly, climb stairs, tolerate heights, read in low light conditions, lift/move/carry 10 lbs., walk aisles at an incline, stand and walk for extended periods.”

While we try to accommodate those who have difficulty with some of the tasks listed above, we do need to make sure that we are able to staff all positions.  In addition to providing assistance to our patrons, ushers serve an essential safety function.  For both of those reasons, we need flexibility from the ushering corps in filling these coverage needs.

We cannot do what we do without your help and appreciate all that you do for Sarasota Opera. We are looking forward to seeing you again and to another great season of opera!  If you have any questions about anything in this packet, please don’t hesitate to call or email.

Usher Sign-Up Forms for 2013-14

This is just a note to let you know that we are on schedule for you to receive the sign-up packets on July 15.

We will be mailing them out on Thursday morning and they should start hitting your mailboxes Friday or Saturday.  You will also be receiving the packet via email and they will be available here as well.

If you have not ushered with Sarasota Opera in the past couple of years and would like to do so, you may download the packets from here and send in the form.

We're looking forward to a great season!

Ushers: Signing Up for the Fall and Winter Opera Season

As a heads-up for what to expect for signing up and the scheduling of the Fall and Winter opera performances, I wanted to offer a brief explanation.

We will be mailing AND emailing the sign-up packet out to the roster so that it arrives to you by July 15.  In that packet will be an explanation on the new approach we're taking, how to fill out the form, and when the deadline is for submitting the form back to the Opera.  Final schedules will not be mailed, but will be emailed and posted to the blog.  Those few ushers who do not receive email or use the Internet will be given their schedule over the phone.

I am trying to make the process as simple as possible.  I want to avoid all of the confusion of last season and give you a full schedule in August so that you can plan accordingly for the Fall and Winter.  I believe we have created a system that will be easy for you to work in and one that is laid out simply and efficiently.  There will be no small-print spreadsheets, no downloading of PDFs, no last minute release of schedules, and no time-sheets to submit.

To further explain about time-sheets: ushers will be credited the hours for the operas they work.  I will work closely with House Management to see who went home early and who did not show up so that an accurate accounting of your hours is taken.  You should keep your own accounting so that when I show you your hours, we can talk about any discrepancies that may show up.

Everyone was just fantastic last year considering all of the bumps in the road.  Please be assured that my primary goal this season is to make your experience easy and hassle free.

Here is the schedule for signing up:

July 15: Sign-up packets arrive via snail-mail and email
July 15-July 29: Sign-up period
July 30-August 9: Scheduling period
August 12: Fall and Winter opera schedules released

Ushers: July through November Rental Schedules

The schedules for rental events in the theater from July through November have been emailed and posted.

Here are the events which correspond to the dates on the schedule:

July 13 - Balalaika and Domra Association of America Concert
August 17 - Carreno Dance Festival
September 13 & 14 - Artist Series (These dates may change to 14 & 15.  In that case, those who are scheduled for the 13th will work the 15th as available.  I will keep you posted on this.)
September 21 - Fred Astaire Dance Studio (This date may change to October 6.  If you are not available for October 6, please let me know.)
October 12 - Sarasota Orchestra
November 22 & 23 - Sarasota Ballet

If you have any questions, please contact Scott.

To sign up for ushering at rental events at the Opera House, please click the link below and fill out the form.

Please remember that signing up for an event does not mean you are scheduled for that event.  Schedules will be sent to those ushers who will be working on the following schedule:

April 29: May thru July events
May 15: August thru December events

http://www.jotform.us/SarasotaOpera/rentalsignup

Note that each usher must fill out a form, couples cannot fill out one form for the both of them.  There is a space at the bottom of the form to note who you usher with, but each person who wishes to usher must fill out the form.

If you have trouble filling out the form, please call Scott at 941-366-8450, ext. 228.  Do not email your preferred dates in lieu of submitting this form.

If you have usher friends who do not use email or the Internet, please pass the word on to call Scott so that he can fill out their form.

USHERS: Rental Event Sign-up through December

Shortly, you will see a form here for signing up for rental events through December.  You will also receive an email with the form later today.

This is a new system we are looking at for scheduling.  You simply check the dates (by clicking with your mouse) that interest you and submit the form.

I will get a report which has all of the data automatically filled in with everyone's choices.  That data will then be used to build the schedule.  If this works out for these rental events, we will probably switch to this for the regular season scheduling.

For the few ushers who do not have email, they will need to call me, and I will fill out the form for them.  Please spread that word to your ushering friends who do not use the Internet or email.

I will be taking submissions until Friday, April 19 for the remaining events in April, and Wednesday, April 24 for the other events.  Schedules for the May through December events will go out in two phases:

Phase 1 on April 29: May, June and July events
Phase 2 on May 15: August thru December

If you have any questions, please contact Scott at 941-366-8450, ext. 228.

Changes To Look Out For

Now that things have calmed down a bit in the Sarasota Opera offices, it's time to take hard look at what worked this past year and what didn't

Over the next couple of months we will be introducing some changes that we hope will make your volunteering experience a better one, particularly in the Usher Corps.

We can take the first step today by announcing the time-line for the 2013-14 usher schedule:

July 15 - July 29: Sign-up Period
July 30 - August 9: Scheduling Period
August 12: 2013-14 Usher Schedule Released (Fall & Winter)

We will be reaching out to you in early July to explain the changes we've made and what you will need to do to sign up for ushering assignments.

Please note that we are not taking any requests for the 2013-14 opera season until July 15.

Keep an eye out in your email and here on the blog!

USHERS - April Rental Events Schedule

Here are the schedules for the April rental events.  Click the link below (titled "April Rental Events Usher Schedules") and a PDF will pop up with a list of the performances and the ushers assigned to them.  This is in a different format from the season schedules and will hopefully be easier to read.

These are also posted on the Usher Schedule page of this blog and will be emailed on Tuesday.

April Rental Events Usher Schedules

UPDATED SCHEDULES

The usher schedules have been updated on the schedule page.  Click the "Sarasota Opera Usher Schedules" link on the left side of the page to see the changes.

There are still holes to fill, particularly for TURANDOT performances.  I will be updating the list of coverage needs shortly, but please take a look at the schedules and see if you can fill in on some of the performances where we need folks.

A HUGE thank you to those who have volunteered already to fill in!

Volunteer Appreciation Event

The Volunteer Appreciation Event will be on Thursday, April 4, 2013 at 4:30pm on the stage of the Opera House.

An invitation will be sent out in the next week with more information as well as RSVP information.

LIST: USHERS NEEDED

We have a lot of holes to fill in the usher schedule, particularly in the last weeks of the season.

Below is a list of how many ushers we need based on the performances.  If you would like to volunteer for any of the performances below, please email Scott with the dates you would like to work.

Date - Opera - Call Time - # of ushers needed; # opera club needed

Wed, February 20 - Turandot - 7:00pm - 2 ushers; 1 opera club
Thurs, February 21 - Pearl Fishers - 7:00pm - 2 ushers; 1 or 2 opera club
Sat, February 23 - Turandot - 7:00pm - 4 ushers; 1 opera club
Sun, February 24 - Pearl Fishers - 12:30pm - 2 ushers; 2 opera club
Wed, February 27 - Pearl Fishers - 7:00pm - 2 ushers
Thurs, February 28 - King for a Day Dress Rehearsal - 11:30am - 10 ushers
Thurs, February 28 - Turandot - 7:00pm - 1 usher; 2 opera club
Fri, March 1 - Pearl Fishers - 7:00pm - 3 ushers; 1 opera club
Sat, March 2 - King for a Day - 7:00pm - 1 usher
Sun, March 3 - Turandot - 12:30pm - 5 ushers; 2 opera club
Tues, March 5 - King for a Day - 1 opera club
Thurs, March 7 - King for a Day - 1 opera club
Fri, March 8 - Pearl Fishers - 12:30pm - 10 ushers; 2 opera club
Fri, March 8 - Verdi's Times - 7:00pm - 4 ushers; 2 opera club
Sun, March 10 - King for a Day - 12:30pm - 2 ushers; 1 opera club
Sun, March 10 - Turandot - 7:00pm - 19 ushers; 2 opera club (!!!!!!)
Tues, March 12 - Mice and Men - 7:00pm - 2 opera club
Wed, March 13 - King for a Day - 3 ushers; 1 opera club
Thurs, March 14 - Mice and Men - 7:00pm - 10 ushers; 2 opera club
Fri, March 15 - Turandot - 7:00pm - 12 ushers; 1 opera club
Sat, March 16 - Pearl Fishers - 12:30pm - 2 ushers
Sat, March 16 - King for a Day - 7:00pm - 13 ushers; 2 opera club
Sun, March 17 - Mice and Men - 12:30pm - 1 usher; 1 opera club
Tues, March 19 - Turandot - 7:00pm - 25 ushers; 2 opera club (!!!!!!)
Fri, March 22 - Pearl Fishers - 7:00pm - 8 ushers; 2 opera club
Sat, March 23 - Mice and Men - 12:30pm - 4 ushers
Sat, March 23 - Turandot - 7:00pm - 20 ushers (!!!!!!)
Sun, March 24 - King for a Day - 12:30pm - 17 ushers; 2 opera club
Sun, March 24 - Verdi Bicentennial Concert - 7:00pm - 2 opera club; 1 McCorkle Lounge

Updated Schedules Now Posted

The Usher Schedules have been updated and can be found on the Sarasota Opera Usher Schedule page.

As you can see, there are holes to fill.  If you see a performance you would like to usher, please let Scott know.  An email will be going out shortly with a list of personnel needs.

Thank you all!

USHERS - Week 7 Schedule Now Posted

The schedule for the final week of the Winter Season has been posted.  Mark your calendars...this is the first schedule that has been released ahead of when I said it would be...even though that deadline was a revised deadline from a month and a half ago.  Small steps.

As you can see, there are lots of holes to fill.  I'll be sending out an email with a list of performances that need ushers soon.

Thank you all!

**UPDATED to add: If we have spoken and changed your schedule, or added you into the schedule in the past week, those changes will not yet be reflected in the posted schedules.  I will update the posted schedules tomorrow and send out the weekly scheduling email as well.**

Updated Schedules and Week 6 Posted - USHERS

The usher schedules have been updated on the schedule page along with the schedule for Week 6 of the season.

Either later today or early tomorrow, two emails will be sent.  The first will go out to all ushers announcing the updates.  The second will go out to those ushers who are scheduled in the first two weeks of the season. This second email will be the first of weekly emails you will get from Scott with two weeks of schedules.  These emails will also include information that ushers should be up to date on in case patrons ask them questions about Sarasota Opera.

If you do not receive an email from Scott by 1pm tomorrow afternoon, please contact him by phone or email.

Please remember that on days with two performances, the person listed first works the matinee and the person listed second works the evening.  For example:

I.Bookbinder / P.Leopold

Bookbinder would work the matinee, Leopold would work the evening.

For those of you who cannot attend the training tomorrow evening:

We are asking that you arrive to your first scheduled shift half an hour early for brush-up training.  Those of you who have never ushered before will be given a quick tour and briefing.  You will then be paired with a veteran usher for that evening.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact Scott!

Dress Rehearsals

Each season Sarasota Opera opens up selected dress rehearsals to Volunteers.  This year those dress rehearsals will be:

The Pearl Fishers - Thursday, February 14 at 1:30pm (note time)

A King for a Day - Thursday, February 28 at 12:30pm

Of Mice and Men - Thursday, March 7 at 12:30pm

About an hour prior to each dress rehearsal, Scott Guinn will be in the lobby to distribute tickets.  Volunteers must have a ticket to get into the dress rehearsal.

ALL Sarasota Opera Volunteers, including ushers, are eligible to receive tickets for these performances.  There are a limited number of seats available (around 190), and tickets will be given out on a first come, first served basis.  Tickets may not be reserved in advance.

Each Volunteer may bring one (1) guest to each dress rehearsal.

Volunteer seating is in the balcony in rows GG through MM.  Seating for these rehearsals are split between Production, Development, and Education, so Volunteers may only sit in the section that is reserved for them.

If you have any questions about the dress rehearsal ticket policy, please feel free to contact Scott Guinn by email or at extension 228.

January 25 Volunteer Orientation - CANCELED

The January 25 Volunteer Orientation has been canceled.

This isn't a bad thing.  We simply did not have enough people sign up to merit the cost and time.  What will happen now is that the folks that signed up will receive their handbook electronically.  Any questions will be handled by phone or email.  Again, it isn't a bad thing that we're canceling, just a cost-effective way to manage the time of our staff and Volunteers.  As of today, we have over 300 volunteers at Sarasota Opera, and we are thrilled to have so much help from such wonderful people.

Scott will be in touch with those of you who have RSVP'd for the January 25 date.

The Usher Training Session on January 31 IS STILL ON and will not be canceled.  Like we said in the email for this, if you are unable to attend this training session, we do have a "Plan B" in place for you.  No one is going to be left out if they cannot attend the January 31 session.  If you've already RSVP'd for that, we will see you at 5pm on the 31st.  If you have not RSVP'd, you have until Friday to do so.

To recap:

January 25: Volunteer Orientation - CANCELED
January 31: Usher Training - STILL HAPPENING at 5pm

As always, contact Scott if you have any questions!

Winter Orientation and Usher Training

**IF YOU ATTENDED TRAINING IN THE FALL, 

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ATTEND IN THE WINTER**

Invitations have just gone out for the 2013 Winter Volunteer Orientation and Usher Training via email.  If you attended these sessions in the Fall, you can disregard this post and the email.

Volunteer Orientation - Friday, January 25 at 5:00pm

This is not a mandatory session, but you are encouraged to attend if you have not yet done so this year.  We will talk about the program, new procedures for time sheets, and the new benefits for volunteers.  The session begins at 5pm and will be over between 6pm and 6:30pm.

Please RSVP for this event by Friday, January 18 by emailing Scott Guinn at sguinn@sarasotaopera.org or calling him at 941-366-8450 ext. 228.

Usher Training - Friday, February 1 at 5:00pm

If you have signed up to be an usher with us for the coming Winter Season, this is a mandatory session for both new and returning ushers.

Schedules for the first five weeks of the season are posted on the Volunteer Blog, with the remaining two weeks to be completed in the next few days.  If you do not attend this training session, your spot will be given away to an usher who has attended training.  We need to make sure that all ushers are up to date on seating and emergency procedures.  Next season, training will not be mandatory for returning ushers.

The session will begin at 5pm and will last approximately two-and-a-half hours.

Please RSVP to this event by Friday, January 25 by emailing Scott Guinn at sguinn@sarasotaopera.org or calling him at 941-366-8450 ext. 228.