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.

Winter 2013 Usher Schedules and Some Changes

Hello everyone!

The 2013 Winter Usher Schedules are now in progress.  If you have not yet submitted your sign-up form, now is the time to do it.  Schedules will be sent to ushers who have attended training on Friday sometime before 5pm.  Ushers who have not yet attended training will receive their schedules when they arrive at the training session in February.

Usher Seating & Post Changes
Richard Russell and I have met to discuss usher seating after receiving feedback from several of you.  We have decided to change the policy.  This change will be in Usher Handbook that is distributed in February and in the online copy that is posted on this blog.

The new policy:

There will be ten tickets set aside for Ushers at each performance.  Ushers who do not receive tickets may sit after the first intermission as long as:

• the House Manager has given permission for Ushers to sit

• those seats are in the rear of the theater (behind row O)

• those seats are on the aisle

• you do not have to step past any seated patrons to get to the available seats

• and those seats are not in a box

Ushers may also sit in available aisle seats in the balcony as long as those seats are not in the Loge/Mezzanine section.

If at any time a ticketed patron or Sarasota Opera staff member asks an Usher to surrender their seat, the Usher must do so.

In addition to the seating changes, we will be moving the two Usher posts that were in the Loge/Mezzanine section to the balcony lobby left and right stairs.

If you have any questions, please let me know!

~Scott

Updated Usher Schedules Posted

Thank you to everyone who volunteered for extra ushering dates.  I have posted the updated schedules through January 5.  There are still some holes to fill, so if you're available, please let me know!

THANK YOU!!!!!

CALL FOR USHERS!

I have listed some dates below along with how many ushers are needed for those events.

Ushers will be scheduled on a first come, first served basis.  Please reply to me by the close of business tomorrow, Tuesday December 4.

December 8 (Ditchfield Family Singers) - We need 6 ushers for the matinee and 7 ushers for the evening performance.  Matinee call time is 1pm; evening call time is 6pm.

December 15 (Diane Partington Nutcracker) - We need 16 ushers for this event.  Call time is 6pm.

December 16 (Diane Partington Nutcracker) - We need 22 ushers for this event.  Call time is 12:30pm.

December 22 (Sarasota Pipe Band Celtic Christmas) - We need 4 ushers for this event.  Call time is 6pm.