Can a theatre be run by volunteers?

[paulears]

I sympathise to a great degree. When a professional crew and production arrive at a venue where there are large numbers of volunteers, or even casual paid crew - friction leads to real personal problems. In a large venue with the usual infrastructure and heirachy, the job gets done often because to the team, the visiting show is of no interest, and it is simply a job. The kinds of places where the number of crew on stage is minimal until a call, when they appear work their socks off, and vanish again until the next call. This is very different from the venues where the crew are perhaps volunteers, or keen casuals, who actually like to watch what is happening. These people will also say stuff it if they are not treated well - and in the past, I've been the one who has to tell the truculent production manager that if he keeps ordering people about, they're going to simply go home. Often, they just don't see what they even did. They might well treat the house crew as box pushers, like maybe in a festival, where people are 100% directed - do this, do that. In a volunteer run venue things need to be different. "Would you please" instead of "Oi - shift that case!".

 

Whenever I am 'the boss' - I never throw my weight around, and become a simple team member, doing the same as the others are - and I'll do the sh1t jobs sometimes through choice, because they're nasty, and I'm paid a lot more than the other guys on NMW. My concern wherever the entire team are volunteers is simply carrying the can. What happens to the show if the volunteers really do go home? That cannot be permitted - how to ensure this is a different issue. I'm glad Ynot popped up because he's been working this kind of gig for years and seems to have a good handle on how it can work.

[cfmonk]

Everything you say makes sense Paul but I think you are being perhaps disingenous towards volunteers.

 

What would happen to the London Marathon if all the volunteers just went home? Very very very few people get paid for that gig including SJA, race marshalls, drinks hander outers, doctors. I could list reams of things that are run by volunteers so yes, of course it is a risk but is it more of a risk than a bunch of casuals on NMW?

[david.elsbury]

But Marathon is surely more "exciting " to a volunteer than sweating your **** off doing an out and loading the truck in the cold, at 11pm after a show, then having to sweep and mop the stage?

[vinntec]

But Marathon is surely more "exciting " to a volunteer than sweating your **** off doing an out and loading the truck in the cold, at 11pm after a show, then having to sweep and mop the stage?

You may say so, but us volunteer stage crew do this all the time as part of our "leisure time"! Of course, we do this in short bursts not all the time and that makes a difference. In my case, the members own the theatre and we do the best job we can, just as the volunteer actors and the multitude of other back stage people doing even less glamorous jobs than lighting (make-up, costumes, props, programmes, .....). This morning we stripped the set for the show which closed last night so they can start building the next one. In the afternoon we did maintenance to our lighting desk. Then I came home to do my school work (teacher) for tomorrow! Peter

[Cerbertech]

Being involved in a volunteer organisation that runs a large number of events across the country, you need to understand why those people are there.

 

They believe in the cause behind the organisation and therefore have a more vested interest than those paid NMW to be there.

 

We pride ourselves and often get commended on our professionalism by venues.

 

I maintain my forklift licence, have an SIA Door Supervisors badge, etc. that have no relation to my day job.

 

I choose to do these events and use a considerable amount of time, holiday and personal expense to do so.

 

Am I likely to walk if I don't agree with the work ? - No because I want to be back doing it again.

 

LIke anything in life it is about personal interactions and attitudes and how you manage people.

[cfmonk]

But Marathon is surely more "exciting " to a volunteer than sweating your **** off doing an out and loading the truck in the cold, at 11pm after a show, then having to sweep and mop the stage?

 

An 0530 start, vaseline on nipples, no hot food and little thanks? Perhaps not... However your point stands but I have volunteers cleaning out vehicles and sweeping up vomit day in and day out. They're not perfect but with the right incentives and the right management volunteers can do anything...

[gafferted]

But Marathon is surely more "exciting " to a volunteer than sweating your **** off doing an out and loading the truck in the cold, at 11pm after a show, then having to sweep and mop the stage?

 

Having been at it since 8am and been sworn at by an arrogant production manager over some petty niggle you have no control over!

 

We all know we have to learn to work with and make the occasional allowance for "artistic temperaments", but a minority of so-called "professionals" in this business are sadly not as professional as they could be be. A little common courtesy goes a long way to avoiding a sense of humour failure after a day like you've described!

[kerry davies]

Slow down a little folks.

SJA has been running on volunteers for 125 years, they have not been asked to deliver the services that were planned for professional delivery from a state of non-existence. Ynot has been doing it for 40 odd years and did not start out by taking over a fully programmed theatre organised to be staffed by paid workers. Compare like with like and you get to an existing service finding itself with no staff overnight.

 

This project seems to have been planned, organised and programmed with a core professional staff built in and those things no longer apply. I would suggest that sticking plaster solutions are inadequate and the project needs to go back to square one and start again.

 

A new business plan, complete reorganisation and re-programming on a volunteer basis. I would not attempt it, in the same time that Ynot is delivering 3 shows the Albany is delivering 9 or 10. That is besides any school usage or conference bookings.

The biggest challenge we face – and will always face – is financial. If we don’t generate enough income through sponsorship, grants, fund-raising, through the box office and from donations to meet the costs of operating the theatre, we will not survive

As part of that and the Section 106 planning agreement they were granted £55,000 to run the theatre so there is cash available, or was?????

[lxtechman]

I Started out in an Volunteer venue, everybody was a volunteer in anything & everything.

 

It worked well, the crew was large and varied, we had shows coming and going and week long shows we did anything from ballet central to under milkwood (BOVTS), to am dram flarepath to forum. it worked well with the volunteers & 12 lights (Though I sourced & supplied extras where and when needed)and 210 seats. Then it bacame more paid workers, politics got worse the crew got ousted and since then it has been a series of "Paid technicians" who turned out to be worse than the volunteers.

 

So Yes its very possible to have a successful venue running to a professional level with volunteers.

 

Providing the Tech Manager (paid or not) has some nonce and the volunteers have a bit and or are willing to learn it is great and very possible :-)

[Ynot]

Something I missed on earlier posts is the fact that as a 'new starter' in the business the Albany is going to have to carve out a niche in the market. It's not one that's flooded as such, though it won't be the only theatre in the Coventry area - there's ALWAYS room for more theatre in my opinion. But getting punters to turn out to what is essentially a new (albeit re-vitalised) theatre space isn't going to be easy - especially with touring shows. Over the years, we have found marketing and selling touring events and tribute acts VERY difficult. The majority of our standard fare tends to have their own audience catchment, for many built up over years, whilst others (like the dance schools) have a ready-made box office fest of parents, and extended families.

 

To succeed with the stuff that turns up, fits up, performs then gets out and on to the next town is something that will take time, and I wouldn't expect anywhere near the 70% bums on seats that's been suggested could be the norm - not to start with anyway.

[EmilyB]

to be honest when I was touring It didn't seem to make mush difference weather the venue was run by volunteers or paid technicians, some paid technicians are lazy and unhelpful same as some volunteers but for the most part technicians want to get the show up done and out quickly and with minimum fuss. I now run a volunteer tech crew of students and same as working with paid people manners go a long way to getting people to help. weather paid or volunteered people are more likely to do that little extra if your nice to them. Volunteer run venues work well if still treated like humans the attitude that says I'm paid so I'm better than you can ruin a get in faster than chronic coffee shortage.

[Gazlights]

If some management and our current government had their own way most venues would be run by volunteers. I dont believe it is ethical or safe to run venues completely with volunteers.

[Ynot]

If some management and our current government had their own way most venues would be run by volunteers. I dont believe it is ethical or safe to run venues completely with volunteers.

Hmmm...

 

I'd have to disagree strongly with that as our small 250 seater has been volunteer run since 1969.

 

Chequered history in the leaner times, but in the past 10 years we've become FAR busier and more successful...

 

I know of many other venues who similarly manage quite well with unpaid management.

[Gerry]

If some management and our current government had their own way most venues would be run by volunteers. I dont believe it is ethical or safe to run venues completely with volunteers.

That's a bit insulting isn't it?

When I was still living in the UK, I was involved with an amateur theatre who run their own theatre, and still do, very successfully, and profitably, with totally volunteer staff and stage crew.

Cheers

Gerry

ETA "in the UK" after "still living"

[alistermorton]

If some management and our current government had their own way most venues would be run by volunteers. I dont believe it is ethical or safe to run venues completely with volunteers.

That's a bit insulting isn't it?

When I was still living I was involved with an amateur theatre who run their own theatre, and still do, very successfully, and profitably, with totally volunteer staff and stage crew.

Cheers

Gerry

 

Yup, that's the situation at our theatre too. The only paid person is the caretaker. Everyone else is voluntary.