Stories

You don't have to be an actor to volunteer with Theatre Charlotte! Over the next two weeks we'll be featuring a guest post from Chris Timmons, Associate Artistic Director, highlighting some of the cool stuff you can do without ever getting on the stage! 

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SPOTLIGHT ON OUR VOLUNTEERS

You may have heard us say that Theatre Charlotte utilizes the talents of more than 500 volunteers annually, but just what are all those volunteers doing? It’s easy to spot the ones under the stage lights as all of the actors who perform on our stage are volunteers. You can also probably pick out the volunteers who are ushering and working concessions during each performance. Then there are the volunteers who are harder to spot, because they are the ones who make the magic of each show happen and, therefore, remain “behind the scenes.” These volunteers are members of our production crew.

Here is a little more information about what our volunteers do and how you can get involved too.

PRODUCTION CREW

We take great pride in providing an entertaining and high-quality theatre experience which not only includes the outstanding performers on our stage, but the hardworking members of our production crew as well.  This team of volunteers comes together to make each performance consistent and seamless.

What they do:

A typical production crew consists of a light board operator, a sound board operator, and stage hands who move scenery and set props. Some shows also require dressers to help actors change costumes quickly and “kid wranglers” to keep our young actors in line. There are also volunteers who help build and paint the set during our volunteer work days.

In order to become a member of our production crew, you need not have any experience, but you do need to have three things: a great attitude, you must be a team player and you must be willing to work hard towards our goal of producing a solid production for our audience. 

While our actors rehearse for as many as six weeks in preparation for our shows, our stage crew has only four to five rehearsals to incorporate technical elements of a show before an audience sees the final product. This means that we place a great deal of emphasis on identifying crew members who can be available for those rehearsals as well as performances.  We feel that every audience is entitled to the best product that we can offer, whether it is opening night or the tenth performance.  This means that all elements backstage and on stage, need to be in sync, consistent and safe. 

How to volunteer:

Visit SHARE Charlotte for more info on how to get involved, or sign up for our monthly volunteer newsletter which includes production crew opportunities and information about upcoming work days by visiting the link here: 

If you have questions or would like to get involved right away, please contact Chris Timmons at chris@theatrecharlotte.org

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Join us next week for the scoop on volunteering as an actor, or for usher and concession positions!