Volunteer

Arena Stage’s volunteer ushers make up the largest part of the theater’s staff and, after the actors, are the staff members most visible to the public. You’re often the first face a patron sees when attending a play at Arena Stage. You’re responsible for the comfort, safety and overall experience of up to 650 people each time you’re here. As an Arena Stage usher, each of you contributes personally to Arena Stage’s professional reputation by making every patron feel welcome and by doing all you can to make their time with us a pleasant and memorable one. There are over 2,000 members of Arena Stage’s ushering staff.

VISITORS SERVICES DESK

We need volunteers to operate the Visitors Services Desk for daytime and evening shifts. We have shifts from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day. You might want to pick just one shift and work it weekly, such as every Monday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., for example. This position would operate the desk in the lobby, greet all public coming into Arena Stage, hand out information or contact people in the organization to assist the customer, and in all other ways be an ambassador of Arena Stage to any public walking in our door. You would also be doing tasks for various departments, such as stuffing envelopes and light paperwork. If you work the evening shift, you might also be assisting with coat check and assisted-listening devices or answering questions of those attending that evening’s performance. As a volunteer at the Visitors Services Desk, you would also be allowed to see our performances on a space-available basis.

The Casting Office seeks a volunteer to assist in digitizing the casting office.  This is a great opportunity for those looking for experience in casting and familiarity with the DC Theatre Community.

Duties May Include:

• Scanning headshots/resumes
• Organizing actor files

The Literary Department seeks a literary volunteer. This is a great opportunity for those interested in gaining professional experience in the field of literary management.

Duties May Include:

• Assisting the production dramaturg with research for the productions at Arena Stage and compiling research packets for the cast and creative team
• Reviewing scripts and write script reports
• Cataloging books for the Molly Smith Study
• Transcribing audio interviews with artists
• Supporting the literary office with administrative duties as needed, including playwright correspondence and copying and filing scripts
• Writing articles for Sub/Text: Your Virtual Dramaturg
• Assisting the literary manager and Allen Lee Hughes fellow with the coordination of audience enrichment programs, including Theater 101, panel discussions series and events surround the American Giants Festival

The Group Sales Department is seeking an Audience Development volunteer, open to flexible hours and scheduling. This is a great opportunity for someone looking for part-time volunteer work or someone interested in pursuing a career in sales, marketing, or audience development.

Duties may include:

• Internet research
• Creating and maintaining excel databases
• Working with ticketing software
• Conducting mail merges
• Assisting with mass mailings
• Distributing materials at exhibits and events

Volunteers receive complimentary tickets to Arena Stage shows (determined by the number of hours worked), invitations to special staff and audience enrichment events and an invitation to a picnic at the end of the season.