Volunteer
Give the Gift of Time
Geva Theatre is supported by the Rochester
community in many ways, be it ticket sales,
individual giving or partnerships with local
businesses.
We are also proud to enjoy the efforts of over 500
volunteers, who donate their time and energy to
each performance throughout our season. These
volunteers range in age, ability, availability, and
backgrounds, which makes for a wonderful mix
of talent and enthusiasm for every assignment
they undertake.
Becoming a Volunteer
Geva Theatre Volunteers are asked to help with several responsibilities while at the theatre, including:
- Preparing the theatre before performances
- Ticket-taking and helping patrons in the lobby
- Guiding patrons to their seats
- Helping in our coat room and gift shop
- Light cleaning of the theatre after performances
- Assisting our staff during busy periods
A more detailed explanation of the guidelines and responsibilities can be found in our Volunteer Manual, which is
required reading for anyone interested in applying.
Once you have read the Volunteer Manual. you can then fill out our Volunteer Application. It will guide you through
some of the information that our House Management team will need to determine your best fit as a Geva Theatre
Volunteer.
Upon receiving your application, our House Managers will compare your availability with our specific needs
throughout the season. Spaces for Volunteers are limited. and you may be asked to be placed on our Volunteer
Wait List, which is explained in the next tab. Otherwise, we will begin the process of welcoming you to our Volunteer family.
A number of our Volunteers are couples, enjoying a night of giving as much as they enjoy supporting local theatre
together. If your goal is to volunteer together, please make sure to let us know during your application process.
Lastly. due to the nature of today’s communications, our Volunteers are required to have access to e-mail and the
Internet. See the Online Tools section of this page for more information.
Volunteer Training
As mentioned previously. Geva Theatre Volunteers are asked to perform a variety of responsibilities during each
performance. A brief explanation of these can be found in our Volunteer Manual.
Complete training for Volunteers, of course, requires a bit more explanation and experience. To that end, new Volunteers are able to shadow our existing Volunteers in a variety of positions, be it ushering. taking tickets, etc. Once
initial shadowing has taken place, Volunteers will be asked to take on other responsibilities as they feel comfortable.
Likewise. our House Management team is always on hand to answer questions. provide clarification, or even help
when they are able. Our goal is not only to create a wonderful place for our patrons to visit but also for our Volunteers to gift their time.
Online Tools
Geva Theatre utilizes a number of online tools to help our Volunteers.
- Coverage Charts to easily detect which performances having momentary openings, should a Volunteer need to change their assignment date
- E-mail reminders of pending assignments, events, or other newsletters
- Online sign-up forms for special events or other one-time volunteer assignments
- Special forms for renewing Volunteer commitments from one season to the next
Our goal at Geva Theatre is to make the act of gifting your time as a Volunteer as easy as possible. Each online tool
is evaluated on a regular basis for its support in this endeavor.
Phone and Postal Mailings
Under normal circumstances, the House Management Office is not staffed until the late afternoon or evening. It is
because of this that we request our Volunteers contact us through e-mail. versus the phone. By the time that a
staff member is able to call a Volunteer back on a given topic, it is typically too late in the evening to do so. E-mails
circumvent this nicely.
Likewise. e-mail and online communications are far more effective in updating Volunteers on time-sensitive issues
than postal mailings or phone calls.
Waiting List
Geva Theatre utilizes a number of online tools to help our Volunteers.
In order to properly manage our groups of Volunteers for each performance. we have established limits to the
number of Volunteers that can be assigned:
- 16 Volunteers for Wilson Stage performances
- 6 Volunteers for Fielding Stage performances
Should any particular performance series be considered “full.” we require Volunteer Applicants to be placed on our
Waiting List. This list serves two purposes:
- Should an existing Geva Theatre Volunteer decide to retire, move to another performance series, etc., we will contact the first Volunteer Applicant to see if they are still interested in filling the now-empty position on a permanent basis.
- Should an existing Geva Theatre Volunteer call out for a single performance, due to illness, family issues, or otherwise, we will do our best to contact those Volunteer Applicants available to see if they can help on a one-time basis.
Placement on the Waiting List is primarily based on a first come, first serve” basis. Should a particular Volunteer
Applicant consistently not be able to help us for one-time requests, they may be superseded on the list by those
who can.
We do want to stress: it is with great difficulty that we need to, at times, turn away offered help from Volunteer Applicants. It is just as difficult to place them on the Waiting List. knowing how eager some Volunteer Applicants may
be. That said. please be patient with our process, and know that we are looking forward to having you join the rest
of our existing Volunteers.