As a not-for-profit, professional community theatre, we rely on volunteers to help us to stage our events throughout the year. The benefits of volunteering are many and varied, and all of them go towards enhancing the lives of individuals and the community. Here are just six of them:
- You give something back to an organisation that makes a positive impact on the local community
- You become a valued member of a team
- It’s also a route to employment, through gaining new skills, knowledge and experience – or developing existing abilities and knowledge
- It’s a way to enhance your CV and improve employment prospects
- It helps you to use your professional skills and knowledge to benefit others
- It’s tons of fun!
Photos by Mark Drinkwater
Below are the roles we need volunteers for this Summer, and what you can expect to be doing with us.
Box office & Front of house staff
We always need help ‘front of house’ eg. helping usher audience members to their seats, showing them to the toilets, selling programmes etc, as well as setting out and clearing away seating. FOH staff are generally required from 2pm-5.30pm on Saturdays and Sundays, though we do not expect any volunteers to be available for all dates and times.
Our box office staff assist the BO manager sell tickets and check off pre-paid bookings/sell programmes etc. Generally volunteers are required from 2pm, to ensure the box office is open by 2.15pm (for the show at 3pm), and again between 2.45-3.45 for the 3.30pm performance. We usually expect our box office team to be on site for up to 15mins after show start time, to allow for latecomers (we often get lots of these!)
Outdoor theatre shows*
(*Please note these roles relate to the outdoor productions in Home Park, behind Sydenham Library, in Spring and Summer 2025)
Stewards
12.30pm-4.30pm
Our volunteer stewards are on hand before, during and after performances to help guide audience members to their seats, ensure they are correctly distanced and escort them to the public toilets if necessary. They are present throughout the performances, keeping an eye out in case an audience member needs help, and they assist in clearing up afterwards. The stewards’ call time is generally 12:30pm, for a briefing no later than 1pm, when they are allocated their roles for the day. Stewards usually finish at 4.30pm, depending on the show’s running time.
Box office staff
1pm-2.30pm (to cover the show at 2pm-3.30pm)
Box office volunteers work at a table at the entrance to the audience area. They check ticket holders on a daily sheet as they come in and sell day tickets, as well as handing out flyers and any other information the public asks for. As soon as the performance has started and any latecomers have been checked in, they are responsible for returning all cash/card receipts, plus card reader and documents to a secure location, after which time they are free to go, or to continue as stewards. There is always a security guard present at the box office, and stewards to help if there is a long queue for tickets, which is very often the case! Box office volunteers are needed from 1:15pm at the latest, and stay till around 2.30pm, for latecomers, unless they are staying as stewards or watching the performance. On days with multiple performances, two box office shifts may be possible, but we will most likely require staff to stay for the second performance.
Backstage Crew
12.30pm-5pm
Our volunteers who work as stage hands have plenty to do! They assist in setting up the performance space, including the installation of gazebos, sound system and any scenery; before and during performances they may assist the stage manager with moving scenery, props and sometimes helping the actors with costume changes. Because there is a lot of fetching and carrying to do, these volunteers must be physically able. Their call times are usually from 12:30pm to at least 5pm, where they will assist with the clear up. In each case, all volunteers will need to report on arrival to our Volunteers Coordinator, who will have already contacted you to confirm which day(s) and time(s) you are available to help.
A note on Technical and Dress Rehearsals
We always have technical and dress rehearsals which are the last ones before the performances, called of course, ‘tech’ and ‘dress’ days. It is always tremendously helpful if some volunteers are able to attend some of these, so that they can see how the shows work and what needs to be done.
Upcoming Dates
THE LITTLE MERMAID is currently running at weekends, with two performances every Sat & Sun at 2pm & 3.3pm until Sun 27 Oct, Upstairs at the Sydenham Centre. We are particularly in need of ‘front of house’ staff/ushers between 1pm – 4.30pm at the weekends, especially Sunday afternoons.
1984 will be an immersive adaptation of George Orwell’s masterful dystopian satire, staged over two days in early November (Sat 9/Sun 10 Nov). We are in need of volunteer stewards and backstage crew to help move the audience around the upstairs spaces at the Sydenham Centre; those interested will get to portray members of the Thought Police, and will be provided with a masked costume and ‘cattle-prod’, to control our audience members. Call times for crew will likely be 10/11am until 9pm on Sat 9 Nov, and from 1pm-9pm for stewards/Thought Police, on both show days.
THE NUTCRACKER will be our Christmas show for all ages at St Bart’s Church in December. Ten performances, lasting approx 1 hr, will run on on the evenings of Fri 6 & Fri 13 Dec (7pm TBC) and two shows each Sat & Sun at 2pm & 3.30pm, Sat 7/Sun 8 & Sat 14/Sun 15 Dec. Call times for stewards will be 6pm-8.30pm on Fridays, and 1pm-5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Please email our volunteer coordinator (see below) to offer your time for any of the above roles.
Important notes
We never expect anyone to sign up to every single rehearsal and performance, but if you want to do that we won’t object! As many or as few as you can manage will be very gratefully accepted, and if you want to bring along your friends and family, we always say the more the merrier. As long as our volunteers show up on the days they have committed to, we’ll be happy, and we want you to be happy too.
Apologies but we cannot accept volunteers under the age of 16 unless they are accompanied by an adult throughout their session/s with us.
Expenses
We are able to reimburse travel and other expenses within reason, up to £5 per day travel and £3 for food and drink if required all day. Please keep any receipts and send copies (scans will suffice) with an invoice to claim back expenses, to producer Jonathan Kaufman at jonathan@sptheatre.co.uk
Contact Us
To volunteer for any of our upcoming performances please email volcoordinator@spontaneousproductions.co.uk.
For more general volunteering questions please email volunteers@spontaneousproductions.co.uk.
