The Program
2011 Season
Parent Volunteers
WSYT works because we all work together!
It takes a small army of volunteers to pull off a WSYT production each year. We value our dedicated WSYT parents and friends more than we can say. Very often, people approach us wanting to help out but are unsure about what they can do. WSYT offers many volunteer opportunities for parents and alums.
Not sure of how our needs will fit with your summer or back-to-school schedule? Let the list below answer your questions! These are the tasks that need volunteers, along with notes about the task, the timing of your service, and special concerns or requirements. As always, feel free to talk with Deb or Kyle about specific questions you might have!
Throughout the Season
These are tasks that run throughout the summer season. The work might be more concentrated later in the summer, but you might be called upon at any time from June to September to help out.
The "Lemonade Brigade"
WSYT lemonade during break time each night is a time-honored tradition. The Brigade is the team of volunteers who make and serve the lemonade. We'll give you careful instructions (see the specific Lemonade Brigade sign-up sheet) and share our recipe with you. Sign up for a week (three WSYT nights) at a time. See the sign-up sheet for more details! The Brigade is coordinated by our Staff Intern.
Sewing & Crafts
Each season, under the guidance of the director, set designer, and construction chiefs, volunteers are needed to help build and paint our set. Often, some pre-construction takes place off-site, and then moves to WMS on certain WSYT nights. You may also be called upon to help with transporting pieces to WMS. Once again, all skill levels can help! Please keep in mind that we will need some skilled hands to strike (disassemble) and load out (remove from the building) our set during the week following Performance Weekend.
Set Construction
Each season, under the guidance of the director, set designer, and construction chiefs, volunteers are needed to help build and paint our set. Often, some pre-construction takes place off-site, and then moves to WMS on certain WSYT nights. You may also be called upon to help with transporting pieces to WMS. Once again, all skill levels can help! Please keep in mind that we will need some skilled hands to strike (disassemble) and load out (remove from the building) our set during the week following Performance Weekend.
Program Advertising
The WSYT show program pays for itself through ads placed by our advertisers. Help is needed to contact last year's advertisers - by phone or in person - to see if they will advertise with us again. We prefer a personal touch with our advertisers, since most of them are running an ad to support the kids, not to simply promote their business. They appreciate a phone call or a visit, where we can show them how their ad looked in last year's program. In addition, we want to continue to develop new advertisers and expand our list of potential advertisers. This is a team effort which must be well-coordinated in order to avoid duplicating contacts. You'll be given all the information you need, including background information and ad sizes and rates; Kyle will guide you in the whole process. This task will begin right away and we'll continue to accept ads up until the program deadline with the printer.
Properties (Acquisition & Management)
The "props" task has two elements: acquisition and backstage management. One person can do both, or the tasks may be shared. If your task is to acquire props, right away you'll be given a list of props needed for the show, a budget, and assistance or guidance as needed to obtain the items on the list. This will be done as early in the season as possible, so that the actors can get used to working with the props. The Director of the show (this year, Deb) will guide your acquisition.
Props must also be managed (kept track of) backstage during run-throughs, dress rehearsals and performances, so the prop manager is part of the stage crew under Paul's guidance. A prop table (or tables) must be laid out and props set up and returned as they are used. The prop manager should attend some rehearsals in mid-August to get a feel for how and when props will be used. Again, we don't want you to miss your child's performance while working backstage. A team effort works well here, so you can plan on being in the audience for one of the performances!
Stage Crew (End of Season)
While technically this is not a season-long job, it does involve more than just being present on performance weekend. All stage crew members should be available to attend some rehearsals beginning around August 21, in order to get a feel for when things happen and how things move in the show. The stage crew reports to Paul, the Stage Manager.
Much of the stage crew's work happens during the 2-3 weeks preceeding the show. Because we need to keep the school hallways and areas clear for classes during the day, we must store ALL of our belongings on the stage while school is in session, then quickly clear the stage for our run-throughs, sing-throughs, and our opening night performance. A good and efficient stage crew will make this task go quickly to avoid wasting valuable on-stage time.
Don't worry: we know you don't want to miss experiencing your child(ren) perform! We rotate our crew for performances to allow you to see at least one performance as "just a mom or dad" in the audience!
Also, like our construction crew, we expect some stage crew members to be available for set strike on the night(s) following the Performance Weekend. There is MUCH to pack away and transport to storage. Many hands make for light work!
Performance Weekend: Backstage Jobs
Never mind the stage crew jobs - it takes a real team to keep things running smoothly in the dressing room/green room for each dress rehearsal and performance! These tasks require a commitment starting with dress rehearsals and throughout the Performance Weekend. But once again, don't worry - we'll rotate the crews so everyone gets to be an audience member for at least one performance.
These are specific tasks, but they tend to overlap and mingle together in the backstage chaos!
Costume Assistants
The costume assistants help with last-minute adjustments, finish sewing work and do repairs backstage.
Hair & Makeup Assistants
They do just that! Help is always appreciated to assist the actors with the more delicate make-up tasks and with so many people in the show, hair-styling is time-consuming. Many hands make light work!
Dressers
Dressers help with costume changes. In some cases, dressers will be assigned to a specific actor to assist with a quick change, to keep costume pieces organized and available, etc.
Wranglers
Wranglers keep order and quiet in the dressing room and green room, and make sure the transition from there to the stage is handled efficiently and quietly. Wranglers must stay aware of the show's progress and communicate with the performers so that they are where they're supposed to be when they're supposed to be there.
Stage Crew
See above!
Performance Weekend: Front-of-House Jobs
With full-capacity audiences for each performance, steamy late-summer weather, and the close lobby quarters at WMS, running a smooth front-of-house operation is essential for happy and satisfied audiences. Front-of-house revenue has grown over the years, and it has become an important element of our budget process. Some of these jobs require minimaladvance planning and do not interfere with seeing the shows. Front-of-house jobs report directly to the Lobby Manager, and are overseen by Kyle in her role as producer. She will meet with all of the front-of-house managers in August to inform everyone of their responsibilities and explain how the team will work.
Lobby Manager
This manager works closely with Kyle to plan the lobby set-up and is responsible for the hands-on coordination of all front-of-house areas on Performance Weekend, including cash management, signage, separation of cast/crew and public areas, and clean-up assistance.
Box Office/Tickets
Rachele will once again manage the Box Office and Ticket operation over the summer. She will need a few hands to help with ticket sales at the door on performance nights. It's important that our Box Office operation run as smoothly as possible, without long lines or lobby congestion, since for some, this is their first impression of a WSYT performance.
Refreshments/Concessions
Under the very capable guidance of our Refreshment Manager, our refreshment concession operates during intermission at each performance. The Manager is responsible for coordinating the supply needs of the area and contacting volunteers to supply some home-made goodies. We need many hands to work the concession during intermissions. As the summer goes on, volunteers will be contacted directly with specifics about goodies and scheduling. There is a budget for the purchase of bottled water and supply items.
Saturday Dinner
WSYT provides a simple dinner for our hard-working cast and crew between our two Saturday shows - traditionally pizza or pasta and salads, and some goodies. A team is needed to coordinate the planning, food, logistics, and clean-up for such a meal. There is a budget for food/beverage purchases and supply items.
Merchandise Manager & Team
Over the past few years, we've offered WSYT hats and t-shirts for sale at performances. Merchandise is provided Ð the manager simply needs to oversee the sales on Performance Weekend. Signage and supplies will be provided, as well as instructions on how to record sales and handle the money each night. The Manager must be responsible for handling and reporting cash, and coordinating the volunteer team.
Telegram Manager & Team
Backstage telegrams are a WSYT tradition! The actors love to get messages from their audience and the income generated by telegram sales is important to us. YouÕll be provided with the telegram, pens, signage, supplies, and instructions for recording and handling the money each night. As with the merchandise, the Telegram Manager must be responsible for handling and reporting cash. Telegram runners (2-3 each night - these may be older children) are also needed to deliver the messages to the recipients in the dressing room/green room.
Ushers
Ushers are supervised by our experienced House Manager. Ushers do more than hand out programs as people enter the theatre. Ushers must be aware of special-needs patrons (such as those in wheelchairs), how the seating system works, and must be familiar with procedures for evacuating the building in the event of an emergency (yes, it has happened!). The House Manager will review these details each night. They should be there for the duration of their scheduled time and not leave once the show has begun. Usher volunteers will be called in August for scheduling.
So!
Now you have an idea of what types of volunteer opportunities we have for you at WSYT. One of the most frequently asked questions we get is about siblings of performers helping out. While we certainly appreciate the help, it's important to note that only certain jobs are suitable for siblings. It's necessary for all backstage crews to be adults for safety reasons. It's also easier for us to keep track of our WSYTeers without additional children in backstage areas. Front-of-house managers must be adults because of the responsibility of handling money. Siblings are welcome to assist with merchandise sales and as telegram runners, and teenage children may want to usher.
Volunteering for any WSYT task gives you a real sense of the teamwork and camaraderie required to get a full-scale production off the ground and out to an audience. Several of our regular volunteers began when their children were in the program and have continued to volunteer with WSYT despite their kids growing up and graduating!
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