This MS Word template is a single page that can be customized for each show.

Included are five blocks in table format for:

Your theatre relies on volunteer support—but skilled, reliable volunteers don’t appear out of thin air. You need strategies that will attract and retain top-quality, passionate volunteers that you can count on.

Volunteer management is crucial to the continued success of most theatres. They bring skills, dedication and, most important, passion to the time they give you.

Proper volunteer management has the potential to grow your volunteer pool and foster retention, helping you maintain access to skilled, reliable support. In this guide, we cover the core components of an effective volunteer management strategy, including:

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protects people with disabilities from discrimination. 

This easy-to-understand document was written by Steven John Fellman, ADA Counsel, National Association of Theatre Owners.  It covers almost every area of a theatre in terms of ADA requirements.

The Emergency Response Handbook from the Des Moines (IA) Playhouse. Includes basic responses to most emergency situations, as well as emertgency readiness and emergency annoucements.

The Vilar Performing Arts Center Volunteer Manual (2021).

Emergency Procedures, an excerpt from Vilar Performing Arts Center Volunteer-Manual, including Active Shooter, Suspicious Activity, Disruptive Guests, Guest Safety/Crowd Control, Medical Emergency, etc. {The full Manual is also available for download here.]
 

Because of their role as community gathering spaces, theatres and other arts venues are recognized as potential targets for those wishing to cause harm. Whether you work for a college theatre, a large performing arts center, or a small community theatre, your facility needs to invest the time required to prepare for an active shooter event. This article, courtesy of the Southeast Theatre Conference (SETC), explains how.

Your audience is there because you promoted the show and sold tickets. But guests are at a disadvantage, when it comes to safety, because they don't know your theater home as well as you do. Therefore, you must pay special attention to their needs.

Audience safety is a greater concern at intermissions and after the show, when hundreds of people want to go to the same place at the same time. The problem is magnified because many audience members are talking to each other about the show (We hope!) and may not watch always where they are walking. And, of course, people who are hurried or frustrated often make bad judgments which can lead to accidents. Here's how to make things safer for everyone.