VOLUNTEER INFORMATION

Transcription

1 APPENDIX 3 USHER VOLUNTEER INFORMATION Thank you for Volunteering for Ushering duties at The Capri. Usher Staff are very much Front of House, so your appearance, attitude and service, reflect not only on yourself, but also on the total Capri management / volunteer ethic. As you volunteer, you will be accountable to, and report to, the Manager or, in his absence, the Duty Manager. Please be aware that, for safety and security reasons, surveillance cameras linked to monitors and recorders are positioned throughout the theatre. There are important matters that have legal and safety implications, as outlined in our Workplace Health and Safety Guidelines (Appendix 1 in the Volunteer Guidelines Folder located in the Switch Room and Candy Bar). Please make sure you are familiar with this document. There are also routine tasks (listed 3. below) which you will be expected to perform. It is essential that you familiarise yourself with these requirements, as detailed in the relevant instruction sheets attached. If you have any questions, these should be referred in the first instance to the Duty Officer. As it is not possible to cover every eventuality / requirement, there will be times when you will need to seek guidance or use your own initiative. In the event that there are two or more Ushers working in the Theatre, the Duty Manager will direct as to the person to be in nominal charge for that work period. TASKS: As an Usher, there is always something to be done! 3.1 General Tasks 3.2 Guests & Ticketing 3.3 Cleaning 3.4 Shut Down Procedure A daily shift docket is provided, listing the tasks that need to be completed in chronological order. This should be filled out, dated, signed and handed to the Duty Officer at the end of each shift.

2 3.1 General Tasks GATES The first task to complete upon arrival should be opening the gates. These must be locked open whilst the theatre is open to allow patrons unrestricted exit in case of an emergency. The key for the padlocks can be found in the Switch Room adjacent to the North Ticket Box. The Southern gate is located on Goodwood Road between the Capri and the café next door. The Eastern gate is located at the rear of the building, opening onto Weston Street. The one key unlocks both padlocks. Each gate must be locked open. They must be locked again at the end of the night once all patrons have exited the building. Please return the gate key to its hook after each use. This is a legal requirement. LIGHTS Before opening the doors to patrons, the following lights should be switched on: Switch Room o At the bottom of the board are two black switches marked panic & ticket box. If these are not on, turn them on. o RED 8 should always be turned on to illuminate the main stairway. o Turn on RED 9 and 10 for daytime screenings and also 7 at sunset/dusk. o Turn on WHITE 6 for the light boxes. o Turn on BLUE 9 for the foyer. o Turn off BLUE 5 to isolate the doorbell. o After each session has commenced, switch off RED 10. This is to be turned back on half an hour before the session finishes. Upper Foyer o Turn on the standard lamps at the power points. o Turn on the lamp above the fireplace using the switch on the right side of the fireplace. o Turn on the lights above the upstairs North and South stairways from the foyer to the auditorium. The switches are above the inside of the doorways. Stalls o On the centre pillar between the doors is the switch and set dimmer. o Switch the light on and turn the dimmer up to its brightest setting. o When the movie commences, reduce the lights. o When the movie finishes, increase the lights so that guests can find their way out. o If the stage is flooded with a bright white light, the organ practice light may have been left on accidentally. The switch is found on the back wall of the auditorium, south of the doors.

3 AIR-CONDITIONING If the air conditioner is required in the foyer, the controller is found behind the door in the switch room. Press the on/off switch, then check that it is on the desired setting for cooling or heating. The temperature is permanently set to 23 degrees Celsius. Don t forget to turn it off again at the end of the evening. DOORS The external main foyer doors should all be unlocked a minimum of 30 minutes before the first session is due to commence. None of these doors are to be bolted during operating times, for reasons of public safety. If the stalls are not in use then the doors should be closed and the red velvet curtain drawn. If only one usher is on duty, ensure that the Entrance at other stairway please sign is in place at the Southern entrance to the balcony (placed so that it is not causing an obstruction if patrons leave by this doorway). Both of the upstairs Southern doors should be closed and the curtains drawn. After late arrivals have stopped coming in, shut the doors to the auditorium and draw the curtains closed. This reduces noise going in, helps the air conditioning and is a requirement for fire safety regulations. Ten minutes before the session end, open both sets of curtains and doors in the upstairs foyer. Open the Stalls doors, but leave the curtains closed until the film has finished, stopping light getting onto the screen. STOCK MANAGEMENT It is the Usher s responsibility to restock the drinks fridges. Excess drinks are kept in the paint store, which is located under the emergency exit stairs down the side of The Capri where the bins are kept. The key can be found in the south ticket box hanging on a hook on the inside right of the door. During a session, you should access the paint store by walking out of the main doors and down Gilbert Street towards the rear of the building. Turn right onto Weston Street and then right again at the Southern corner of the building. Walk up the alley with the bins to the paint store, being careful to not make too much noise and disrupt the session. CURTAINS & BLINDS The curtains to the windows in the upper foyer should always be open when patrons are in the building, with the edge of the curtain slightly covering the edge of the window. The curtains should not be within 2 feet of the wall sconces. The venetian blinds in the upper foyer should also always be open when patrons are in the building. They may be closed slightly on warmer days to keep the heat out.

4 The venetian blinds in the candy bar should generally be open to let natural light in, but can be closed on warmer days when the sun is low to stop the Haigh s Chocolates from melting. The venetian blinds on the two doors immediately to the North of the Candy Bar must always be left shut so that sunlight does not reflect onto the screen.

5 3.2 Patrons & Ticketing GENERAL SESSIONS For most general sessions, you will be stationed at the top of the stairs at the Northern entrance to the balcony seats. Make sure you take a small red torch with you which can be obtained from the Ticket Box. Spare batteries for the torches are also available in the Ticket Box when needed. Greet patrons politely as they enter. Make a tear in the top of their ticket and hand it back to the customer. This way they have something to show if they go back out to buy something from the Candy Bar or use the toilet facilities. If the session has reserved seating, conduct the patron to their seat, otherwise inform patrons that they may sit anywhere they choose. During kids sessions, offer small children a booster seat. If patrons bring in hot food, please ask them to finish it in the foyer before entering the auditorium as the smell can be unpleasant for other patrons. If a patron has an alcoholic drink in a glass, ask them to head back to the candy bar to obtain a plastic cup. The long-stemmed glasses easily topple out of the cup holders or get kicked on the floor and break which is dangerous. Bottled drinks are allowed. Wheelchair / Walker access is via the Gilbert Street door adjacent to stage. The doors open from the inside so you will need to direct the patron outside and then meet them with the door opened. If another staff member is available, one of you should escort the patron outside to the door. Wheelchair holding locations (with adjacent seats) are as shown on the seating plan Once Patrons using Walkers have been seated, Walkers are to be located along the back wall of the auditorium taking care to ensure that the walkway is not blocked. Walkers and wheelchairs are not permitted to be left in aisles. Ushers should be on hand to assist in returning Walkers to Patrons at the end of the performance. The accessing side door must never be opened during a session. (Only in dire circumstances, exit and entry can be arranged via the workshop.) After the movie has commenced and the lights are down, always show patrons to their seats. Do not walk too fast and project your torch on the floor behind you and not directly at patrons as they may have trouble adjusting to the dark. If the incorrect movie plays, notify the Duty Officer immediately. You may need to stand down the stairway a little once the program has started so as not to obstruct the patrons view of the screen or organist. After the doors are closed, check the audience behaviour and comfort every 30 minutes after the session commences. o If there are patrons being noisy, please ask them to be quiet for the comfort of other guests.

6 o If they are using phones or recording equipment, please ask them to stop or we ll have to call the police. EVENT SESSIONS If there is an event on, please see the Duty Officer for instructions: For large events, there may be more than one Usher rostered on and the Duty Officer will assign you a door to staff. For the majority of events, you will be required to collect the tickets from the guests so that the Duty Officer can count the number of guests once the screening has begun and establish the charging for the client. Collection of tickets should be done from the bottom of the main stairs. You may use the bollards and chains/ropes to block off half of the stairs to make it easier to collect tickets from all guests. Once the event session has commenced, please report to the Duty Officer for instruction on how you can help clear up the foyer spaces and pack down after the event.

7 3.3 Cleaning AUDITORIUM Prior to the commencement of the first session, Ushers should check the general condition of the theatre (cleanliness of floor/seats and correct as required). After each session, Ushers should: o Flip up all of the vinyl seats. Avoid doing this during the credits as some patrons stay until the end - they should not be disturbed. Start at the back, quietly, and work behind patrons if timing is limited between sessions. o Pick up large items of rubbish from the floor and place them in the appropriate bins. o Brush down the fabric seats to remove any crumbs or popcorn. Please use the small scrubbing brush that is located in the old fashioned ticket bin at the top of the stairs. Alternatively, you can use the brush from the dustpan and brushes, located behind the first two seats on the left at the top of the stairs, seats LG 33 and 34. o For small groups, use the dustpan and brush or the spin broom to spot clean and sweep up any mess on the floor. Remember to empty the spin broom regularly. o For larger groups you may like to use the broom to sweep all of the rubbish into piles at the end of each aisle, then go around with dustpan and brush to sweep up the piles. o If there are any spills on the floor, use a mop which is kept in the ticket box in the upper foyer. Use the spray bottle stored in the same location to dampen the pad first. Once the session has gone in, please rinse the used pad in the sink and leave to dry. o To clean marks from seats use a damp cloth from the candy bar in the upper foyer. o If the bin is looking full, breakdown the popcorn boxes to create space. o If the bin is still full, change the bin bag. Large black bags can be found in the small cupboard found on the Northern wall of the Lounge. o If there are any bottles in the rubbish, move them to the bottle bin. o There is usually 15 minutes between sessions to perform the above tasks. Please prioritise the section at the front of the Balcony as this is the most popular area to sit. FOYER Once the session has gone in, make sure the foyer area is tidy: If necessary, empty the bins. The small white bags for the wooden bins and the large black bags for the large black bins can both be found in the cupboards to the right of the ladies toilet door. Straighten up the flyers and pamphlets around the central pole and throw out any out-ofdate material. Spot clean the carpet in the foyers using the carpet sweeper. Keep an eye on the chrome fittings and mirrored surfaces. If they are dirty, please clean with a damp cloth and soft paper towel.

8 TOILETS Thirty minutes after each session has gone in and where needed, flush the toilets in the men s and ladies toilets, both upstairs and downstairs. Check the level of the toilet paper in each cubicle and refill if necessary. The toilet paper can be found in the cupboards to the right of the ladies toilets. The keys for these cupboards can be found on the hook inside the Southern ticket box. One set is on a yellow tab labelled loo cupboard keys and the other is on a grey tab labelled paint store. There is a thick white plastic key on each of the keyrings that you need to use in the top of the toilet paper dispenser to open it in order to insert the extra paper. If the soap dispensers require filling, please find the extra soap in the cupboard to the right of the ladies toilet where the toilet paper is kept. There is a piece of white plastic on the keyring for the cupboard that has two prongs on it. Push these into the holes on top of the soap dispenser to open it. The new soap dispenser in the ladies toilet upstairs doesn t require a key as there are two buttons underneath the unit at the back against the wall, just inside the sides of the equipment. Press both simultaneously and the lid will pop open. Pour in the soap then simply push the front of the unit back in to place. It should click shut. OUTSIDE BINS There are a number of commercial waste bins kept outside the building in the alleyway on the rear Southern side of the building. When there are no patrons in the auditorium you can access the bin area using the fire exit doors on the Southern side of the Stalls. When there are patrons in the auditorium then you must go around the building and access the alleyway from Weston Street at the rear of the building. The Blue bins are for general waste only. There is one Green lidded bin for plant waste only. The Green and Maroon bins with Magill Recycling written on the side are for bottles only. Please do not put black bags into these bins. Pour the bottles out into the bins. The Yellow lidded bins are for plastic recycling only, e.g. milk bottles. The large metal bin by the gate is for cardboard and paper recycling only. Please ensure you completely breakdown boxes before putting them into this bin. Please do not stomp on the boxes to flatten them, it is best to full open the top and bottom, remove any tape or staples and flatten fully. There should be no plastic or rubbish in this bin. The other large metal bin is for general waste. Please ensure the Blue wheely bin is full first before using this bin.

9 3.4 Shut Down Procedure When the last patrons have left, lock the front gate and the front doors. Check all toilets and flush if necessary. Check the exit door on the south side of the lounge. Push both doors to ensure the bolts have engaged correctly. Do this for all double exit doors with push bars. Turn off the lights above the stairs into the auditorium from the upper foyer. Turn off the floor lamps and the light on the fireplace in the upper foyer. Lock the back gate. Ensure all outside doors on the Southern side of the Stalls are closed correctly. Push. Check the back door behind the Artist s Room is locked and all the lights are off. Check the back door behind the Workshop is locked and all the lights are off. Ensure all outside doors on the Northern side of the Stalls are closed correctly. Push. Turn off the lights to the rear of the Stalls and close the Stalls doors. Check the Candy Bar outside door is locked. Turn off the lights in the Candy Bar and pull down the security grill. Turn off the air-conditioning in the foyer. Return the gate key to the hook. Sign out in the volunteer attendance book. Leave with the Duty Officer.