Page 5 - Volume 40-Number 03 05-25-17

Volunteer Ushers Might Be Worth Their Weight in

Popcorn and Soda

By Ken Stein, President & CEO, League of Historic American Theatres

Volunteer ushers. Miracle workers or not worth the trouble? Most likely the answer lies
somewhere in between. One year when I was still working for the Paramount and State
Theatres in Austin, I decided to calculate the actual cost savings associated with our
volunteer usher program. Using simply a minimum
wage for the hourly rate, I was shocked to discover
that our army of volunteers saved the theatre over
$100,000 annually. Sure some of them wanted
popcorn and soda and others had to be constantly
reminded to tend to their duties rather than watch
the show, but it’s hard to imagine a non-profit
theatre getting by without the help of volunteer
ushers.

My favorite volunteer story starts off a bit negative
but ends well. I arrived at our annual Gala several
hours early to make sure things were going well
despite the horrid weather. In addition to staff,
several dozen volunteer ushers were being used
to set up and decorate for the after-party being
held on an empty floor of a nearby office tower.
As I passed each volunteer I thanked them for their
time… until I met Rose Marie who stopped me to
complain.

“It’s raining, Ken. And I had to walk two blocks in the rain to get to this damn building,”
decried Rose Marie. I stopped and apologized and asked her why she had not parked in
the parking garage. “Well, I didn’t know I could!” So I stopped everything I was doing and
asked her where her car was parked and offered to move it to the garage for her so she
would not have to go out into the weather again. She promptly handed me her keys.

I returned many minutes later soaking wet.
“Your car is on the 2nd floor in the very first spot
when you come off the elevator, Rose Marie.” I
smiled and waited for the thank you. Instead
I got, “Well I would have preferred it on the first
floor!”

Over the years, Rose Marie and I became
friends, and on more than one occasion I would
make a date to take her to lunch. She lived
alone and had few – if any – friends. I enjoyed
our lunches and found the stories of her adventurous life to be thrilling. I was sad when she
eventually passed away. Rose Marie had become my friend.

(Continued on next page.)
Spring 2017 InLeague | PAGE 3