The Blackstone River Theatre

Please e-mail us at volunteer@riverfolk.org if you are interested in joining BRT's all-volunteer organization! We will be holding a new volunteer orientation in Fall, 2008. We will also be seeking volunteers for the 2nd annual BRT Celtic Festival to be held on July 19, 2008. Check the Celtic Festival web site for details.

Welcome

Welcome to the Blackstone River Theatre, a nonprofit cultural arts center where the music, dance and folk arts traditions of the Blackstone River Valley come to life. We are dedicated to supporting, promoting and developing the arts for our community and its artists by creating awareness, and providing educational and performance opportunities.

Reopening in late 2000 after over four years of mostly volunteer renovation, BRT now presents weekly acoustic-based music concerts and monthly folk dances and children's events, as well as special events on a year-round basis. As part of our Heritage Arts Studio initiative, BRT also pursues arts education outreach into the local community by offering classes and workshops at the theatre with respected performers and teachers.

In addition to presenting the very best in performing arts and arts education, BRT continually strives to provide our patrons with a comfortable, safe facility with an emphasis on friendly, knowledgeable service. At BRT, this service is provided by our dedicated staff of Volunteer Theatre Assistants. If you think you may be interested, read on!

Volunteer Opportunities

Blackstone River Theatre is an ALL-VOLUNTEER, nonprofit organization. If you enjoy listening to acoustic music and being part of an artistic atmosphere, you've found the right place! As a volunteer Theatre Assistant, you'll not only be helping the Blackstone River Theatre put on consistently high-quality programming, but you'll be able to enjoy a great night of music and more than likely, make some new friends that share similar interests.

We don't need or expect a total commitment from our volunteers each and every week... however, we ARE looking for volunteers who are able and willing to participate at least one event per month. With the exception of a few specialized jobs, most of the volunteer opportunities do not require special skills. Please let us know, however, if you DO have any special skills that may help us out!

Some of the ongoing jobs that require volunteer help include:

Greeting/supervising people arriving and leaving parking lots
General clean-up/maintenance BEFORE and AFTER each show
Running small errands during the week and day of event
Ticket, concession and artist merchandise sales
Lawn care, raking, exterior maintenance/landscaping, shoveling etc.
Ongoing interior maintenance/renovation (painting etc.)
Working special daytime or weeknight public/private events
Distributing Posters/Flyers: One of the primary and least expensive ways we advertise our shows is by posting flyers in local businesses or message boards where flyers are accepted.
Mailing Parties: These nights involve labeling, dotting and sticking stamps on our twice-yearly schedule mailings. Though it's repetitive work, it's one of the most important (and time-consuming) ways that we advertise. It's also a great and relaxed way to meet fellow volunteers.

Qualifications

BRT Theatre Assistants must meet the following criteria:

Must be 18 years of age or older
Must demonstrate strong interpersonal skills and a customer-focused attitude
Must be a positive, informed advocate for the BRT, its mission and programming
Must be able to perform needed functions with little direction after initial training

Commitment Required: A Theatre Assistant should be available for AT LEAST one performance each month, from at least one and one-half hours before event start time to one half-hour after event completion.

Training: All potential Theatre Assistants must first attend a Job Shadowing on the night of a performance as well as a later Orientation and Training session before assuming the role of a BRT Theatre Assistant. In-service Theatre Assistants will also be expected to attend bi-annual update/continuing education sessions as BRT activities are continually expanding and changing.

How Do I Get Involved?

So you think you might be interested in volunteering at the Blackstone River Theatre...

To make sure that WE are a match for your interests and that YOU fully understand and meet our organization's needs, we have developed a job shadowing experience followed by a pre-service training/welcoming orientation that we use for all potential, as well as existing, volunteers. If you decide to stay on with us, we also have a BRT Volunteer Theatre Assistant Handbook to facilitate training.

Step one is a job shadowing experience which is observation only... simply put, you come to one of our shows and watch what we do as volunteers allowing you, by night's end, to decide if we are a good fit for you and your interests as a volunteer. If you have enjoyed the experience and atmosphere (and we certainly hope you will!) the next step is an afternoon orientation session of roughly four hours (lunch provided) where you will tour the BRT, learn our history and mission, meet fellow volunteers and be provided with what you need to know as a BRT volunteer. This orientation culminates in you receiving our Volunteer Handbook; after you have completed this session, you are ready to volunteer at BRT events!

Volunteering at BRT will not be for everybody... we are a large facility offering frequent programming that requires personable, knowledgeable, hard-working volunteers to make it possible. However, if you have time and talents to offer, BRT offers an artistic, rewarding and truly friendly environment in which to volunteer.

If you've made it this far and you're still interested, your next step is to contact Alan Gousie, Volunteer Theatre Assistant Coordinator, to express your interest and set up a job shadowing experience.

We look forward to having you join us as a BRT Volunteer Theatre Assistant!

Special Skills

Do You Have Any Special Skills to Offer the BRT?

While BRT is always in need of Theatre Assistants to take care of our day-to-day tasks as well as staffing our public and private events, we are also seeking qualified individuals that may have special skills and a bit of extra time to offer to the Blackstone River Theatre.

Some of the special skills we need include:

Videography of Events

Photographing Events

Snow Plowing (This is especially important as the Town of Cumberland can often not get to us if they are still plowing the Town's roads... yet we still need our lot plowed roughly 2-3 hours before a scheduled event...if anyone can help with this, even occassionally, please contact Russell Gusetti.

Basic Plumbing

Data Entry

Construction/Handyman Work

Yard Maintenance

You tell us! There's probably several things we're not even thinking of until someone brings it up!