Volunteer

Volunteers are an integral part of the success of The Maryland Theatre! Our volunteer roles include ushering for performances, concession service, scanning tickets, greeting patrons and guests for special events.

All volunteers are responsible for upholding Theatre policies, demonstrating exemplary theatre etiquette, guiding patrons through the facility, distributing programs or printed materials, and remaining alert and able to help with disturbances or in an emergency. Per fire safety and crowd control guidelines, The Maryland Theatre aims to maintain a ratio of 1 volunteer/staff to every 100 patrons; for a sold-out performance we ideally seek to have at least 14 volunteers, though more is often preferred.

Once volunteers complete pre-show duties, they are welcome to enjoy the performance, but they must remain in the area assigned and alert for disturbances, or emergencies. Except for short breaks, in which they must notify fellow volunteers they are leaving their location. At performances must stay for the duration of the performance to assist with intermission and dismissal. Should any volunteers need to leave early they must notify their manager upon arrival to meet crowd guidelines.

All volunteers work as a team at intermission to direct patrons to concessions and restrooms as intermission is often 15 to 20 minutes – it takes a team! Volunteers are all certified in crowd control and enforce these measures to prevent overcrowding. Volunteers only sit in rows when seats are available. During a sold-out performance, volunteers often will stand behind the half wall of the orchestra level or can be seated in the rear orchestra with additional seating available by staff. Concessions volunteers often enjoy the performance via live monitors as they restock and prepare for intermission or sales throughout the show.

If you are interested in volunteering at The Maryland Theatre, please complete our online volunteer application or contact, Breanna Holloway Events Assistant by e-mail at bkh@mdtheatre.org 

• Be on time!
• Be polite and cheerful.
• Be alert - for disruptions, blocked aisle ways, items on balcony railings or ledges.
• Be helpful! Direct and assist patrons - speak up and say “Welcome to The Maryland Theatre!”
• Be flexible - events and performances may have last-minute changes or additions.
• Be familiar with the facility, your surroundings and all exit paths.
• Be willing - to volunteer for popular and annual repeat performances too – they are all important to the Theatre’s success!

Volunteers are assigned a location, if for any reason you must leave your assigned area, please notify your manager.

It is never the goal of The Maryland Theatre to dismiss a volunteer, however, it may be necessary to support the mission and maintain a strong harmonious volunteer team. While you are donating your time to serve the Theatre, there are clear expectations from the House Manager, Concessions Manager, and staff about your role.

Volunteers are expected to remain in communication with their immediate manager. Volunteers are asked to call their supervisors and provide as much notice as possible when unable to fulfill their commitment to serve as scheduled.

Volunteers may be placed on probation at any given time if they:

• No call/no show
• Noticeable tardiness
• Leave without notifying house manager, lead, or staff.
• Continuously fail to meet basic volunteer expectations.
• Rudeness or misbehavior towards client, patron, staff member or fellow volunteer.
• Inability to perform basic duties as assigned.

You will receive written notice stating the reason you are on probation; a copy of their communication will be on file at the theatre, and you have a period of 60 days to improve. If no improvement is seen by the manager, staff, and fellow volunteers you will receive written notice of your dismissal as a volunteer. Upon dismissal we kindly request you to return your vest within 30 days, this may be done in person during box office hours or by mail.

The basic uniform for volunteers includes name tag, black pants or long black skirt, white button-down shirt or blouse (long sleeve in the cooler months and short sleeve in the warmer months) and comfortable closed toe black shoes. Black or burgundy sweaters may be worn. Before wearing this additional layer, please confirm with your volunteer manager or staff. Volunteers may not wear black leggings, blazers, sport coats, sandals, flip flops, or hats during their volunteer shift.

After a 90 day/3-month trial period, volunteers will receive an embroidered vest. After 100 hours of service, ushers earn a lapel pin for their vest. This vest is an essential part of the volunteer uniform and must be worn during all volunteers shifts. After 1 year of volunteer service, all volunteers will receive a personalized name tag. Vest, name tags & lapel pins are ordered once annually in the summer, please confirm any orders with your manager between April 1st and no later than June 15th. Please see the House Manager for a sample size of the vest to determine which size fits you best.

Personalized items and lapel pins are distributed during the annual recognition event.

The Maryland Theatre does not discriminate against any volunteer because of race, religion, creed, sex, national origin or ancestry, or veteran’s status. Due to minimal supervision and state alcohol service regulations, The Maryland Theatre requires concession volunteers to be 18 years of age or older.

There are essential criteria that a volunteer must be able to meet to perform roles. The Maryland Theatre is equipped to accommodate volunteers who may need reasonable requests due to a disability such as assignment to a specific location or volunteer role.

Volunteers must immediately report any injuries while volunteering. Their manager will provide an incident report to be completed immediately. If a volunteer witnesses an incident, accident, or emergency they should notify their manager or staff immediately. A written report may also be completed by staff.

Please allow staff to take the lead in controlling the situations that arise. Staff may provide further direction on how volunteers can best assist. It is the primary duty of the volunteer to simply remain calm and report an issue.

Complimentary water and coffee are always made available for our volunteers. For volunteers assisting performances, they can receive additional water or soda and snack from concessions after each performance begins. To eliminate noise, certain performances may request that volunteers enjoy their snack and carbonated beverages in the lobby. This may be the client’s request due to the nature of the performance and it’s important to be supportive of our creative partner’s request. If this is the case, staff will inform volunteers on Track it Forward and during the huddle of the client’s request. Concessions volunteers may make some concession items unavailable due to low inventory or other reasoning as directed by Theatre Staff. Volunteers should not request their complimentary items prior to the show or during intermission.

If you wish to bring your own snack or meal it can be stored in the Multi-Purpose Room/Volunteer Lounge on the 3rd Floor. Please clearly mark your items you brought from home, and we ask you not to store items overnight. Volunteers may not consume alcoholic beverages while on duty.

Please do not text, talk, or utilize your devices during your volunteer shift. We ask that your devices be off or on silent. Smart watches must be turned off or placed in Theatre Mode. If you must utilize your device during your shift, please do so in the Lobby or Multi-Purpose Room/Volunteer Lounge on the 3rd Floor.

It is extremely disruptive and viewed as disrespectful when volunteers are seen watching videos or scrolling on their phones mid-performance. Again, we emphasize if you need to utilize your phone, please do so in the lobby or multi-purpose room/volunteer lounge on the 3rd Floor, away from performance or event you are assisting.

Volunteers may not give information concerning The Maryland Theatre or any of its events, performances, donors, or clients to the news media unless specifically authorized to do so by staff. These inquiries should be referred to the Executive Director or manager on duty. 

While volunteers are important to the daily operations of The Theatre, they are not authorized spokesperson or marketers of The Theatre. Volunteers are encouraged to be polite and social with all individuals but should know when to direct someone to speak with a staff member.

A small black cross-body or fanny-pack style bag may be worn as needed for personal belongings such as emergency medicines. All other belongings should be stored in 3rd floor volunteer lounge in the lockers provided, in your vehicle or left at home. 

All personal belongings should be stored in a secured locker in the Multi-Purpose Room/Volunteer Lounge on the 3rd Floor. This includes all bags or purses, umbrellas, jackets, and sweaters. Personal belongings should not be stored on chairs, in cabinets or concessions areas. This is to protect your belongings and keep the areas clear of clutter. The Maryland Theatre is not responsible for lost or stolen personal belongings.

The Maryland Theatre does not own or operate any parking facilities, nor do we validate parking for staff or volunteers. Though in addition to on-street metered parking there are a variety of parking options within walking distance of The Maryland Theatre. 

Arts & Entertainment Parking Garage
25 Renaissance Way (right turn off E. Washington Street)
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Take your ticket with you! Patrons are encouraged to pay at the pay station not the gate. Paying at the gate can lead to backups and long wait times to exit the garage. The deck is best reached from East Washington, turning right onto Renaissance Way. Please note, this garage is often the first parking garage to reach capacity on performance and event nights. 

The University Parking Deck
25 N. Potomac Street
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Take your ticket with you! Patrons are encouraged to pay at the pay station not the gate. Paying at the gate can lead to backups and long wait times to exit the garage. 

Central Parking Lot
14 N. Potomac Street
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Metered parking, this lot accepts both, coins, and digital payments.

For more information on parking please visit the City of Hagerstown. https://www.hagerstownmd.org/283/Parking-Locations-Map

New volunteers first 90 days of service to The Maryland Theatre is considered a trial period. During this time, volunteers will receive increased supervision from their assigned manager and staff. At the end of this trial period, volunteers must meet with the manager to review their experience to date and mutually decide which volunteer role will be the best fit for them.

Track It Forward account using personal email. Track It Forward is the user-friendly scheduling software used by the Maryland Theatre to help us be most efficient in meeting our volunteer needs during events planning. The features and details of the software will be explained and practiced with each new volunteer during onboarding. Volunteers can sign up for events, see which events are upcoming and record hours of volunteering with Track It Forward. /p>

Volunteers are required to attend on-site safety training and fire drill annually. Additionally, concession volunteers are required to attend training and certification for state alcohol service regulations. All training is mandatory- no exceptions can be made for missing required training or certification classes.

Each 3rd Tuesday of the month (except for December,) new volunteers can sign up to attend an orientation with an experienced volunteer and a member of the staff involved with volunteer processes.

Every other month this meeting will be held at 5pm and on opposite months will be held at 10am. These orientations will be listed on Track it Forward for sign- up. The length of this orientation, to include a full facility tour, will be about 45 minutes to one hour. After completion of the orientation, new volunteers will be scheduled for their first shift and paired up with an experienced volunteer to shadow for that shift.

• Smoking and vaping is prohibited inside the facility.
• Smoking and vaping is prohibited outside within 20 feet of doors and walkways.
• Absolutely NO smoking or vaping on the fire escapes. 

Volunteers must have a reliable means of transportation to The Maryland Theatre.

If volunteers have a concern or grievance with another volunteer, please report to your volunteer manager first. If your volunteer manager has been notified of the concern or grievance or is unavailable, then you may bring your concern to a staff member.

• Concession Volunteers report directly to Barb Jacob, Concessions Manager.
• Greeters, Ticket Scanners and Ushers report directly to June Datum, House Manager.

A suggestion box is also located in the Multi-Purpose Room/Volunteer Lounge on the 3rd Floor of The Maryland Theatre. This box is checked often!  

We kindly ask volunteers to make all suggestions to a manager rather than staff on duty. As it’s the primary responsibility of staff on duty to ensure a successful & safe performance or event.

Volunteers who do not adhere to these guidelines and expectations of The Maryland Theatre or who fail to perform their volunteer assignments at a satisfactory level may be subject to dismissal. In most cases, volunteers will be placed on probation, for a maximum of 60 days, prior to dismissal, though immediate dismissal is not out of the question.

Volunteers will receive written notice stating the reason for dismissal, a copy of this documentation will remain on file at the theatre. Upon dismissal we kindly request you to return your vest within 30 days, this may be done in person during box office hours or by mail. 

Volunteers may be dismissed for the following: 

• Continued No Call/No Show
• Noticeable Tardiness
• Leave without Notifying house manager, lead or staff.
• Continuously fail to meet basic volunteer expectations.
• Rudeness or misbehavior towards client, patron, staff member or fellow volunteer.
• Misrepresenting The Maryland Theatre or one’s role at The Maryland Theatre
• Conviction of a felony outside of The Maryland Theatre
• Inability to perform basic duties as assigned.

If you have new commitments in your life that would require you to cut back on volunteering or stop entirely, please let us know! We understand that life circumstances change with work schedules, caregiving, travel schedules, etc. Please communicate these changes so that we can maintain an appropriate number of volunteer staff at each event/performance. We encourage volunteers who are resigning from serving The Maryland Theatre to contact both their manager and staff about their intended departure. We kindly request at the time of resignation to return your vest. A minimum of 4 weeks’ notice is preferred.

The Maryland Theatre carries an insurance policy which covers our volunteers for accidents, and incidents while participation in and attendance at supervised and sponsored activities.

The Maryland Theatre provides a discounted ticket rate for volunteer partners, spouses, and family members to select events throughout the year. Unfortunately, complimentary tickets are not available to volunteers and their families.