Volunteering at The Dukes
Volunteers play a vital role in supporting The Dukes' activity, and we are grateful for the time and enthusiasm that our growing team of volunteers provides.

There are several ways that you can support The Dukes as a volunteer and we are always keen to hear other ideas of how you can get involved and play your part.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY ONLY RECRUITING FOR VOLUNTEERS TO SUPPORT THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT

Marketing
The Dukes marketing department regularly send out mailings to our audiences with news of forthcoming productions. If you have a couple of hours to spare every few weeks or so, and would be able to help us prepare mailings and support the marketing department in other ways, we would love to hear from you. It is also a great opportunity to catch up with other theatre lovers over tea and biscuits and help The Dukes at the same time.

Front of House
As a Volunteer Usher you will be an ambassador for the organisation, offering a warm welcome to our patrons and providing invaluable support to the Front of House team.

Ushers are key members of the Front of House team, staffing the public areas of our buildings during events and productions.  They perform duties such as ticket tearing, seating our guests, selling merchandise and ice cream, clearing up the auditorium at the end of the film or show and providing friendly, helpful customer service. The role also includes health and safety duties such as taking responsibility for evacuating the audience during an emergency.

Our Volunteer Usher team is made up of people of all ages and from all walks of life. You must be over 18 but there is no upper age limit on becoming an usher. Applicants should bear in mind that this can be a physically demanding role. The building has areas only accessible by stairs and there will be times when you are standing for significant periods. Shifts can last from 3 to 5 hours depending on the length of the film or performance but you will be able to sit inside the auditorium and see it as part of your duties on almost all occasions. Be sure to give a thought to the late finishing times and getting home safely after a shift too.

We're looking for Volunteer Ushers who are smart, have a pleasant manner, an interest in the arts and a willingness to work as part of an exciting team. Shifts vary from daytime, evening and weekend. We provide full training, with friendly and ongoing support.

If you can offer to help us for at least 2 or 3 shifts per month and would like to support The Dukes by becoming a Volunteer Usher please get in touch.

We can offer you the following:

·          See a variety of films and shows
·          Experience of working in the arts
·          Make new friends
·          Invitations to The Dukes events
·          A monthly newsletter
·          A friendly supportive environment
·          Learn new skills
·          Give something back to the community
·          Be part of The Dukes history 

To become a volunteer please download and complete our Volunteer Application Form and return it to The Dukes for the attention of Jane Twyman.

For e-mail applications, please put VOLUNTEER APPLICATION in the subject line of your e-mail and send to our Front of House Manager, Jane Twyman at jtwyman@dukes-lancaster.org.