Dedicated volunteers make an extraordinary team at Center for Performing Arts

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Waiting in the wings and there at a moment’s notice, the volunteers of Penn State's Center for the Performing Arts (CPA) are a constant in the operations of every show.

To audience members and performers alike, volunteers may seem one and the same with the front-of-house staff. However, for the many decades that Eisenhower Auditorium has hosted performers, volunteers have been conducting a quiet performance of their own through their dedication to the arts.

Volunteers are the friendly faces visitors see just before they enter the auditorium. The volunteers work in tandem with part-time and full-time staff to provide the best experience possible for visitors. Whether it’s orienting patrons to their seats or answering their questions, this team holds a position in between the community and the CPA, and without its members, a foundational part of the CPA would not be able to function.

What do volunteers do?

Kelly Kaiserian, the center’s audience services manager, said she has seen the importance of volunteers' work first-hand.

“We use anywhere from 10 to 25 volunteers for a given show,” she said. “They have been a valued and flexible team when we need to have more coverage due to unexpectedly high ticket sales. They often have volunteered many years, or other venues, and have ideas about how to improve our services.”

The key to a smooth show is collaboration, she added. At every mishap or snag, volunteers will be there to support staff. Staff ensures that they get to be a part of the team as much as anyone else.

“They have up-to-date training, fair scheduling and access to popular events, and a real community where they are all welcome to participate and contribute,” Kaiserian said.

She said the volunteers’ duties range from helping audience members find a misplaced item, to advocating for major life-safety needs in Eisenhower Auditorium.

“The whole Volunteer Advisory Council worked with me to redo our evacuation plan recently, and it was such a positive experience. I couldn’t have gotten it done without them,” Kaiserian said.

Who volunteers?

Besides helping to keep patrons safe, comfortable and happy, the people who volunteer represent more than just the campus community the CPA operates in. Long-time volunteer Emily Gregory said volunteers serve as a bridge between the local community and the center itself.

“Patrons come to events and see ushers they know. This helps to make the event a welcoming place,” said Gregory, a member of the Center’s Volunteer Advisory Council. The council meets and makes recommendations to the center’s audience services manager regarding ways to improve the patron experience.

She said that the volunteers are also passionate about upholding the arts as an integral part of Penn State and the local community. Gregory said of her first time volunteering for the center, “I ushered Tony Leach’s production of ‘Children of Eden.’ The costuming, singing [and] acting brought tears to my eyes!”

In everything that volunteers do, it is clear their love for the performing arts is something that motivates them. Though volunteer hours are flexible and always optional, the amount of time invested by volunteers into supporting the performing arts, no matter what the show, is something to admire.

Why volunteer?

What they don’t receive in monetary compensation, volunteers receive through experiencing the full breadth of performances that Eisenhower Auditorium has to offer.

“My appreciation of the arts has greatly improved,” Gregory said. “I’ve seen and enjoyed shows I probably would never have chosen to attend.”

While volunteers may occasionally work at other performing arts venues as needed, most of their work is done in Eisenhower Auditorium. As Penn State’s primary theatrical performance space, the building has more events occurring than what is just listed on the Center for the Performing Arts’ website.

From local acts and events by community and Penn State student organizations, to nationally renowned shows, volunteers have access to all of the performances that the building hosts, rather than just what is publicly promoted. Thus, volunteers with the CPA become insiders to the arts across different communities, many of which they may not have known about prior to a performance.

Volunteering at the CPA is an opportunity that people from all walks of life can learn and benefit from. This diversity is reflected in the group that Kelly Kaiserian briefs before every show, she said.

Becoming a volunteer at the CPA not only connects people to the arts directly, but it also allows them to connect with each other. Though staff and volunteers may not always know each other by name, there is a comfortable camaraderie buzzing amongst them. In the midst of chaotic pre- and post-show organization, jokes and friendly conversation can always be found between volunteers and staff.

This camaraderie can be felt by the audience, said Kaiserian, making the CPA a place that truly feels welcoming to all. When it’s curtain call, visitors and performers may call it a night, but the service provided by volunteers is a show that always goes on.

“The volunteers come in and work events that may not interest them personally, in all kinds of weather, and are gracious and welcoming to our audiences, for a reward that is not monetary. It truly is extraordinary,” Kaiserian said.

Become a volunteer

Watch an informational video about becoming a Center for the Performing Arts volunteer. Those interested in joining the team can contact Audience Services Manager Kelly Kaiserian at 814-863-7101 or kvk2@psu.edu for more information.

Ariana J. Lee is a marketing communications intern at the Center for the Performing Arts.