Chicago Fringe Festival

VOLUNTEER WITH CHICAGO FRINGE FESTIVAL

Chicago Fringe will take place September 1-5, 2010 in different venues in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. For complete details about the 2010 Chicago Fringe Festival, explore PILSEN 2010

The Chicago Fringe Festival would not be possible without the support of hundreds of hard-working volunteers like yourself. Your enthusiasm and dedication are two of the ingredients that make the Fringe Festival an enjoyable and friendly experience for patrons, performers and staff alike.

How I Volunteer:

Apply to Volunteer with Chicago Fringe and you'll get updates about CFF events and volunteer opportunities in your Inbox. It's that easy.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us anytime at volunteers@chicagofringe.org

Each volunteer will be required to attend a training session before the Festival's opening night. Dates soon to be listed.

Why I Should Volunteer:

Besides the opportunity to shape the fringe community, interact with local, national and international artists and develop new skills, we do offer a few tokens of our appreciation:

A Chicago Fringe Festival T-shirt
Free Chicago Fringe Festival pin
Free admission to shows. (One show per shift.)
An invitation to our volunteer appreciation party

Ways I Can Help:

If you love art and theatre & are always looking for new and exciting ways to get involved in the Chicago Arts community, you have come to the right place! If you consider yourself a dedicated, responsible, flexible, and organized person with strong communication skills, we'd love for you to help make the first annual CFF a reality.

Each day of the festival, we utilize volunteers with a wide array of skill sets and work experiences. You have a place on our team!

Some of your job possibilities include:

FESTIVAL VOLUNTEER JOBS:

VENUE MANAGERS lead the front-of-house team (ushers and box officers). Venue managers ensure that shows remain on schedule by managing crowds - helping audiences move through the ticket buying, ticket taking and seating process - and coordinating with Venue Technicians and Artists. They assist with special seating requirements and other customer service needs. Before each show, Venue Managers make a welcome/turn off your cellphones speech. Between shows Venue Managers ensure the venue front of house is set and reset. Venue Managers will also be accountable for unlock and locking up their venue every day and for signing off on reports at the end of the night.
BOX OFFICE TEAM sells tickets and buttons, distributes will call tickets and reconciles the box office and attendance counts after each show. Members of the Box Office Team should love counting and handling cash, multitasking and working in a fast-paced environment.
MERCHANDISE/CONCESSIONS SELLERS help sell CFF merchandise and concessions at the Central Box Office and the box offices within each theatre.
USHERS act as an assistant to the Venue Manager, taking tickets, distributing programs and surveys and helping to keep the program on schedule. Ushers may be asked to tidy up lobby and theatre spaces between performances.
CONCIERGE will meet and greet performers and patrons at Fringe Central. The concierge will answer phones, sell Fringe merchandise and act as an Information Desk, answering general questions about the Fringe and Pilsen, recommending restaurants, giving directions, etc.
FRINGE CENTRALITES help with setup and tear down, clean up, safety and monitoring the Fringe Central grounds. (Fringe Central is the main hang out area for performers, patrons and volunteers between and after shows.) The Centralites also help with food and beverage, wristband distribution, sidewalk chalking, some publicity and any other necessities to make Fringe Central run smoothly.
FRINGE RUNNER: Are you a multi-tasker who wants to combine volunteering with working out? Then this is the position for you. We need runners who will pick up paperwork from the Main Box Office and drop it off at each of the venues every hour. There is a half hour window to make the deposits, so no lollygagers please. Use of car, roller skates, or bike are encouraged.
ON CALL VOLUNTEER are the jacks of all trades. They report to Fringe Central and fill in where needed - delivering programs or tickets, helping with crowd control or covering a missed shift. Cellphone required. Car and Ovation Training a plus.
PHOTOGRAPHER helps to document the Fringe by taking pictures of CFF events and happenings. Please send a portfolio examples, website, etc. to Jessica at jessica@chicagofringe.org

HOST AN ARTIST:

If you have a spare bedroom, futon or couch and enjoy company, consider hosting an out-of-town artist! It’s easy and fun. It will also provide great opportunities to meet other community-minded theatre people within Chicago at Host-oriented events. If you consider yourself a hospitable soul, and you have some extra room, please email Jessica at jessica@chicagofringe.org

PRE-FESTIVAL VOLUNTEER JOBS:

DISTRIBUTION OF FLYERS/POSTERS/PROGRAMS -
Get the word out by putting out flyers, posters and programs in the week(s) leading up to the festival.
STREET TEAM -
The Street Team is in charge of raising awareness of Chicago Fringe Festival and establishing personal relationships within various communities in Chicago. You'd be passing out fliers and postering all over the city, as well as getting the opportunity to engage in promotional guerrilla activities. You'd be the bright, shiny face of CFF prior to opening night of the First Annual Fringe Festival. ONLY THE STOKED NEED APPLY.

TECHNICAL VOLUNTEER JOBS:

TECHNICAL VOLUNTEER -
Are you a handyman or at-home electrician? Do you want to work with the CFF but don't have the time to take a big part? Interested in playing with power tools but don't want to supervise others? Well lucky for you, we need your help. CFF needs to get all the venues cleaned up and ready to go for the festival. As a Technical Volunteer you may be asked to help with anything from hanging and focusing lights to fashioning stages out of flats and platforms to sweeping and mopping dressing rooms or clearing storage areas. You can volunteer as much time as you are able. Work may begin as early as 8/23/2010 and will take place in the midday through evening hours.
BOARD OPERATOR -
Want to see every show in a venue for free but don't want to take responsibility for that venue? Then you should volunteer to be a board operator. Board operators will be needed during the week of the festival (9/1-5/2010). Schedules are negotiable but hours are midday through evening all week. Board operators will run sound, projection and lighting equipment for CFF performance groups. It is best that board operators are in some way familiar with sound, projection and/or lighting equipment/operation.

Tell Your Friends:

Know friends like you would would love to help make CFF a reality? Simply refer them to www.chicagofringe.org/volunteers to sign-up, or have them email is at volunteers@chicagofringe.org

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