Opera House Ushers Group

You have reached space on the Internet devoted to the volunteer ushers at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House. OHUG was established to

• inform prospective volunteers about the ushering program

• disseminate information to current volunteers.

Interested in ushering?  Do you sometimes wonder how the ushers at the Opera House got the opportunity to volunteer?

There is a long history of volunteers assisting at and, in return, seeing SF Ballet and SF Opera performances.  And new ushers are more than welcome.  Please e-mail Sharon to help carry on the tradition!

FALL OPERA SEASON SIGNUPS  (posted 7/1/25)

Scheduling for San Francisco Opera's 2025 Fall season will open on Friday, July 4, for ushers who volunteer most frequently, including for long runs.

On July 1, active volunteers with a PRESTO-compliant email address were sent a message with their start date.  These messages sometimes go to a spam- or junk-mail folder; ushers can view their start date in their Registration Info form in PRESTO.  The scheduling program is still unable to send e-mail to MSN (such as Hotmail)  or  Apple addresses.  More information is below--see "STILL RELEVANT".

SF OPERA SEASON SIGNUPS  (posted 5/9/25)

Scheduling for San Francisco Opera's 2025 summer season opened on Friday, May 9 for ushers who volunteered most frequently, especially for long runs. Signups start later for those who helped out less often. 

On May 6, active volunteers with a PRESTO-usable email address were sent a message with their starting date. These messages often go to a spam- or junk-mail folder, so please check there before reporting that you didn't get that e-mail.  Please note that PRESTO continues to be unable to send e-mail to MSN (such as Hotmail)  or  Apple addresses.  More information is below, see "STILL RELEVANT".

Users may view their starting signup date in PRESTOGEM by clicking on the Registration Info link once they are signed in.

CHANGES,  NEWS,  AND REMINDERS   (posted 3/27/25)

In order to make the North corridor more welcoming to patrons, two changes are being implemented starting April 5, the opening of Ballet Program 5.

1. Volunteer ushers will enter at the last door with the blue and white awning on the North side towards Franklin Street (two doors past the entrance for ticket holders.) See the OHUG website for a photo. Staff ushers will continue to use the Stage Door with their badge; those without their badge will sign in at the Stage Door (not use the volunteer door.)

2. Jamye asks all volunteers and staff to keep the North hallway clear and the seating available for patrons.  Socializing should happen in the areas closed to patrons; the South hallway and the Orchestra auditorium (when class is not on stage) are options once you have stored your items in the usher closet.

News:

Jeff has retired. Vicki now will be greeting volunteers as they enter.

Reminders:

*  All staff and volunteers are required to attend the House Manager's meeting at 1.5 hours before show time, then attend the level-meeting immediately afterward.

*  Arriving after these meetings and missing the safety briefing means not ushering that performance. These briefings are legally required for Ballet, Opera, and War Memorial to meet requirements of the State of California for the safety of the patrons in the Opera House.

*  Except for emergencies, cell phones should not be used in the House or around patrons.

*  Radios must be used with an earpiece when patrons are present.

*  When you need to leave your position for any reason, you should try to tell your Head Usher or another usher. 

SF BALLET SEASON SIGNUPS  (posted 1/10/25)

Scheduling for San Francisco Ballet's 2023 repertory season opened on Friday, January 10.

On January 7, active volunteers were sent a message with their start date.  These messages sometimes go to a spam- or junk-mail folder, so please check there before reporting that you didn't get that e-mail.  And the scheduling program continues to be unable to send e-mail to MSN (such as Hotmail)  or  Apple addresses.  More information is below--see "STILL RELEVANT".

STILL RELEVANT:  IF  YOU USE CERTAIN  E-MAIL PROVIDERS   (first posted 4/10/23)

If you use a Hotmail, Outlook, or Live e-mail address , this posting is for you!   These are Microsoft Network (MSN) addresses. 

And Apple e-mail addresses, such as icloud.com and me.com, are similarly affected.  (added 4/26/24)

After repeated, unsuccessful attempts to stay off MSN's blocking list, PRESTO's e-mail provider can no longer support these addresses.   And Apple addresses are now subject to the same heightened security concerns over 3rd-party e-mail.

If you are missing e-mails from prestogem.com there is something you can do.  To continue to receive automatic messages related to your scheduling (such as schedule reminders or notices of open performances), you will need to change the e-mail address associated with your  PRESTO account.  You can be done by clicking on the place to change your PRESTO registration information in an active PRESTO window.

When general notices are sent to volunteers, an announcement is usually posted on this OHUG website.  You can remain informed by reading summaries of such notices here.  But circumstances are such that you cannot get personalized information, such as reminders of your schedule or short-notice alerts, unless you provide an e-mail address that works for PRESTO.  

Apologies for this unavoidable inconvenience for some OHUG members.  Addresses of users whose messages bounce back are being removed from PRESTO mailing lists.

(revised 4/26/24, and re-formatted 11/27/24)

FOR YOUR SAFETY   (first posted 11/14/15)

As the last audience members and OHUG volunteers were leaving Don Giovanni on June 26, 2022, there was an unconfirmed report of a shooting at the Pride/City Hall celebration.  The Opera House briefly went into lock-down, and the party across the street came to an abrupt end. 

This near-miss "situation" reminds us all that we need to be prepared for disruptive events.  All ushers are still urged to view, or view again, at least one of the following videos.

Surviving an Active Shooter

Run. Hide. Fight.

Both cover much of the same ground. The first is almost 10 minutes long, and contains scenes of a very violent nature; the second video is 6 minutes long.

Also, while volunteering: if you see any thing, or activity, that is suspicious or seems out-of-place, please say something to your head usher or any staff member nearby.    

(revised 2/22/16, 10/3/17, 11/10/17, 3/10/18, 6/27/22)

NEW TIP CARD AVAILABLE   (posted 10/4/21)

A revised pocket-sized tip card, including some hints that may help answer guests' questions, has been available here since the end of September.  It integrates the modified floor plan in place since the seat update that concluded this summer.  If you find it useful and print it out, it may be good practice to also check the Changes page in the Ushers' Toolkit.  

USHERING ELSEWHERE   (latest version 1/1/22)

Please also note that we have standing invitations to help out by ushering for organizations such as SF Playhouse,  the Lark Theater in Larkspur, New Century Chamber Orchestra, and the SF Bach Choir.  For details, click here.

WHAT IS PERMITTED IN THE THEATER?   (first posted 3/9/18)

The San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center has a web page that outlines what is permitted and prohibited in the different venues, and that includes the Opera House of course. Click here for those lists.

Bags, parcels, backpacks or luggage larger than 15" x 18" are among those items not permitted into the theater. These can be left at the complimentary coat-check in the north and south lobbies off the main lobby.  (Currently, only North Coat Check is in operation.  10/4/21)

And again: if you see anything suspicious or seems out-of-place while volunteering, please remember to say something to your head usher or any staff member nearby.

Thank you!   (revised 7/10/18, 7/10/19, 10/4/21)

USHERS & STAGE HANDS IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE   (first posted 3/22/22)

IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which  represents both stagehands and staff ushers at the Opera House, has made a $25k grant to assist in humanitarian relief for Ukraine and refugees fleeing the war there.  This assistance is being handled through the International and European Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).   

You may individually show solidarity with Ukrainian workers by going to iatse.net/ukr.  (Right now, a 20-Euro contribution amounts to about $21.20, plus any Euro-conversion fee your banking/credit company may charge).

If you are otherwise interested in supporting the needs of refugees and those still inside Ukraine, Charity Navigator has produced a list of highly-rated nonprofits engaged in relief and recovery efforts in Ukraine and the surrounding region. 

Note: Information posted here earlier on the response of opera and ballet companies to the invasion of Ukraine is now gathered on its own page.

(revised 5/19/22)