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!

NUTCRACKER  WILL OPEN THE BALLET SEASON   (posted 12/6/24)

On Thursday, December 5,  San Francisco Ballet announced that the Ballet, the Dancer Bargaining Committee, and the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA)--which represents the dancers and stage managers of SF Ballet--have reached a tentative two-year agreement.  This enables the company to raise the Nutcracker curtain on December 6, the opening night of SF Ballet’s 2024-25 season.  (The agreement is subject to ratification.)

For more details, please see the press release.  

NUTCRACKER  AND  SHEN YUN  SCHEDULING    (posted 11/28/24)

Nutcracker  (December 6-29, thirty-seven performances) and Shen Yun (January 4-7, four performances) return to the Opera House. 

Information about scheduling was e-mailed on November 6.  Please consider being a part of the magic: sign up for Nutcracker!  

These messages often go to Spam/Junk folders. Recent volunteers who missed the mailing, and use an acceptable address* for their PRESTO account, are asked to look outside their Inbox, before requesting another copy.  

* Our scheduling program cannot 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)