General Information

Every volunteer is expected to:

• • perform duties as directed and fulfill scheduled commitments

  • stay for the entire show (or receive permission to leave early) ; for more information, please read this

  • adhere to the dress code

  • be prepared for assignment on any level of the building or at any lobby door

  • navigate stairs, tolerate heights, stand for extended periods on hard surfaces, and assist patrons in semi-dark conditions

  • arrive promptly for the House Manager's briefing and then report directly to the assigned supervisor

  • usher a minimum number of Nutcrackers each December (usually four)

  • usher a minimum number of performances of operas or ballets with long runs (specified when signups begin)

Getting a Seat

When using usher seating please keep your badge on. If a patron offers you a ticket remove your badge when you sit in that seat. Never should you ask a patron if they have an extra ticket or ask if you can have their extra ticket, they must offer it willingly. Please do not seat yourself in any unauthorized sections. Crossing over a patron to take a seat is strictly forbidden. When it comes time to get seated, line up along the wall aisle you want to go down, allow patrons easy access to hurry down to their seats last minute. The door or aisle usher will signal when you may go down the aisle.

Seating by Section:

Orchestra - Seating in Row ZZ unless directed to other seats by head usher.

Boxes - not allowed

Grand Tier - not allowed

Dress Circle - Seating down the north wall aisle or in Row L if available; sitting on stairs is usually not allowed.

Balcony Circle/Balcony - Seating down both aisles closest to the walls; sitting on stairs is usually not allowed.

Alcohol

Consuming alcohol is forbidden from the moment you check into the Opera House for your shift to the moment you exit the Opera House. Even if you are released from duty, you are not to consume alcohol on the premises. If you come to the Opera House on a comp or patron ticket, and not as a volunteer, enjoy your libations, but please remember that you are still associated with the Opera House so please drink responsibly.

Scheduling

This OHUG website is the place to go for announcements concerning season- and special-event-scheduling.

All scheduling is done using PRESTO Group & Event Manager, an on-line system that allows ushers to create, alter, and review their schedules. PRESTO updates a volunteer's schedule immediately and offers optional, automated schedule reminders.

Scheduling for Opera and Ballet seasons opens to volunteers in tiers, in this sequence:

• First access goes to volunteers who have distinguished themselves through frequent and excellent ushering. Supervisors identify ushers who have excelled in difficult assignments.

• Next to schedule are ushers who volunteer about once each program, are able and willing to usher on any level of the Opera House, fulfill their scheduling commitments, and report to briefings and assignments on time.

• Then come ushers who have met expectations but volunteer less frequently and/or can work only some positions.

• Finally, volunteers who have not met expectations, such as for Nutcracker, may schedule.

Canceling

Although sometimes unavoidable, cancellations can cause serious problems: they may diminish the quality of our service to patrons and prevent other volunteers from ushering for performances where they are needed. Please do not over-commit early in a season. When canceling, always try to substitute another performance.

• • Use PRESTO to cancel a performance more than 72 hours in advance

  • Less-than-72-hour cancellation notice should be sent to <ushers@sfopera.com>

  • To cancel less than two hours before report time, please leave a BRIEF message on the usher hot line: (415) 551-6247

Commitment to Schedules

Scheduling privileges may be reduced or rescinded altogether for volunteers who fail to meet their commitments. This includes not showing up or frequently doing any of the following: canceling without adding, canceling within 72 hours of curtain time, or arriving late. Even if they are scheduled for a performance, ushers who arrive late risk being turned away.

Rehearsals

Ushers who volunteer for a rehearsal are expected to usher a regular performance of the same opera or ballet.

Flexibility

As a condition of PRESTO access, ushers must assert either that they will accept any position assigned, or that they have some restrictions, and then describe them. Ushers should record their statement(s) on their "Registration Info" form in PRESTO.

Updated 1/21/23 - seating option in the Orchestra section;

Updated 10/17/2016 - with a link to Jamye's e-mail about staying at the end;

Updated 5/29/2016 - incorporating "Volunteer Usher Policies";

first posted 4/7/2016