Broadway Ushering

yeah, same question!
i would actually like to do ushering as a summer job, also.

anyone have any info on either of these questions?

I need the number for the Pajama Game. I had it, and lost it.

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would knowing an actor or actress in the show count?
thanks for the info, guys! i think i will probably try more off-broadway as a summer job before I actually move to new york :)

Most of the Broadway Ushers are MEAN. Sorry I had to let that out. Are the ushers told to be mean on purpose or what??

Trust me, I have dealt with some nasty ushers.

I have a handicapped relative and therefore I knew it would be hard for him to get around the theatre so I checked where the seats are so I can take him there personally without a problem.

The Virginia Theatre requires you go up stairs to go to the Orchastra and so we climbed, and for him this was a struggle. So when we get to the first usher she says to follow her so we go. She gives a nasty ass attitude about him being a slow mover and keeps looking at the numerous people waiting.

I tell her that I thanked her for her help but I can find the seats myself and no longer require her assistance. Instead fo graciously stepping aside, she blasts me out saying that this is her job and I'm overstepping.

I could have handled things differently and said stop being a bitch and give me the stupid playbills, but yea. Thats my main mean usher story.

I have plenty more, but there are some nice ones. Like the hearing asistance woman at WIW, I talked to her throughout intermission about the themes of the show and of In My Life, which I didn't see but she worked. She loved it.

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I've been going to the theater regularly since 1963. I have NEVER had a bad experience with an usher. In fact, when I was recovering from minor surgery a few years ago, the usher saw I was having difficulty climbing stairs and she seated me in another area where there were no stairs to climb. I thought it was very sweet of her.

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http://www.nymag.com/guides/cheap/ushering/

This is a great website that provides all the info. you need. While I would love to usher on broadway, ushering off-broadway has some perks as well. Its much more relaxed and layed back and you get to see some great unknown productions.

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Hey I just noticed that the New York Theater Workshop takes volunteer ushers. W hy dont all you crazy RENTheads who want to see the anniversary performance just volunteer usher for the performance?

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There are many rude, nasty, bitter ushers, and they always seem to seat me.

There is one in particular at the Eugene O'Neil theatre, who is always on the first orchestra aisle - she was for NINE, CAROLINE, and SWEENEY. She's an overweight, lisping hag that looks like she lives in a garbage can. She's NASTY.

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ive never met an exactly mean usher, but they always give my sis and i cruel looks for walking too slow- hey, we like to look at the theatre and all when we're walking!
so i dont think its considered mean, though.

but wickedgeek, i am so sorry! that is one mean usher!!!

There are some ushers that are so sweet, I just love them. Probably because I look like such a kid (or... maybe I am a kid), but they always seem so concerned when I'm by myself. I've been seeing a lot of shows by myself lately and there seems to always be a nice old lady usher who keeps coming by and saying, "You okay? Wait, I'm gonna seat you somewhere else." They almost always move me up. I don't get that sort of treatment when I'm with other people.

I have a question for all of you that are calling the ushers "Hitler". What were you doing when they "yelled" at you?

Were you on your cell phone, snapping illegal photos, using a video camera?
Were you waiting patiently at the top of the aisle to be seated, or did you storm down the aisle?
Did you wait for the usher to hand you a Playbill, or did you try to snatch them from his/her hands or grab them from the sidelines?
Were you trying to bring drinks or food into the theatre?
Did you buy a standing room ticket, and then get angry when the usher told you that you simply couldn't sit on the aisle, obstructing traffic?

I go to the theatre every weekend (gotta love TDF!). Yeah, some of those ushers are miserable old battleaxes. However, more often than not, the patrons are just as miserable, if not more so. People get angry with ushers when they are simply trying to enforce the rules of the theatre. I have seen people yell at ushers because there are too many steps in the building or too few bathrooms. I've seen ushers turned into the bad guys when they're trying to get a rowdy school group to quiet down. I've seen people have the audacity to use their cell phones during the show, and then insult the usher who's trying to get them to cut it out. I've seen people with crappy tickets take it out on the ushers.

Frankly, I've never seen an usher "go Hitler" without reason. And those ushers that make loud announcements about drinks, photos or leaving the theatre? Do you expect them to go right up to you personally and hold your hand when they're busy seating hundreds of people?

No, I've never ushered, but I've been a flight attendant--another service oriented job where you frequently encounted customers who don't know how to behave like civilized human beings. I've gone through enough drama in flight to totally sympathize with ushers who have to put up with morons every single day.

You know what? People that work in service related jobs aren't there to be abused by you. Treat them with respect and maybe they'll return the favor.

"A person who is nice to you and rude to the waiter is not a nice person." --Dave Barry