Ushering

Know the rules, stand your ground. Don't let the audience intimidate you or they will walk all over you.

Be strict when necessary, but not mean. Keep your cool under pressure. Remember that this is not their house - they paid to be there but not to behave however they like.

I always say to any other ushers - always know the rules so if someone pushes back, you know that you're in the right.

Like PThespian, I too have ushered on Bway a long time ( 45 yrs) . I concur w/everything said by PThesp. Just remember that you are dealing w/the PUBLIC, and customer svce is everything. Even with rude and obnoxious patrons, there is always a chain of command: (usher, director, chief usher, and house mgr. and security, if necessary , and rules set for each play that comes in. If you are trained properly on how to deal with specific problems, and know the "house rules", it will be a breeze. Never, never, never lose your temper or be snarky, or take anything personally that a patron may say or do. You will have a rewarding, cushy happy p/t job, and meet many interesting people. You might also learn mgmt skills for some other jobs you may get in the future. Good luck!

In my past experiences, bad anxiety and nervousness normally goes away after being properly trained and after the first few days of work. Accept that it's natural to be nervous on your first few days as an usher and that you will make a mistake or two (and that's fine as long as you learn from them.)

Similar to what others said, your confidence will grow over time and by knowing the house rules in and out and the proper chain of command if you need to escalate an issue. Most first-time NYC theater goers don't know the rules so presume they don't know the rules and kindly tell them what the rules are if they're breaking any.

Smile. Be polite. Don't take ANYTHING personal. It's a job and you're getting paid to ensure everyone in the audience :) I know people say you should love your job but when starting out and trying to put your foot in the door, one can't be picky and it's called a job (not a hobby) for a reason.

When I was in college several years ago, my friend and I who LOVED Cabaret would see the show once a month by volunteering to be ushers at Studio54 for free. We did the easier tasks of directing people which section to go to the theater or telling patrons if a big star was out (i.e. Gina Gershon, John Stamos, etc.) and yeah we got a lot of unhappy faces but someone has to do it and we didnt' take it personal... and we also passed out the Playbills after the show.

Just thinking about it, I wonder if Roundabout still does volunteer ushering. I know they did for the Cabaret revival back in 2014. If you want to see the easier side of ushering and get to befriend real ushers, perhaps ask any Roundabout theater whether you may volunteer usher for a performance or two.

Good luck!