Getting involved in theatre: volunteering

Join the team, have some fun, and help your Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance excel!

The Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center (LNTDC) is an active production facility, presenting the work of the entire Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance to the public. Our tight production schedule keeps us constantly designing, building and painting scenery, sewing costumes, focusing lights, rehearsing, and promoting shows for the Ruth N. Halls Theatre and the Wells-Metz Theatre. Our workforce for the technical end of production comes from undergraduates taking technical theatre classes and limited work-study opportunities. Casting is done in open auditions.

Our success, like most producing theatres around the world, depends upon many volunteers outside of the classroom and rehearsal hall. There are a number of perks for volunteering, including free tickets to shows, the opportunity to learn about different areas in theatre production, and making many new friends. All volunteer opportunities are open to any student at IU, so bring your friends from other departments to help. Here’s a secret….volunteering in the Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance is a great way to have fun and see our shows for FREE!

House management

Ushering in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center and Indiana Festival Theatre:

This is your chance to meet our audience and see a show free for a couple hours of fun work. Check out the instructions and contact Scott Hogsed at shogsed@indiana.edu or by phone at 812-856-3844 for more information.

Audience development

Poster Routes: About three weeks prior to the opening of every show, students have an opportunity to put up posters around town in exchange for free tickets. Contact Project Manager Laura Judson in room A250W in the Lee Norvelle Theatre and Drama Center to sign up.

Concessions: For information contact Scott Hogsed at shogsed@indiana.edu or by phone at 812-856-3844.

Technical areas

If you are interested in helping in the Scenic Studio, please see Production Technical Director I. Christopher Berg (LNTDC A103A). You will need to commit to a minimum block of 2 hours in the afternoon. Check with Chris for other questions.

If you are interested in helping in the Costume Studio, please see Costume Studio Supervisor Robbie Stanton (LNTDC A203). You need to be able to sew and know the equipment in the studio. Check with Robbie for other questions.

If you are interested in helping in the Lighting and Sound area, please see Lighting Supervisor Betsy Smith (LNTDC A214).

Stage management

Students who wish to explore a variety of aspects of production are encouraged to consider working on a stage management team for a production.

Stage managers are the primary information hub in a production and have daily contact with all production areas. Seeing how departments interact and relate with one another toward the meeting of a common goal is a valuable theatrical experience no matter what your final career goal. Stage managers meet weekly with the production manager to discuss the progress of their productions and to plot the progress of rehearsals and technical departments to achieve a unified production during tech week and performance. Stage management also puts you in contact with a large number of students and is a good way to become well-known in a large theatre.

While priority is given to students who have completed or are currently enrolled in T229 to fill stage manager positions, any student can apply to the production manager to be an assistant stage manager. For information, contact the production manager, Trish Hausmann (LNTDC M101).