Lead Usher Guidelines
While Working at RIIFF
 Please
be sure to arrive at the theatre a few minutes early
and report in with the Venue Manager. When your shift
begins, take attendance. Mark on your usher schedule
in the Lead Usher Book who is present, the time they
arrived, and the time that they left for the day/night.
Also note any no-shows.
The Volunteer Department will deliver usher schedules
to the venues 24 hours in advance. At that time, we
will also pick up the schedule from the night before
in order to record the hours for voucher distribution.
Notify the Volunteer Department whenever someone reports
for duty and who is not listed on the schedule. We will
tell you if that person is approved to be there as an
usher. Sometimes, we will notify you in advance that
someone is coming to fill in for a no-show. Anyone
who is not authorized by the Volunteer Department to
usher may not usher.
Check in with the Venue Manager to get the latest updates
on reserved seating, when to open the balcony at the
Columbus (if applicable), which films will be followed
by Q&A sessions or forums, or any other situations
that will affect the way you organize your ushers for
a shift.
Be cool, be confident, be knowledgeable and be firm
when patrons approach you. Refer customers to Venue
Managers at your discretion. There's no need to let
people abuse you.
Organize ushers at the beginning of the shift to handle
ticket ripping, will call, merchandise, clicking off
customers, and customer seating. Be fair but be firm
when assigning duties.
Ushers and Films
• Ushers are there to usher. An usher may never
watch a film if there is work to do, they are assigned
to a post outside the theatre, or if a show is sold
out.
• Rotate ushers to see films if possible. They
must get your permission before seeing the film, and
must never assume that they can just go in and watch
the film without permission.
• Ushers who crash films without permission are
subject to dismissal.
• Ushers who are permitted to watch films must
wait ten minutes after the film has started before entering
the theatre, to give patrons a chance to be seated.
Ushers must sit near the doors, in case you need to
reach them. Ushers in the theatre must make themselves
immediately available to assist patrons with seating.
They should have flashlights with them.
• Whenever in doubt about the status of a show
(i.e., can ushers see this show), consult with the Venue
Manager.
• The merchandise and will call table must never
be left unattended. Rinse and repeat, the merchandise
and will call table must never be left unattended.
• As soon as the credits start to roll, ushers
who are in the theatre must return to their posts immediately.
Plus a little more....
The audience must leave the theater at the end of each
film. No saving seats in between films. Garbage in the
theaters should get picked up. Ushers may leave as soon
as the last screening has begun.
All badges, flashlights and usher info should be kept
in the usher box to prevent loss.
Turn in your daily schedule to the Venue Managers at
the end of each shift so the Volunteer Department can
credit hours in a timely manner.
Report difficult ushers to the Volunteer Department.
If an usher is disruptive to festival operations or
unprofessional, send them home.
Set a good example for your ushers. Try to understand
their concerns. Your ushers are people too, so practice
respect, and expect it as well. We have rules to follow,
yes, but let’s try and “keep it real.”
Please check out the information provided here including Other Volunteer
Opportunities.
Questions? For more information please call our Volunteer
Hotline number at 401.861.4445.
Or, download the volunteer
form, fill it in, and then mail it to us.
Rhode Island International Film Festival™
Office: 268 Broadway
Providence, RI. 02903 United States
401.861.4445. • info@film-festival.org
Office Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Download the volunteer
form.
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