Become a Member
To get involved and change your life, just walk through the door…
You can change your life just by coming down to the theatre to play for a few hours. Our members all have special Elmwood stories, having worked and played here for decades. Lifelong friendships have been built, many have met their spouses here, and quite a few have become pro in theatre, film, and television by using what they’ve learned here. It all starts with walking through the door.
Questions? No problem just contact us and ask. »
Life energy is the key to our success as an award winning theatre. As a not-for-profit organization, Elmwood Playhouse relies completely on the hard work and energy of volunteers. Experience the behind the scenes world of what it takes to get a production off the page and onto the stage.
For more information on how to become an active Elmwood Playhouse member contact us via our website or call 845-353-1313. You can join us at any monthly membership meeting and stay for the performance workshop. Meetings are generally held on the first Monday of each month at 7:30 pm.
“I don’t want to be onstage”
… but you can still “act”
Behind the scenes, we cook, sew, swing a hammer, make repairs, serve on a committee, or use a camera. Everyone is valued and needed. We have many other essential activities you might enjoy as well.
Volunteer Opportunities in All Aspects of Theatre
Collect tickets, help seat our patrons, hand out programs, and sell goodies during intermission. If there’s an empty seat in the house, you get to see the show for free!
For in house opening and closing night parties at the theatre. Planning, menu selection, shopping, and coordination of volunteer cooks & clean up crew – everybody pitches in.
Lighting Board, Spotlight and Sound Operators are needed for every show we perform at Elmwood. No experience is necessary. We will train you in everything you need to know.
We are always actively looking for local talent and performance groups for our Sundays at 7 series of showcase performances. It’s also a great first step in learning to produce a show.
Experienced carpenters, painters, and craftspeople are especially appreciated, all skill levels are needed and welcomed. We build our sets during the four-week breaks between shows.
Photographers needed to shoot photographs for headshots, publicity, performances and our website. Graphic Artists are wanted to create graphics for both print and online use.
We are always looking for volunteers to help design, troubleshoot, and find solutions for the sound, lighting, special effects challenges we encounter with our productions
We need volunteers to work along side our the costume designers. Review our costume inventory, pull and categorize wardrobe items. Sewing skills are great, but are not required.
We can always use some light office help. If you are computer savvy, you can help out even more with some of the office duties that our required to make our theatre run smoothly.
We need backstage help to assist actors by providing help with their costumes. Dressers orchestrate the quick costume changes that are required during the course of a performance.
Some shows require a lot more transformation than others, if you have a natural talent working with hair and makeup, we can teach you make up for the stage.
One year of active membership is required in order to serve on the Play Selection Committee. This committee reads and select plays to consider for the upcoming season.
We’ve gathered a lot of history since 1947 and like everyone, we are digitally cataloging our lives. We have a huge library of scripts, technical books, photos and publicity materials to be maintained.
Helpers needed for the local Nyack events such as staffing the Elmwood Booth at Nyack Street Fairs and participating in the Nyack Halloween Parade. All levels of involvement are needed.
A person who is “on book”, reads the script during rehearsals and feeds lines to the actors when they “go up” (forget a line). This helps out both the actors as well as the director during rehearsals.
Are you good with your hands? Our theatre gets a lot of use and needs some minor repairs from time to time. Our building manager is delighted with any additional help you might have to offer.
Our monthly Elmwood newsletter needs copywriters, editorial contributions, photography, and artwork. We are also looking for help with contributing to and maintaining our website.
Elmwood needs musicians for our musical rehearsals and performances. Please note that this position may have special provisions, so contact the theatre for more details.
We need volunteers to help conduct “back stage” theatre tours at our open membership meetings. Help guests who are joining us for the first time learn more about our theatre.
Artists and Engineers from all areas are welcome. You must love blood, guts, and monsters. We will train you in all the aspects of theatrical makeup design and makeup application.
Serving on the Board requires one evening per month and serving as chair liaison to a committee. One year of active membership required to run for a position on the Board of Directors.
