Frequently Asked Questions

• How do I become a volunteer?
• What are the incentives?
• What do I have to do?
• How can I get free tickets?
• How does the scheduling process work?
• What do I have to wear?

It could not be easier!  All you need to do is contact the Concessions Manager, either via email at foodmgr@u.washington.edu or over the telephone at (206)542-0203. Please make sure to leave your name, telephone number, and address (either postal or email), and mention that you are interested in volunteering. Within a few days, the Concessions Manager will contact you with a current performance calendar and all the other information you need!

What are the incentives?

As a volunteer you are entitled to these great perks:

• A complimentary ticket to the performance for which you are volunteering. This is a fun, easy, and free way to see popular shows that are otherwise sold out!
• Complimentary parking the night of the performance
• Free drink of your choice while volunteering (Espresso, Drip Coffee, Tea or Italian Soda)
• After only 10 hours of volunteering (around 3 or 4 performances) you are entitled to two (2) complimentary tickets to a performance at Meany Hall (some restrictions apply).
• The opportunity to interact with other great volunteers in a fun social environment!

What do I have to do?

All you need to do is show up 1 hour prior to the start of the performance for which you have been assigned.  Please be sure to enter through the main doors of Meany Hall and tell the ushers that you are a volunteer for the Gallery Cafe. They will ask for your name and give you your ticket for the performance. We sell for the first hour up until the start of the performance.  You get to watch the first half of the performance.  We continue selling during intermission.  Once intermission is finished, we quickly clean up and then you are free to return to the performance or leave.

How can I get free tickets?

Once you have obtained 10 hours of volunteering service, you are entitled to 2 complimentary tickets.  Check with the Concessions Manager to see if you have enough hours.  The Concessions Manager will then fill out a comp ticket request form and send it through the inner workings of Meany Hall. If a comp ticket is available, you will be contacted by either the Concessions Manager or the Front of House Manager.

How does the scheduling process work?

After contacting the Concessions Manager, you will receive a calendar of the upcoming events.

Next to each performance, there is an area that you can mark if you are interested in volunteering for it. Basically, you are making a list of "requests" of performances at which you would like to volunteer, ranked in order of preference. After you have made all your selections, you should return the sign-up sheet to the Concessions Manager.

At the start of a quarter: When the Concessions Manager has received every volunteer's sign-up sheets, they will create an official volunteer schedule.  Because the number of volunteers (currently around 40) exceeds the number of volunteer spots available for a single show (ideally 6), the Concessions Manager must be fair to every volunteer when it comes time to make the schedule. For this reason, depending on how many performances you are interested in, you may not get scheduled for one or two of the more popular ones that you request. 

Midway through a quarter: If you contact the Concessions Manager midway through a quarter, the schedule will have already been completed. In this case, the Concessions Manager will send you a list of the remaining shows in that quarter, as well as notifying you of which shows currently have open spots. Please sign-up for every show that you are interested in. Even if they are already full, your name will be added to the waiting list in case someone cancels. Also note that for the Gallery Cafe, schedules are made only a quarter at a time. So even if you join midway through a season, a new cycle of scheduling will begin soon!

There is only one important rule when making your volunteer requests:

Notice on the sign-up sheet that some performances are marked with the symbol (***). These "starred" events are the more popular shows on the calendar. To make sure that some of the less popular performances do not go understaffed, we ask that for each "starred" event, that you also request two "un-starred" events.

What do I have to wear?

The Gallery Cafe is a relaxed, easy-going environment. However, we are serving food. For this reason, it is important that we are neat and presentable. It is best that you dress according to the type of event you are working but without sacrificing your garments.

The Gallery Cafe also provides aprons should you want protection for your garments.