My experience as a Wild Rice volunteer

My journey as a regular Wild Rice volunteer began in university, when it dawned on me that I would no longer have the chance to engage in drama-related activities.

Well, not unless I joined the Film and Performing Arts Society.

But having to pay $60++ for workshops teaching me things I already know and trained in during my tertiary school years? I'll pass thanks.

There's something about being in drama for so long, after you stop doing productions for an extended period of time, every cell of your body starts to itch.

That itch then turns to longing, longing for that camaraderie once more, the times when you start to see your ensemble seven days a week and easily up to eight hours a day.

That longing, that feeling of looking forward to something, and having the people close to you come view the fruits of your laborious effort.

Rehearsals, I love rehearsals, the anticipation, the openness.
Being in a drama club has always pretty much been my safe place, a place where I could finally be myself.

So yeah, that's why I started to look for avenues to feel connected to theatre again, even if it wasn't doing stuff on the technical side.

Before I digress, let's get down to the topic today:
Being a Wild Rice Front of House volunteer.

I have been volunteering for more than a year now and I have helped out in four productions:

The Importance of Being Earnest, 

Alfian Sa'at - In the Spotlight,

Jack and the Beansprout and my most recent

The House of Bernada Alba

Photo credits: Wild Rice

So basically, volunteering for...
4 shows gets you 1 ticket
6 shows gets you 2 tickets

There would be a day in a week where there would be no show, presumably a rest day for everyone.
I signed up to be a volunteer via their email: info@wildrice.com.sg

Usually I would have to be dressed in smart casual or semi formal. Just look presentable!

I would also be required to turn up about 90 minutes before show starts to be briefed and allocated my role for the day.

Proof of participation would also be available upon request (for those who need the CIP hours)

My experience during all the shows have been nothing short of fun and a great way to meet new people. I also made many new friends during my time as a volunteer and managed to expand my network to people who love theatre just as much as I do.

And based on what I heard from quite a few of the volunteers who volunteer at other theatre companies in Singapore, Wild Rice is one of the top places which places emphasis on volunteer welfare.

And its not hard to see why.

To make things easier let me explain things via Maslow's hierarchy of needs

A diagram I can agree with
Photo credits: Strangedaysblog

In terms of Physiological needs, (basic things like health and hunger):
There would be a free flow of mineral water as well as a snacks basket for you to choose from in case you got thirsty or hungry.

For Safety needs (also another basic need):
Well the only risk of injury you have here is probably the occasional paper cut you may or may not get if you are not careful with the programme booklets.

Next, Social needs (how much we feel loved or a sense of belonging):
No matter what type of job you are allocated, you have to interact with patrons. This is from handling the merchandise table, getting people to join the mailing list and roaming sales for programme booklets.

When it comes to other volunteers, I have been surprised time and time again. The kind of volunteers would depend on what type of production Wild Rice is holding.

If there are more mature themes, it would mainly consist of students like myself, ranging from university to polytechnic students who need the extra CIP (Community Involvement Project) hours.

During pantomimes at the end of the year, productions are more family friendly, so the number of younger volunteers would shoot up, the youngest I  met being around eight years old.

It was also that time of the year where most primary and secondary schools have a longer holiday period.

Photo credits: Wild Rice

Effect on Esteem (self-respect, being accepted and valued):
In terms of esteem, I do feel valued as a volunteer because the people there are polite and happy that you set aside time to come help them out.

On numerous occasions, we got to see the maestro himself, Ivan Heng, who comes out to thank us and chat with us.

Lastly, avenues for Self-actualization:
I wouldn't say there is a lot of opportunities for self-actualization though because the job scope is rather simple and easy to accomplish if you are comfortable with talking to people you barely know.

That and making friends with different volunteers on different show days.

So I hope this post was something informative and useful for everyone out there who is interested in volunteering for a theatre company!

I'll probably note down my thoughts about Wild Rice and their style of performing another day, because I feel that deserves another post all by itself.

All in all, I really enjoyed my experience as a volunteer, and for a broke student such as myself, I can't afford to go watch theatre productions and musical as and when I feel like it.

So volunteering my time instead and being able to watch a show for free is really worth it in my opinion, seeing how tickets could easily cost $50-60 a pop.

Till I see you again!