Ever wonder why the Concord City Auditorium – the Audi as its more affectionately known – looks so good at the start of each season?
Well, you can thank the Friends of the Audi and a swarm of volunteers for that. Every year, the Friends go through the city-owned theater with a magnifying glass looking for any dust bunnies, chipped paint or blown light bulbs during the three-day Pitch In. And it just so happens that the Pitch In is happening Monday through Wednesday (Aug. 20-22) – at the Audi obviously – and they could certainly use your help.
The Pitch In will be held daily from 9 a.m. to noon and 6 to 9 p.m., and all you have to do is show up, get a job assignment and help spruce up the Audi for the 114th season. This will be the 28th year of the Pitch In, so as you can imagine its a well-oiled machine.
There’s a big board with all the jobs, and since the cleaning spree has been going on so long, it hasn’t changed much over the years. So much so that many returning volunteers already know what jobs they want to handle. Some volunteers have been helping since the beginning and others have made it part of their yearly community service.
So what kind of jobs can you expect to have given your way – assuming you decide to help out? The windows need to be washed, the orchestra seats polished and the newly redone audience seats wiped down. The brass chandeliers are shined and rid of cobwebs (something we did a few years back), the stage and dressing rooms are painted and lots of vacuuming, dusting and moping.
There’s also the task of sending out the fall season event calendar to over 5,000 area households, which is the first shift on Monday morning and includes a delicious Panera “bake-o-rama.” Morning sessions always begin with a coffee and pastry breakfast, and evening shifts with a light summer supper.
The volunteer’s maintenance labor helps hold down the city’s costs of operating the Audi – and your taxes – and in turn, helps lower production costs and ticket prices. Talk about a win-win.
And according the Friends, “in the theatre spirit, the Friends guarantee dramatic working conditions, an interesting cast of characters, roles for stars and chorus, no heavy lifting, air conditioning, absolutely no pay, good eats, and chance to earn a “Sweat Equity” card.
For more info, call crew chief Joye Olson at 219-0407 or contact Friends Info Chair David Murdo at 344-4747. For Audi info, visit theaudi.org.
Insider staff
