As any good actor will tell you, behind every good performance there is an army of people making it all possible and Tuacahn is no exception. From designers to technicians, choreographers to the box office staff, none of the magic would be possible without each of these players taking part.

Included in that list of vital participants there is a group that is often seen but seldom recognized for their contributions: the volunteers.

From street level safety volunteers assisting patrons across the parking lot to the ticket takers at the gate and the late-shift volunteers who collect seat cushions after the audience exits, the Tuacahn experience would not be the same without its volunteers.

“It’s amazing to see how they rally together in good weather and bad….”

~ Priscilla Daza

“We have such a great team,” says Priscilla Daza, head house manager for Tuacahn.

Among Daza’s duties she oversees roughly 300 volunteers for around 30 spots per shift; training them, coordinating shifts and sharing in the joy they feel by participating in this work.

“Tuacahn is such a beautiful place where these volunteers can have an impact on the community,” Daza said. “It’s amazing to see how they rally together in good weather and bad and embrace the positivity, patience and flexibility necessary in an outdoor theater space.”

Thinking of some of her team going above and beyond, Daza says there are a few volunteers who live near the theater and during a rainstorm they have been known to show up with their own microfiber cloths to wipe down the seats, even when they aren’t scheduled to volunteer that night.

“They just like to be involved,” Daza says.

“It’s just so fun being part of the community”

There are a few perks to the job, such as the opportunity to stay after the shift to watch the show during concert season. Volunteers can also accrue points to go toward ticket vouchers for Broadway season. However, for some, the experience of interacting with the patrons is enough of a reward.

One volunteer, Christine Gould, shared a particularly touching story with Daza at the annual volunteers’ luncheon last year.

“She was working at the plaza entrance and there was a single older gentleman walking up the steps alone,” Daza says. “Christine talked to him, apologizing for the wind that night. He told her he didn’t mind. He said he loved seeing the show and that he and his wife had been coming to Tuacahn for 15 years. Noting that he was there alone, he said that his wife died the previous year, and he was there to keep their tradition, even pausing to visit the brick he had purchased by the fountain in his wife’s honor when she got sick.”

“Our volunteers have a chance to meet these kinds of people, to interact with the patrons and with other volunteers. It’s just so fun being part of the community,” Daza says.

For anyone interested in volunteering at Tuacahn, get all the details at www.volunteer.tuacahn.org or by emailing [email protected]