Volunteer Roles
We have a range of roles available for volunteers. Most volunteers will undertake multiple roles whilst volunteering with us. Training will be provided, but please let us know in your application if you have had relevant experience for each role!
Front of House Team
One of the most varied areas at Paradise Green, the Front of House teams work closely together to ensure the smooth running of Paradise in Augustines or Paradise in the Vault, ensuring audience members are safe, and providing excellent customer service.
House Manager
House Managers have oversight of two or three performance spaces within the venue, which may have shows running concurrently, ensuring our audiences are welcomed into our venues. This role would best suit a volunteer with strong customer service and problem-solving skills.
Responsible for:
- Overseeing the operation of either Paradise in Augustines' or Paradise in the Vault's front of house areas (box office & bar) and performance spaces
- Maintaining the safety of the venue (e.g. managing crowds, fire exits etc)
- Managing a small team of Front of House staff and ensuring their welfare
- Liaising with the technical team, performers and audience members
- Keeping front of house areas clean, tidy and welcoming
- Resolving complaints or problems from members of the public or performing company members
House Managers are selected from our returning volunteers primarily, though there are occasional exceptions.
Front of House
This role is well suited to volunteers who would like variety in their role and interacting with the public whilst at Paradise Green.
You can expect to spend time doing some of the following:
- Box Office: providing information about our shows, selling tickets, and assisting with general queries
- Bars: serving a variety of alcoholic and soft drinks as well as snacks
- Ushering: supervising audiences queueing for shows, scanning tickets, and ensuring other staff and companies are moving around the building quietly. Ushers will also be stationed outside of The Snug during performances and may sometimes be required to sit in performances across our venues where the show is aimed at children
- Other tasks: this may include cleaning, tidying the bar or front of house areas, or occasionally working flexibly in other departments
Front of House staff will be covered by new and returning volunteers.
Apply Now
Why not give one of these roles a try? Join us for a unique way to experience the Fringe.
Technical Team
The technical department is the beating heart of the venue, working across all of our performance spaces and interacting with a variety of equipment and companies. They are responsible for ensuring that the technical elements of the upcoming week's shows, alongside any technicians in the performing company, are ready for the performances. Day to day, the technical teams are responsible for ensuring that each show's changeover is completed on time.
Technical Manager
The Technical Manager is responsible for leading a team of technicians and show operators to ensure day-to-day technical operation is delivered to a high standard. This role is suited to organised volunteers who have a good balance of careful planning, effective decision making and people management skills.
Responsible for:
- Powering up all lighting, sound, and video equipment at the start of the day or powering it down at the end of the day (depending on your shift)
- Ensuring all technical safety measures are in place and completing safety inspections as necessary
- Coordinating changeovers between shows across all the spaces and ensuring these are completed safely and on time
- Acting as an escalation point for any technical issues that may arise from the technical team and performing companies
- Managing the technical team and ensuring their welfare
The Technical Manager is typically the Incident Coordinator, and additionally responsible for liaising with the emergency services in the event of an evacuation.
Technical Managers are selected from our returning volunteers primarily, though there are occasional exceptions.
Technician
From focusing a light for the first time, to setting up a musical band, all experience levels are welcome and can thrive in this role.
Responsible for:
- Ensuring technical changeovers are completed safely and on time
- Liaising with the House Manager and performing company to ensure a smooth transition between get-in and house opening, and escalating to the Technical Manager when issues arise
- Facilitating lighting, sound, and video for companies during their technical fit up at the start of a week
Technicians will be covered by new and returning volunteers.
Show Operator
Show Operators work hand in hand with performing companies, responsible for ensuring the technical aspects of each performance goes smoothly. They are either assigned 2 to 4 shows to operate within the week or are a cover operator for 1 to 2 shows to cover the usual Show Operator’s days off.
Responsible for:
- Operating lighting, sound, and video cues during each performance
- Ensuring a technical script is marked up and up to date with cues
- Attend the technical fit ups for their shows to learn the cues and work with fit up technicians
Show Operators will be covered by new and returning volunteers. Volunteers can join our show operator team for one or two weeks and then take on different roles in other weeks.
Company Liason
The Company Liaison team provides excellent customer service and advice to our performing companies as well as producing social media content that highlights our programme, volunteers, venue spaces, and ethos.
Company Liason
The team is responsible for:
- Answering external emails, selling tickets, handling and diverting calls, and addressing press and general queries
- Using Red61, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival's ticketing system
- Handling performing company requests
- Maintaining a marketing presence
- Producing social media content
- Offering creative press and marketing suggestions and support to performing companies
- General administrative tasks
The Company Liaison team will be covered by new and returning volunteers, who we prefer to come for the entirety of weeks 1 - 3. However, we will be recruiting those available for one or two weeks on a case by case basis. Members of the Company Liaison team will also work a small number shifts in other roles.
We are also looking for keen photographers, videographers and those with an interest or experience in social media to create content for use during the festival.
Build and Break
Week 0 and Week 4 transform our building from a church to theatre spaces, and back again. Starting times each day will generally be determined by the need to receive deliveries, prepare for collections, etc. During these weeks you work as one big team; they have longer hours, require manual work and, if you are comfortable, working at height, but are consistently fed back as the most rewarding!
Week 0 & 4 Teams
Week 0 Staff are responsible for:
- Technical setup: rigging lighting and sound systems, assembling seating rakes, building truss / scaffolding, and hanging drapes
- Venue setup: building front of house areas, dressing the venue and adapting building store rooms for the festival
- Specialised setup: configuring IT networks, installing infrastructure (everything from plumbing to CCTV)
Week 4 staff are responsible for:
- Technical get out: removing lighting and sound systems, deconstructing seating rakes, and restoring the year-round setup
- Venue get out: dismantling front of house areas, cleaning the building, and ensuring everything is in its home for the year
Typically, technical and venue-based duties are offered to new and returning volunteers, with more specialised duties offered to returning volunteers.
Venue Wide
Kitchen
Providing food for our volunteers is a key part of the Paradise Green offer. The kitchen is run by a Kitchen Manager and Kitchen Assistant each day, producing sandwiches, a stew style meal and an evening meal. We use a professional grade kitchen in Augustines. Previous experience in this type of environment, or catering for large groups of people would be beneficial. Above all, this role is ideal for someone who loves cooking and has excellent time management skills.
Kitchen staff will be allocated 1-3 kitchen shifts per week, and will work in the other departments they express interest in during the rest of week.
We require all Kitchen Managers to have a Food Hygiene Certificate. We will pay for prospective staff to take the 2-hour online course for this nationally-recognised qualification, so don't let this put you off considering this role.
Kitchen Managers and Kitchen Assistants are typically selected from new and returning volunteers.
First Aider
The First Aiders are responsible for dealing with and reporting first aid incidents whilst they are on duty. During performing weeks, a Designated First Aider and Secondary First Aider will always be on shift, able to support each other as needed.
This responsibility is held in addition to another role: for instance, a Technician may also be a First Aider.
We require all First Aiders to hold at least Emergency First Aid at Work certificates. We occasionally pay for prospective First Aiders to take the 1-day emergency course, so please indicate this on your application if you are interested.
First Aiders will be covered by a mixture of new and returning volunteers.
Apply Now
Why not give one of these roles a try? Join us for a unique way to experience the Fringe.