A year ago, Bexley Childers, then Assistant Front-of-House Manager at The Granada, stepped into leadership of the theater’s volunteer Ambassador program.

“In one of my first team meetings with the volunteers, I was so nervous, and I was talking too fast and peppering my speech with ‘umms’ and ‘likes’,” Childers said. “One of our Ambassadors, a retired executive, pulled me aside and gave me advice and encouragement. It showed me how much he and all of our Ambassadors care about the theater and want us to succeed.”

It also demonstrates that the Ambassador program is rooted in relationships.

 

Growing Appreciation

Since taking over the Ambassador program, Childers has made it her mission to cultivate and celebrate the relationship between the theater and its volunteers.

“We’ve worked very hard to organize more appreciation events and connections with our Ambassadors,” she said. “We have so many of our Ambassadors who dedicate hours upon hours of their time to our theater, and I want to make sure they do not feel like their hard work is taken for granted.”

The Granada hosts happy hours and special behind-the-scenes tours for its Ambassadors and regularly sends them home with thank-you cards. Each summer, an Ambassador Appreciation Event celebrates the previous season and welcomes the upcoming one.

 

Community Hub

The 90 Ambassador volunteers are a tight-knit family of theater lovers. Some volunteers have been with The Granada since the theater reopened in 2008.

“I’ve volunteered here for 18 years,” said Judy Headley, who volunteers with her husband, Jerry. “I love working with the other Ambassadors. The Granada is the only place in town that offers such a variety of music, dance, and art.”

Judy and Jerry Headley – Granada Ambassadors

 

With a shared love of art, it’s not surprising that the Ambassadors find like-minded new friends when volunteering.

“Our volunteers need to be at The Granada 90 minutes before showtime, but most come earlier than that just to socialize with their fellow Ambassadors and the theater staff,” said Childers.

Surprisingly, many Ambassadors are also season subscribers to The Granada’s resident companies or are patrons, volunteers, or staff of other performing arts venues in Santa Barbara.

“They might attend a show one night and then ‘work’ that same show the next,” said Childers.

That different perspective is something that art lovers relish, and the diversity of programming at The Granada ensures that Ambassadors never get bored. From Broadway productions like

Kinky Boots to movie screenings such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and community events, no two shifts are quite the same.

“The Granada’s offerings are unmatched in town,” said Ambassador Bill Werlin, who says he loves joking around with guests when he volunteers. “This really is a special place in a special town.”

 

Moving Forward

With her recent promotion to Front-of-House Manager, Childers is handing off some of her Ambassador duties to Michelle McBride, the Assistant House Manager.

“The Granada would not be what it is without our Ambassadors,” said Childers. “We would not have the same patrons, the same feeling at the end of a show, or the same conversations without our Ambassador Program. They make the Granada better by coming to each show, dedicating so much of their lives to the performing arts community!”

 

Want to learn more about what it’s like to work a show as an Ambassador? Click here.

Interested in joining the Ambassadors? We’d love to have you! Click here.