February 4, 2020
If you’ve ever been to one of our productions at the Paramount Theatre in beautiful downtown St. Cloud, you likely know the friendly faces of the ushers. Their patience is never-ending, their love of the arts overflowing, and willingness to round out a stellar theatre experience – unmatched.
The volunteer ushers who make each show enjoyable do so many things; from helping you find your seat, a refreshment, or the bathroom – or take a group photo, and get your program. These individuals, scheduled and trained by the Paramount Center for the Arts, warm the space with their hearts and presence.
The ushers at the Paramount come from all walks of life and have all kinds of reasons for why they give their time to help you enjoy a show. Here are a few of those stories!
Gail, Joey, and Meridy are sisters who have been ushering together for shows for over a year and a half. They usher for many shows at the Paramount, but GREAT Theatre products are among their favorite. When asked which are some of the most memorable, the sisters shared memories of Anne of Green Gables and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
“We try to do one show a month at the Paramount, it’s our dedicated ‘sister time’ that we spend together. It’s nice because we’re all from the area – St. Cloud, the Cities, Becker – and this is a great place for us to come together.”
Karen has been a Paramount Theatre usher for nearly two years. A friend of hers mentioned that she volunteered for shows and Karen instantly said “Well, I’d love to do that!” and the rest is history.
“I try to usher at least 5 or 6 times a year, whatever I can fit into my schedule. The local talent in this area is truly amazing. I absolutely loved GREAT’s performance of Les Misérables; they did an awesome job. I saw Les Mis in Chicago, and it was just as good – if not better – here.”
Ginger has been an usher for GREAT Theatre shows for more than 20 years – since we were first performing at the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater on the campus of St. John’s University.
“I first started helping out with matinee shows, because college kids weren’t available to usher at that time. I’ve just really loved it. I like to help with all shows, but especially at the GREAT Theatre shows. I can’t think of which ones were my favorite, but I am really excited for Mamma Mia! this fall!”
