THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 11, 1996 TAG: 9608090214
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: In Passing
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: Lee Tolliver
LENGTH: 62 lines
At $30, $40, $50 - and sometimes even more for a ticket - concerts at the new Virginia Beach Amphitheater can be a strain on the bank account.
Especially on a newspaperman's salary.
So when the call came out that part-time employees were needed to work shows, it was a no-brainer. Getting paid to be at the resort city's newest night spot during concerts, listening to some of the hottest acts going, or paying to be there and putting the Virginia Power payment off for a week?
No contest.
Besides, how hard could ushering people to their seats or telling them to move along or to put out their cigarette really be?
It can sometimes be a little trying. People are people and like in the rest of day-to-day life, there's always a jerk or two in the crowd.
But isolated cases aren't enough to detract from the experience.
Being part of the amphitheater staff is fun.
And that's exactly what the folks at Cellar Door and Event Staff want it to be.
``We wanted smiling faces,'' said Bobb Dymarcik, assistant director of Event Staff. ``Outgoing, friendly, smiling faces . . . .people persons. And we want those people to have fun because that's the way we want people to see the place, as fun.''
Now, there are those who take the fun to the extreme, failing at times to do the jobs they've been given, and others who take it all a little too seriously.
But the majority of folks are just what the administration want.
``We're very pleased with the staff,'' Dymarcik said. ``It has exceeded our expectations, especially considering it's a first year.''
``We were looking for a theme park mentality,'' said Brian Mann, director of Event Staff for the amphitheater. ``We wanted people to have fun and have a great time when they were working at this venue.''
And who couldn't handle that.
A typical shift working a show starts with a 5 p.m. check-in.
There, employees clock in, get their staff shirt, attend a briefing on the evening and find out where they'll be stationed.
Aside from a few rules, the rest is pretty much common sense.
If someone gets out of hand or has a question, you deal with it. If you can't, supervisors like Mann, Dymarcik, Robert Woodhouse, Roger Stephenson, Bobby Marcus, Telesa Bleakley, Anthony Brown, John Graman, Carl Fuller and Roosevelt Owens are close by to help out. Things rarely go any further than that.
During the evening, it's the job of the employees to keep people moving in the walkways, ask them to stop smoking and check tickets to make sure people aren't trying to get a better seat than they paid for.
Once the show is over, it's just a matter of making sure everyone leaves the facility and then clocking out - usually around 11:30 p.m.
During the evening, it's fine to take a break as long as a supervisor finds someone to cover your area.
And, yes, at times during the show, it's OK to stop and watch some of the act. Not stand there while five smokers from the lawn make themselves at home in the front section, mind you, but enjoy the show.
And like it says on the bottom of the nightly instruction sheet - HAVE FUN.
That's easy enough to do if you work at the amphitheater. by CNB