The Best Things in Life are Free

 

    “Would you like a face mask?” I asked this question over a hundred times as a volunteer usher at “The Christmas Carol” performance in Las Vegas. I shivered in my winter coat handing out black face masks to the patrons. Recently, the CDC announced that cloth face masks are useless, so I bought black KN95 masks. Two paid ushers stood with me checking vaccination cards as the patrons of the arts arrived. It was surprising how many forgot their driver's license or vaccination card as proof of ID. Then they had to call home to ask a family member to email them their vaccinations. The ‘Tiny Tim’ actor arrived with his mom at the backstage Smith Center entrance. Newly vaccinated children proudly showed their immunization cards with a smile. They were all dressed up in red and green. In the lobby, there were expensive shirts for sale with holiday cheer, ‘Bah Humbug’ and ‘Scrooge & Marley.’ 

The theater is a blast to the past with marble floors and private rooms with heavy wooden chairs. We had attended the new usher meeting the night before the play. It was exciting to see the stage crew building the set and going below the stage in the crew tunnels. The new ushers had to pass a test by walking up the steps to the top row of the balcony. The Stage Manager gave us instructions before the performance. No one would be allowed into the theater the first 15 minutes when actors would be throwing clementine oranges into the audience. When an usher asked what to do if someone eats the oranges in the theater, the Stage Manager just shrugged. An experienced usher told us not to worry about doing everything right our first night. She admitted she has done everything possibly wrong, but still has her job. As a volunteer usher, I have no worries. 

The paid ushers wear black theater vests while the volunteers wear their own black shirts. The paid ushers get the first choice of the plays, but no one gets discounts on theater tickets. Bah Humbug! Anyways, ‘Tis the season to be jolly and 'The Christmas Carol' reminds us to be kinder to each other. Let 2022 begin!