Music and Theatre Paradise: Volunteer Usher Corps at the Adler

Whether one head-banged with Rob Zombie and Black Sabbath in the 1990s, enjoyed dinner and a Broadway musical downtown in the 2000s, or busted a gut at a John Crist tour stop in 2024, the experience inside the Adler Theatre on show night always begins on a positive and classy note thanks to the heretofore unheralded volunteer usher corps.

For decades, the former RKO Orpheum (which opened in 1931) has employed volunteer ushers, from eager high-school kids to sage retirees, who dutifully and effectively assist patrons to their seats with patience, a flashlight, and good humor for all. It is not a stretch to state that the theatre-goer's memorable experience is force multiplied because of these volunteers and their knowledge of the Adler.

Mark and Beth Meyer love music and theatre, and one of the Quad Cities’ prime venues for them is Davenport's historic, sumptuous Adler Theatre. The Eldridge couple is among a crew of more than 130 people who get to see live performances there for free by volunteering their time as ushers.

Mark sings with Cedar Rapids-based Chorale Midwest, with Davenport's Zion Lutheran Church choir, and has been part of many choral masterworks with the Quad City Symphony Orchestra (QCSO) at the Adler and Handel's Messiah with the Augustana Oratorio Society.

The Meyers have been ushers for about 10 years. “We were happy to do it,” Mark said recently.

“It’s totally open to choose your events, which is the wonderful thing about it,” added Beth, a retired nurse.

Mark has Chorale Midwest concerts four times a year, and said of ushering, “The nice thing is, they allow you to cancel. They’ll put a bulletin in the e-mail saying, 'We need some help.'”

Mark usually works at QCSO concerts and Beth does the Broadway at the Adler touring shows (the last one was Hadestown on January 15). “They’re very accommodating and they keep adding concerts,” he said.

Beth, meanwhile, avoids the rock/pop/country shows, she says, “because of the noise and the chaos and the alcohol.” She does work all of Ballet Quad Cities' annual performances of The Nutcracker, although Mark doesn’t, and says her favorite show was the musical Jersey Boys (which came to the Adler in 2015 and this past May).

“It’s a great way to volunteer and have the flexibility of saying yes or no,” Mark said of ushering, noting that they pick the balcony section for their work shifts. He tries to go to five or six events a year.

“If you want to leave at intermission, if you have something going on, they’ll allow you,” he said. “Once you’ve initially seated [patrons] at the beginning of the show, your job as an usher is about over.”

At the Adler, the former RKO movie palace (circa 1931) located at 136 East Third Street, the uniformed ushers will meet as a group an hour-and-a-half before every showtime, in the lower level with house manager Linda Vandeventer. She goes over needs for each performance, the size of the audience, seat configuration, how long each act is, if there’s audience interaction, and anything ushers need to additionally know.

Ushers are expected to work at least two shows a year, and if they want a Broadway show, the Adler requires them to volunteer for three shows, with one of those being a Ballet Quad Cities (BQC) program, said associate ticket office manager Chandler Cox.

In the late fall, Cox added, there's an annual training with dinner provided, which the Adler encourages all volunteers to attend, as it covers safety information, venue layout, job specifics, and updates to training.

Ushers assist with opening and closing aisle doors leading into the theatre and escorting patrons to their seats; if programs/playbills are provided by the show, ushers pass those out, as well. Ushers often help direct patrons towards concessions, restrooms, and other amenities such as merchandise, if available. After the end of the show, ushers flip up seats and return programs before being dismissed. During shows, once doors have been closed and after patrons have been seated, ushers can watch from their assigned posts.

For Hadestown (in which all 2,411 seats were sold), the house manager emphasized that no photos or recording were allowed. Some acts, however, actually suggest that people take and share images and videos from concerts on social media.

“Joe Bonamassa encouraged photos and putting them out there,” Cox said of the popular blues guitarist who’s played the Adler about a dozen times. “More rock concerts, like Chicago the band, allow it. The symphony, ballet, Broadway – no photos or video.”

One time, she made someone delete a video they took on their phone. “Sometimes people fight it,” Cox said, noting that she once confiscated a laptop during a show.

The Adler has a total usher crew of about 136, with five of those being paid positions (ticket takers at entrances), and 15 to 20 coming from Muscatine. Cox averages that there are about 40 ushers per show.

For Hadestown, the main doors opened to the public 65 minutes before curtain, and aisle doors opened 35 minutes before.

Michael and Hedy Hustedde of Davenport, who, like most of the ushers, are retired, were at the BQC Nutcracker on December 14. They usually work at the same events, in the balcony.

“I like being up here,” Hedy said, noting they subscribe to the QCSO concerts, not ushering for those. “You can see the whole array of the symphony, you can see the pianist and the soloists. We’ve got a great view of whoever it is. And from the front to the back, you can see every single instrument.”

Although, as Michael said, Adler ushers “also look for broken seats or lights that are out,” they are not responsible for cleaning up any trash, such as food and beverages that are allowed in the theater. (The QCSO and ballet don’t allow popcorn inside.)

If there are empty seats available, ushers can sit during a performance, but only if they are behind the last patron, Hedy said. On January 15, during Hadestown, all ushers had to stand on the sides if they wanted to watch.

“Long before we became ushers, we were going to the symphony,” Hedy said, noting they did usher a couple times for the Harry Potter films, where QCSO plays the soundtrack music during the movie. Those, she said, were also sold-out shows.

“It seems as though the Broadway series is the most popular for the ushers,” Hedy said. Ushers are asked to rank their favorite shows before they are assigned, so they can see one of their choice.

Michael said a John Denver tribute concert was one of his favorites to usher, and Hedy picked comedian John Mulaney, who was at the Adler for two shows on July 24, 2022.

“He was so good and had such interaction with the audience,” she said. Because he was filming that date for a Netflix special, patrons had to give up their phones at the start of the show.

“Different acts draw different crowds,” Michael said, noting the country-western audiences to whom the Adler sells a lot more beer. “And people act accordingly.”

Audiences for The Nutcracker and the QCSO movies are primarily families, and the ushers enjoy seeing people happy and having a good time.

“Kids are amazingly well behaved,” Michael said. “It’s a very pleasant thing to do – you’re helping people, you know your station, your area.”

Jan Schweer of Davenport has been an usher for 12 years. Linda Vandeventer of Bettendorf has ushered since 1977 and has been house manager (which is paid) 12 years.

There are 800 Broadway season-ticket holders, including for all five shows or a Broadway Balcony Club – which is three shows for $99, in the second balcony, with a free drink voucher for each. Normally, each touring show costs $44 to $88.

“The lovely thing about our theatre is, no matter where you are, it’s a great view,” Cox said.

“We retired and it was something we could do together,” Schweer said of her husband Jay, who’s also an usher. “I just really love it. I like getting together with people.”

Bev Rosenbohm of Davenport has ushered since 1989 and stays on the main floor, as she’s afraid of heights. Her aisle (three) is the busiest in the Adler.

“I have a friend who was in choir with me at church, and she was doing it,” Rosenbohm said of ushering. “My daughter was a senior in high school, so it was time to start doing something.” She has also worked at the Vibrant Arena at The MARK (as a minimum-wage-paid usher) since the venue's 1993 opening.

Between the Davenport theatre and Moline arena, Rosenbohm has a busy winter, given the dance competitions at the Adler and hockey games at Vibrant, on top of the other shows. The Adler isn’t as busy over the summer, Cox said.

Rosenbohm’s favorites at the MARK were James Taylor and Bette Midler. She enjoyed Big Head Todd and the Monsters at the Adler, especially their opening act – Hootie and the Blowfish, who weren’t a big deal when the headliners played. The same thing happened at the MARK, said Rosenbolm, when she ushered as 20-year-old Taylor Swift opened in 2010.

“We have a little bit of everybody,” Cox said of the Adler.

“I’m eclectic, I like everything,” said Schweer, who added that she loves seeing the expression of kids who’ve never been to the Adler before. “I think the neatest thing is when these children come in and go, ‘Ahhhhh!' It’s amazing.”

“And they love The Nutcracker,” Rosenbolm said. “Especially the snowfall scene.”

Cox said the Adler could always use more friendly, extroverted volunteer ushers, who also get free concessions. Including concessions, operations, box office, and backstage, it takes upward of 200 staffers to put on an event. And with events that have a late seating policy, such as the QCSO's, patrons who miss the start must wait for applause in the program to be seated (or after the National Anthem at the opening). As Cox said, “That is where my ushers really come in handy.”

Upcoming events at the Adler Theatre and adjoining Davenport RiverCenter include:

Pretty Woman: The Musical: Wednesday, February 12, 8 p.m.. (Adler)

Havlife Martini Shake Off: Thursday, February 20, 7 p.m. (RiverCenter Great Hall)

QCSO Masterworks V: Echoes of Exploration: Saturday, Mar. 1, 7:30 p.m. (Adler)

Saturday Night Fights: Saturday, March 8, 8 p.m. (RiverCenter Great Hall)

Shamrock Tenors: Wednesday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. (Adler)

Mean Girls: Thursday, March 13, 7:30 p.m. (Adler)

The Jimmys and the Avey Grouws Band: Saturday, March 22, 8 p.m. (RiverCenter Mississippi Hall)

For more information on ushering opportunities, visit DavenportLive.com/the-adler-theatre.