Editor’s Note: Many NYC parents know The New Victory Theater for its cutting-edge children’s productions. But the theater is also dedicated to providing New York teens with job training, support, and exposure to the performing arts through its Usher Corps program. On Monday, First Lady Michelle Obama presented the New Victory Usher Corps a 2014 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the highest honor for after-school arts and humanities programs. The Usher Corps was one of 12 programs to receive the award this year.
We spoke with Anthony D. Pound, the New Victory’s Youth Corps Manager, to learn more about how the Usher Corps enriches the lives of local teens.
How did the Usher Corps start?
The New Victory Theater launched the New Victory Usher Corps, a three-year youth development and job training program, the day the theater opened nearly 20 years ago to address the need for youth employment in New York City. Since then, the program has provided over 400,000 hours of paid employment to over 500 NYC teens from across the city, and for most participants, The New Victory marks their first introduction to the rich world of the performing arts!
Tell us about your background, and how you got involved with the New Vic Usher Corps program.
I studied performance in the BFA program at the University of Memphis, so I have always been interested in the arts with an eye towards directing. After college, I worked for a children’s theater in Memphis, where my love of working with teens and introducing the arts to children and families really started to grow. In 2007, I joined The New Victory Theater as the House Manager and began managing the Usher Corps program.
What’s a typical shift or day of work for a New Vic Usher?
The great thing about the New Victory Usher Corps is that no day is ever the same. At the start of any show day, the managers meet with the whole team of Ushers to prepare for the performance, and discuss any questions. Once the Ushers receive their assignments as ticket scanners, concessionaires, teaching assistants in pre-show arts activities, and more, it’s go time and the ushers take their places! In addition to the great amount of responsibility of each task, every Usher is prepared to answer questions about the performance and make recommendations on other shows throughout the season. They do a lot and we’re really proud of them.
What makes this program unique, for New Vic as a theater, and as a professional youth training program?
At the New Victory we take great pride in our Ushers and want to provide them with not only professional work experience, but also a variety of growth opportunities. Whether they are at The New Victory Theater to work or to participate in a workshop, Ushers receive an hourly wage for all the time and effort they put into the program. In addition to normal usher duties such as ticket taking, greeting and answering questions, members of the New Victory Usher Corps also support artists as teaching assistants in events like puppetry classes and circus arts activities. As part of the program, each Usher is also required to participate in arts literacy workshops so that they can make personal connections to the performing arts, as well as attend job training and life skills workshops like time management, resume writing and personal finance. When they are in their final year of the New Victory Usher Corps program, they have the opportunity to extern in an administrative department of the theater as part of their Third Year Focus, which provides Ushers with real office experience.
What do you think the young Ushers take away from the experience?
When talking to Ushers that have been through this program, they can’t say enough about the great amount of support they receive from both their managers and each other. They treat each other like family because they really are like a family. There’s a real sense of community in the New Victory Usher Corps and a shared wealth of encouragement, accountability and loyalty.
What about this program has been most rewarding for you?
There are so many things that are rewarding about leading a program like this including seeing how the kids change as they mature. Watching the Ushers grow in to great communicators and leaders, and seeing where they go and what they are capable of after they graduate the program is also very fulfilling. There is a real discovery of what they are capable of and what role the arts play in their lives that happens here, and it is such an honor to play a part in that discovery.
How do you see the program continuing to grow and develop?
I see this program continuing to recruit kids of all kinds from all five boroughs so we can continue to reflect the diversity that makes New York City so unique. I also would love to bring in even more great panelists from all around the country to speak to our Ushers about how they got to where they are, and continue to motivate the Ushers to fulfill their future educational goals and dreams. Winning the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award will help us share what we as The New Victory Theater and the New Victory Usher Corps do, and we are so excited for what the future holds!
