For many arts organizations, volunteers keep the show running. Few have done it longer than Audrey Zaharichuk.
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Volunteering has its privileges. Especially if you, like Audrey Zaharichuk, have been with the same arts organization for 35 years.
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Among other things, the Bard on the Beach volunteer gets to sit in on the table reads.
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“I get to hear the cast read the script together for the first time,” Zaharichuk said.
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“It’s amazing how prepared some of them already are. Some have huge portions practically memorized before rehearsals even begin. Watching the amount of work that goes into a production gives you an even greater appreciation for what audiences eventually see onstage.”
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Like many arts festivals, Bard on the Beach depends on volunteers like Zaharichuk to keep the show running smoothly. They welcome patrons, scan tickets, usher guests to their seats, answer questions, and provide directions.
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But Zaharichuk can boast of quite an accomplishment. She has been volunteering at the Vanier Park festival for more than 30 years, since shortly after its inception.
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Bard launched in 1990 — a year before Zaharichuk began volunteering for the organization. Her first task was selling merchandise in the mingling area between stages.
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“Back then, I sat at a table in the Bard Village with boxes of T-shirts underneath. I’d pull them out to show people and then dig through the boxes to find the right size. One of the actors even came out to serve coffee during intermission, which was kind of fun.”
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The festival has grown from its modest beginnings, with a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a rented tent. It ran for four weeks and drew an estimated 6,000 people. Now, the festival hosts four productions on two stages. In 2024, an estimated 88,000 people attended.
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None of this would likely have been possible without volunteers.
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“This year, we have 350 volunteers and we treasure each of them as much as they treasure Bard,” said Bard founder/artistic director Christopher Gaze.
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Zaharichuk, he said, exemplifies the best of Bard. “It goes beyond just the hours she volunteers. Her kindness, generosity and her own particular brand of enthusiasm and love for Bard has helped to set a mark for so many to follow.”
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After working the merch table for a few years, Zaharichuk was assigned to the box office.
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“Christopher’s sister actually printed the tickets, and they were filed in slots on the wall by performance date. People couldn’t buy online then — they had to come to the box office — and I think tickets were about $8.”
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She now most frequently works as an usher during the season and helps with various educational programs year-round.
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“I also help greet actors during auditions. I’m not in the audition room, but I meet them beforehand and sometimes afterward. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know so many actors, both new ones and people who’ve been with Bard for a long time. I go to a lot of live theatre around Vancouver, so it’s fun seeing familiar faces.”
