Staff Spotlight: Elizabeth Steele, Volunteer Director

First things first: My name is Elizabeth Steele, but you should just call me ‘Liz’, because no one will know who you’re talking about if you ask for ‘Elizabeth’!

How did you first get involved in the Fringe?

This is my fourth year with the festival— and it should come as no shock to learn that I started as a volunteer at Fringe 2010. I was a recent transplant to LA and desperately missed the sense of family I felt in my college theatre department, where any position in any production felt like the center of the world because we were all so close. The moment I felt closest to recreating that feeling was volunteering during one of the first nights of Fringe, while a high school cast was waiting to enter from the lobby. Their excitement was contagious! They all happily shared their story with me and even though I wasn’t performing or part of their group, I felt that wonderful, familiar thrill so keenly.

What do you do as Volunteer Director and how did you get the job?

After the inaugural year, I approached Ben Hill (Festival Director) about volunteer coordination. There were plenty of helping hands that first year, but as anyone in management knows, it’s almost as difficult to distribute tasks as it is to complete them on your own, so it was a challenge at times to keep the volunteers organized. I wanted to be the staff’s mouthpiece, the go-between for doling out tasks to volunteers helping around Fringe Central. I wanted to make sure the floor was vacuumed, that shows always had someone to run their box office, that someone was sent to pick up confetti, and so on and so on. All the rest of the Fringe staff had their hands full as it was.

Throughout the year, it’s my responsibility to attract and retain volunteers. While most of our energies are focused toward June, we have fundraisers and promotional videos to shoot during the off-season, as well as outreach programs and community events to attract participants, patrons and other volunteers as we approach the festival. It’s my job to secure the extra help we need to get the job done.

What’s the best part of your job? The most challenging?

If you ever need to find me in June, look no further than the Fringe Central Box Office. If I’m not there, I’m probably asleep. It’s a great place to meet participants, train volunteers, and help patrons make the most of their Fringe experience. I love being there— being in the thick of it is my favorite part of my job.

It’s also a great place to work with my fellow staff members, especially Elizabeth Karb, our Audience Director, on volunteer scheduling— which is definitely the most challenging aspect of my job. Our volunteers are extremely generous with their time (a generosity we take every precaution not to abuse), so when something comes up unexpectedly, it can be difficult to secure a fresh volunteer. Thank goodness for email and Twitter (we’re @hffvolunteer— please follow us for volunteer news)— shifts always get covered, despite my initial heart attacks.

They say Fringe is one big party— any truth to that?

Well, as my head will attest, there’ve been some pretty raucous impromptu fetes in the past. But the Fringe is definitely growing up. Bar hours are becoming more reasonable and we staff members don’t party the way we used to, but one thing’s for certain— the Fringe feeling, the magic that makes Fringe what it is— isn’t going anywhere. In fact, I’d say the Opening Night Party gets better with age, continuing to break its own records every year. That’s my favorite day of the festival… and not just because the Fringe Box Office is closed.