Volunteering is a great way to join the Jacob’s Pillow community of passionate artists and art enthusiasts.  As a volunteer, you are a vital part of Jacob’s Pillow’s mission to support dance presentation, education, and preservation and often serve as a first point of engagement with the public. Please note: more information on volunteering for Festival 2024 is coming soon.

There are a number of ways to volunteer for Jacob’s Pillow during the summer and year-round. Here are a few of our volunteer positions:

Ushering

Ushers are assigned to either the Henry J. Lier Stage performances or Site-sepcific performances and are the primary customer service representatives for Jacob’s Pillow during performances.  Ushers should be able to stand for long periods of time and be willing to work any duty assigned; including working on any level of the outdoor spaces, directing patrons to their assigned seats, ensuring smooth and efficient audience traffic flow to help patrons get seated on time, tearing and scanning tickets, remaining after the performance to help with tidying and closing the performance space, and being prepared to successfully handle patron questions and needs.

Groundskeeping & Jacob’s Garden

Help maintain our beautiful site and our working garden, Jacob’s Garden, during the summer and throughout the year. Gardening volunteers will help with weeding, harvesting, watering, and processing. Each volunteer is responsible for bringing their own pair of gardening gloves and face masks. All tools for gardening will be provided by Jacob’s Garden.

Volunteer Benefits

  • Gain valuable customer service and arts administration experience at an internationally-known arts organization.
  • See a show (Usher Volunteers): In appreciation for your service per shift, the Pillow gives you an opportunity to see the performance. Please be aware that the seat provided may have a partially obstructed view and that you will be required to perform usher duties during the performance.
  • Attend morning classes for free: Begin your day with a dance or Pilates class, offered Monday through Friday.
  • Attend Member & Volunteer Celebration: It’s our day to give back to you. Come and enjoy light fare and a special dance presentation as we recognize your hard work.
  • Discounts! Volunteers who accumulate a certain number of volunteer hours can receive discounts, from our merchandise in The Pillow Store, to discounted tickets for our mainstage shows. Please reference the Volunteer Handbook for details.