By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO, Calf. —It has been about 20 years since Art and Dorothy Bernard put their workaday cares aside—his as a manufacturer's representative and hers as an American Automobile Association employee—to pursue a life in the theatre.

Perhaps you haven't seen their names in lights, but theirs are among the most familiar faces of the San Diego theatre scene. They've appeared together all over—at the La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe Theatre, the San Diego Repertory Theatre, the North Coast Rep, the Cygnet Theatre, the Theatre at Old Town.  The list goes on and on.  Their love for performance art is not limited to the theatre, they also appear regularly at the San Diego Symphony.

Art, 85, and Dorothy, 83, are among the corps of senior volunteer ushers who stuff and hand out programs, escort people to their seats, answer questions about how long the first act will be, politely request people to turn off their cell phones, and answer visitors' questions about other places to go and see in San Diego.  For their services, the Bernards and other seniors get to to watch the performances.  For the theaters, the arrangement saves thousands of dollars over the course of a year, savings that go to their bottom lines.

I caught up March 23 with the Bernards at the Lawrence Family JCC, where they were serving as ushers for a lecture by mystery writer Faye Kellerman. Volunteer ushering is a life style choice, they told me.  It is not unusual for them to usher five times a month, and, in a year's time, to see at least 50 different performances. Along with other volunteer ushers, they rotate from one theatre to the next, ensuring their life is filled with variety and with lots of schmoozing.  Clearly people who love other people, the Bernards not only can show you to your seat, but when they are off duty, give interesting talks about 


Usher Corps—Dorothy Bernard (in blue and black), and husband Art 
Bernard (right) join friends Herbie Braverman, Joe Opperman, and Arline
Braverman prior to theatre doors opening at Lawrence Family JCC.

the San Diego theatre scene. Art, in fact, conducts an adult education class in performing arts and music appreciation at the Adult Enrichment Center in the suburban city of La Mesa.  He also plays clarinet or drums in local concert bands.

In the past, they both were active in the B'nai B'rith movement, with Art having served as president of the B'nai B'rith men in Pomona, and Dorothy a club president of  Jewish Women International, formerly known as B'nai B'rith Women.  The couple belongs to Temple Emanu-El, a Reform congregation in San Diego.

There are certain do's and don'ts for ushers, Art advises.  You must never initiate physical contact with a theatre patron.  You may extend your arm, but the patron must decide whether or not to take it.  Generally the ushers will arrive at the theatre 90 minutes before the performance to be briefed by the house manager about what the play is about, when there will be intermissions, how long they will last, when patrons can expect to go home, and what the rules are concerning carrying beverages or food into the theatre.  

"If there are any materials stuffed into the program, you can be pretty sure the ushers did the stuffing," Dorothy says.  

There is no formal organization of volunteer ushers because each theatre company makes its own arrangements.  But there is an informal network, as well-known ushers like the Bernards often are asked to recommend people they know who might enjoy similar volunteering.  Before the doors were opened at the Lawrence Family JCC, the Bernards were catching up and comparing notes with their friends the Bravermans and the Oppermans.  Dorothy wasn't wearing the trademark "white" ushers coat because she was not "working tonight."  But for friends of the theatre like the Bernards, there is always an extra seat, as there was for Dorothy on this day.  It is like they are part of the cast.

The couples love every part of the theatre.  They pay sharp attention to all detaisl—the sets, the staging, the lighting, the props, the cues, the blocking—in addition to watching the action on stage.  They've watched directors mature, have witnessed theatre companies rethink their philosophies  in response to their audiences, have empathized with the theatre companies through financial hard times, and have celebrated major hits, such as some of the productions at the Old Globe and the La Jolla Playhouse that have gone on to triumphs on Broadway.

Do they remember every play they've seen?

"There are some I'd like to forget," Art responds quickly.  He explains that in some cases, "there is too much profanity.  We're not prudes but I think it is overkill."  Like a musician who resorts to stunts to draw the audience's attention away from the fact that he isn't playing too well, playwrights who depend on too much profanity are covering over weaknesses in their plots, Art suggests.

Dorothy said she used to be a collector of  opera programs, but no more.  "For years, I kept the brochures from all the operas we went to, so I wouldn't forget which ones we saw.  But we've been down-sizing."

There are professional, paid ushers at the San Diego Opera and at performances of other companies which use the downtown San Diego Civic Center, which is a union house. However, volunteer ushers are permitted to work the special dress rehearsals to which public school students are invited.  "They come dressed like you wouldn't believe—the girls wear formal gowns," said Art.

Besides becoming theatre insiders, volunteer ushers gain another big reward, the Bernards agree. The people in the audiences are usually quite friendly.  "Sometimes, when things aren't too busy, we have a ball kidding with them."