Volunteering at Paradise Green

We are looking for enthusiastic, friendly and hard-working volunteers to join our team for two, three or four weeks of the Fringe. It's a great way to experience the festival, to meet like-minded people and to become part of the Fringe Festival.

Shift times are varied during the week so that you will get a chance to get out to see the City and all that is going on during the Festivals; in so far as is possible, you will also get a full day off each running week you work for Paradise Green.

About Paradise Green

Paradise Green is a non-profit organisation (a company limited by guarantee) run by unpaid volunteers (including the Directors). Our team come from a range of backgrounds. They are united by a shared love of theatre and the performing arts, and offer a wealth of experience and expertise in every aspect of small-scale professional and non-professional theatre. Many of the team have full or part-time jobs in the creative industries.

The company was founded in 1997 specifically to run venues at the Edinburgh Fringe. Our aim is to provide the friendliest and best run venues on the Fringe. We strive to achieve the right balance of a relaxed, informal atmosphere and a dedicated, professional approach when dealing with theatre companies and members of the public.

We are committed to programming a diverse and exciting mix of theatre, reflecting the best that the Fringe can offer. Our venues have established a reputation for upholding the original spirit of the Fringe, providing a showcase for all kinds of production, ranging from established classics to new writing, and of all sizes from monologues to big cast musicals.

We run two venues, Paradise in Augustines and Paradise in the Vault, both located in the heart of the Old Town, just minutes from the Royal Mile, with ticket sales of 20,000+.

What We Provide

Accommodation

Paradise Green provides accommodation for all of its volunteers in a number of rented flats. We endeavour to ensure that all the flats we rent are close together; they are usually in the Marchmont area of the city, which is a pleasant walk of 15 minutes or so across the Meadows from the venues.

Most rooms are shared. We will do our best to accommodate couples in a double room, and to ensure that friends are placed together in the same room and/or flat though we cannot always guarantee this. On change-over nights (i.e. the nights when new volunteers arrive for the following weeks) it may also be necessary for some people to spend one night in a hostel room rented by Paradise Green or in a sleeping bag on a sofa in one of the flats.

We provide all the bedding you will require including sleeping bags, but not towels. Essentials for the flats (eg: toilet rolls and cleaning supplies) will be provided.

Food

Breakfast (cereals, bread, juices, etc) is provided in the flats.

All volunteers are entitled to free hot and cold food from the Paradise Green kitchen and tea / coffee / juices all day.

Paradise Green may also pay for you to attend training (such as Food Hygiene Certificate courses) before you come to Edinburgh, based on our needs and your stated interests.

Tickets for Shows

We offer a "reciprocal ticket" scheme whereby anyone working in (or performing in) our venues can get a free standby ticket to any show performing in any of our venues. Tickets are released on a first come first served basis about 5 minutes before each performance starts, providing there are seats available. Volunteers are positively encouraged to participate in this scheme, to become more involved with, and support, the shows in the venues.

There are also arrangements by which our volunteers can get complimentary tickets to any of the shows in several partner venues on the same basis.

Training

If you have applied for a management or technical role you may be invited to training:

House, Technical and Duty managers, this will take place on 2 dates. You are only required to attend one of these dates.

For technicians, this will take place on one day in July, we will send more information closer to the time. You are only required to attend one of these dates.

Some of our training is provided through an online platform prior to arriving in Edinburgh. This training equips you with good background understanding, which is supplemented with on the job training to perfect your skills.

Travel

Volunteers are responsible for arranging and paying for their own travel to and from Edinburgh. The only exception to this is volunteers travelling to Edinburgh at the start of week 0, or leaving Edinburgh at the end of 4, for whom it may be possible to provide transport from/to the Manchester area.

Apply Online

Apply Now >