Longtime Zeiterion ushers thought they'd seen it all — but this week will be extra special

NEW BEDFORD — For the past 15 years, Cliff and Judy Roderiques thought they had seen it all while ushering at Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, from spectacular performances to an emergency evacuation in the middle of a show.

However, they're in for a first as a show they are ushering will also be starring their grandson, Noah Roderiques.

"We haven't seen him for a number of years... so just the fact that he's in town, just makes my heart sing," said Judy Roderiques, whose grandson will portray LeFou in New Bedford Festival Theatre's production of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast."

Roderiques said she always thought Noah, the second oldest grandson of five, was talented and is excited to see him perform on the stage they've grown to love over the years.

"I love this theater, and I love the people here, both the staff and the other volunteers, I just really enjoy it all," added Roderiques.

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So many memories at The Z

Since volunteering at the theatre, the married couple of 41 years, remembers seeing performers such as Howie Mandel, Jay Leno, Bill Cosby and the Beach Boys — which was Judy Roderiques's first concert when she was a kid.

Cliff Roderiques remembers when "A Prairie Home Companion" author Garrison Keillor accidentally cut himself shaving, holding the show up for over 40 minutes while EMTs attended to his wound.

He also recalled an incident during a performance of "Mamma Mia!" when the fog machine set off the fire alarm due to a glitch with the air conditioning unit. The audience had to evacuate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, Judy Roderiques said the shows she thinks she's not going to like, almost always turn out to be her favorites.

"There were times when we'd sign up for a show and say, 'Oh, this is not gonna be a good show,'" she said. "But I remember one, it was a Russian dance group... and I think it was one of my favorite shows ever.

"It was just so colorful, and the music was so much fun, and the performance was so energetic."

Roderiques also said she continues to be amazed by the New Bedford Festival Theatre shows such as "Singin' in the Rain," which featured actual rain on the stage, and "Mary Poppins," in which the main character flew into the audience.

And they both said their favorite musical to date was "Les Miserables."

Working as a Zeiterion usher

"We used to go to a lot of shows at The Z," said Cliff Roderiques. "But when we retired, we had a little less of an income so we decided to volunteer so we could still see the show."

Growing up, Judy Roderiques said she used to usher on Cape Cod at Falmouth Playhouse and Highfield Hall Company Theatre.

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According to Roderiques, to be an usher at The Zeiterion, you have to volunteer for half of the shows in The Z's seasonal show list, as well as work half of the New Bedford Festival Theatre shows and New Bedford Symphony Orchestra concerts.

"And then if there's any dance recitals, we have to do half of those, too. So we're into this for maybe 35 to 40 shows a year," she said.

The Roderiques' said they report to the theater 90 minutes before the performance for a brief meeting. Then Dori Rubbicco, the theater's director of patron & business relations, will assign tasks to each usher.

"There are a lot of places and positions to keep filled throughout every performance," Rubbicco said. "We have about 30 ushers in the house at one time."

Judy Roderiques said she is frequently selected as the lead usher, located at the top of the center aisle. She said the theater is divided by even and odd numbers, so it's easy to help people find their seats.

"It's really just a matter of making sure people sit where they're supposed to," she said. "There are also season ticket holders who have sat in the same seats for years. We all sort of know each other now."

Cliff Roderiques said he's usually located toward the front of the house, ushering patrons or standing at the bar area to warn people of the step.

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"They are two of my favorite people. They're always the ones that are willing to jump in when necessary and help," Rubbicco said.

"I wear many hats at The Z and being the volunteer coordinator is one of my favorite things to do because of who they are, and who they are to each other."

The ushers are always happy to help

Once the show starts, the ushers will have a few jobs to do such as waiting for late arrivals or standing guard at the door in case there is a "no entry hold" for the first few minutes, as dictated by the production team.

Cliff Roderiques said he usually sits outside the theater to make sure no one without a ticket tries to sneak inside.

During the show, the ushers will most likely be seated in the back row. There is also an ushers' lounge equipped with water and snacks, located to the right of the lobby.

"If you've got a problem, let us know. We'll fix it," Judy Roderiques said. "We're always happy to help whether it's big or small."

At the end of the show, jobs may include opening the side exit doors onto Spring Street, putting all the seats up in the audience, and picking up dropped programs.

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Rubbicco said that the bulk of the ushers have worked at the Zeiterion for 10 to 30 years. Diane Berube, Donna Bisacri and Joyce Viera have worked the longest, with 36 years under their "vest."

Rubbicco recently celebrated an usher's 90th birthday, and also gave out a 35-year pin to another usher at their end-of-year celebration.

How to become an usher

However, since the pandemic, many of the usher have retired. Rubbicco said she has been putting out a call to get more people to volunteer as ushers. She has been holding monthly usher orientations to recruit new faces.

"We could not do this without them. We couldn't put on a show," she said.

Cliff Roderiques, who also volunteers at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park on Thursdays and Seamen’s Bethel and Mariners' Home on Fridays, said he enjoys the camaraderie among all the ushers and volunteers.

"People in general who volunteer give their time so selflessly and are very special people to begin with," Rubbicco said. "When you get a group of like minded people like that together, they see that about one another, and it becomes very special."

Cliff and Judy Roderiques also are known for dressing up at Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus for a number of years during The Zeiterion's annual "Christmas Carol" performances, and Judy Roderiques still dresses up in 1850s garb for the Whaling Museum.

Roderiques said she's just happy to see everyone returning to the theater. "I really missed everyone. It was tough not having this during COVID," she said.

"I'm so excited to see everyone coming back and enjoying what this place has to offer."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford Zeiterion ushers share 15 years of memories at the theater