The beautifully renovated Ridgefield Library was rockin’ on Tuesday May 13 when The Prospector Theater took over the lower level for their first ever job fair. I know because I was one of a number of volunteers seated or standing at the bottom of the stairs when eager hordes of potential job applicants came through starting at 3 PM and lasting in varying waves until 7pm.
Dressed in our Prospector tee shirts and caps our job was to record the names and motivations for individuals interested in working at the theater as well as assigning them a number and a label to stick on their tops. Once all that information was accessed we sent them off to Tasia who took photos of everyone. Then Emily escorted each one down the hall for the second phase of the Job Fair experience.
Many of you SPHERE members were there playing vital roles as greeters, providing information, guiding applicants from the initial check in to the room down the hall where a projector screen with rows of chairs for viewing and tables were set up with volunteers to answer questions: questions about the jobs of cashier, concessionist, usher, prep cook, projectionist and a host of other positions that make a movie theater work. Emily knew so many of the candidates and graciously and warmly welcomed each one. Kris worked with the videographer interviewing SPHERE members.
The Job Fair was decidedly popular (almost 300 people came through) so much so that as a check-in person I was unable to leave my post at the bottom of the stairs for most of the afternoon. I missed a lot of the doings in the big room. But what I was lucky to experience from my perch was the wide variety of interested folk who were drawn to the mission of The Prospector or the opportunities to work in the movie world or in the majority of cases, both. Ages ranged from late teens to seniors. Some were looking for part-time jobs before they return to school in the Fall. Others wanted a serious career change – teachers looking to use their skills in training adults to help run a movie theater. There were passionate movie buffs who yearned to work with film and foodies who wanted to be a part of the cafe, the concessions, the popcorn. Some just needed a job as in needed to make some money. The majority seemed to be Ridgefield residents but others were from NY state or Newtown, Redding, Bethel, Danbury, Weston, hoping to join in an extraordinary history making cinema-sensational future.
And most applicants said that they were drawn to The Prospector mission most of all: “to promote the media arts and public interest in the media arts in the Town of Ridgefield and surrounding area, to promote civic pride in the community . . . preservation of the historic character of the Town and to improve the quality of life in the community for adults with disabilities” – powerful goals that produced a magnetic effect on each of them.
I can’t wait for opening night. Congratulations to Val, Rebecca and all their team for bringing The Prospector Theater, penny ceilings and all, to a town near all of us.
Jill Edelman Barberie (Juliette’s Mom)