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Front of House Manager

Overview/Purpose of a Front of House Manager

The Front of House Manager is responsible for the smooth and efficient day to day running of the theatre’s front of house operations as well as the identification of long term strategies for Front of House management development.

They lead and develop the team of casual duty managers and ushers, in both their activity and their approach, to provide at all times a safe, warm, friendly and vibrant environment for audiences, visitors and staff. Alongside the Box Office Supervisor, Café Bar Manager and Events Manager, they take a lead role in maintaining excellent customer services.

 

The Front of House Manager works closely with other departments within the company including marketing, development, box office, café bar and events.

Day to Day Tasks and Responsibilities

The tasks and daily activities would depend on the size of the production but they could include:

 

Prepare the Space

As Front of House Manager, you would be responsible for the space beginning at the outside entrance to the theater and extending to the foot of the stage. If there are programs to be handed out prior to the performance, the house manager makes sure that the right amount are available. The house manager does a "walk through" of the theatre to verify that the house is clean and presentable for the audience. If there are signs or notices relevant to a particular show, such as "no flash photography" or "no use of mobile phones" the house manager makes sure those signs are in place.

 

Manage the Ushers

Ushers take tickets and lead guests to their seats. The house manager schedules, trains, and supervises these ushers. This means making sure that ushers have a sense of the seating scheme, so that they can lead guests to their seats in the quickest possible way. Some ushers may be assigned to hand out programmes. Ushers must also be made familiar with the latecomers policy. The house manager makes sure that ushers have whatever supplies are needed to their job, such as a torches.

 

Oversee Box Office

The house manager works closely with the box office manager. If there is a dispute about tickets, for example, if a guest mistakes the date on their ticket and shows up on the wrong night, the front of house manager may have to help resolve the situation. If there is a waiting list, the front of house manager coordinates with the box office manager to determine which audience members will be seated. If the theater offers standing room, the house manager must make sure that the theater is observing capacity limits and fire laws.

 

 

 

 

Qualifications and Experience

There are several different ways of becoming a Front of House Manager, but not specific qualifications are particularly needed to become a FOH.

 

The essential skills and experience are:

  • Excellent spoken and written English

  • Experience working in a busy public-facing role

  • Previous administrative experience

  • Previous experience of cash handling

  • IT literacy, including significant experience of Microsoft Word and Excel Excellent organisational skills

  • Excellent communication skills: face to face, telephone and online and the ability to deal effectively with a wide variety of customers

  • First Aid certificate or willingness to undergo training

 

Skills and Attributes of a FOH:

 

  • Able to work flexibly, be reliable and work the necessary hours to meet the demands of the position

  • Enthusiasm, motivation, good humour and a positive, can-do attitude to the role and its tasks

  • Ability to take charge, lead and manage situations involving many different people

  • A calm, capable and unflappable manner when dealing with busy events and members of the public

  • Accuracy and an eye for detail

  • The ability to work well as part of a team, but also to use initiative and to work autonomously, as necessary

 

 

 

 

 

Working Conditions / Hours / Place of Work

Your working environment would be in the public areas of the theatre. Depending on the size of the theatre, you will have different size areas you will have to be responsible for. 

 

The hours are mainly based around performance times, so are likely to be in the evening or at weekends.

Salary

Here is an example of a FOH Manager's salary and the terms they will have to follow:

 

Terms

Hours: 40 hours per week, working across 5 days to include daytime and regular evening and weekend shifts (including a minimum of 3 evening duty manager shifts a week)

Salary: £20,000 - £22,000 per annum (depending on experience)

Holidays: 20 days per annum plus Bank Holidays Probation Six Months

Contract Type: Permanent / Full Time

Notice period: 1 month during probationary period, 3 months thereafter.

Career Progression

A Front of House Manager would first work as a usher in the theatre and build up their career in the FOH department. They could progress into a FOH Assistant, then FOH Deputy Manager and then finally become the desired role of FOH Manager.

 

Gaining experience is the best way to develop your career in FOH.  

Unions

Unions can be very useful within the performing arts business, especially for a FOH Manager. The most suitable union for a FOH Manager is Equity.

 

Equity membership brings with it a range of benefits including representation, advice, relevant services and other things of practical value that are aimed at supporting members throughout their career.  

 

Equity provide help and advice with career, representation, Legal Support and Insurance.

 

Interellation Within the Theatre

Front of House Managers would usually work closely with Box office manager, ushers and the stage manager. 

  1. Box Office Manager - The front of house manager has close contact witht the box office manager as they would need to know when all guests have arrived and how many tickets have been sold. If there was any problems in the box office, the box office manager would have to speak to the front of house manager. If this communication wasn't there then the timings of when the FOH has to tell the Stage Manager when all guests have arrived. 
     

  2. Ushers - The front of house manager has to communicate with the ushers. This is because the ushers take duties from the front of house manager, if this communication was to break down, the ushers wouldn't know what to do and when to do them.
     

  3.  Stage Manager - The front of house manager is in close contact with the stage manager. If there are latecomers, and a need to delay the start of the show, the house manager alerts the stage manager, who is managing the production as it happens. If some of the stage action takes place in and around where the audience is seated, the house manager makes sure that the aisles are clear of people's feet or their belongings. 

This is where the Front of House Manager would be found within the Production Hierarchy.

The front-of-house manager is responsible for the general day-to-day management of the theatre, making sure that it is a welcoming place for all visitors and staff. The front-of-house manager will employ a number of other front-of-house staff and people to work in the box office.

 

The FOH Manager is vital within the theatre as they are the ones to instruct all FOH staff, which will be the onese the audience/guests will be greeting first on arrival to the theatre. Customer care a crucial part of the role to ensure the public get the most out of their experience when visiting the theatre.

 

 Again, they are responsible for the security of the building and the safety of the audience before, during and after a performance. The Front House Manager also oversees the functions of other front-of-house staff who steward, run the bar and sell coffee, tea and sweets. Front-of-House is one of those areas that often gets overlooked when you are in a production but is actually the public face of the theatre so an efficient FOH operation is important  to encourage audiences to return to the theatre again. 

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