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Business & house management

Day Six. Business & house management. Not only do the actors and the production team need to rehearse, so does the HOUSE CREW.

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Business & house management

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  1. Day Six Business & house management

  2. Not only do the actors and the production team need to rehearse, so does the HOUSE CREW. Having a HOUSE MANAGER will make everything go more smoothly. Providing the house manager with the necessary tools and information will make the experience SAFER and more PLEASANT for the audience. House Manager/House Staff responsibilities

  3. It is important to make your lobby or other gathering space adjacent to the theater a WELCOME PLACE for patrons. In your facility, you could create a COLLAGE OF PICTURES of the production and the actors. Also include pictures of the TECHNICAL CREWS working on the show. That is an area of the production the audience never gets to see.

  4. It’s customary to open the house ONE HALF HOUR before the show begins. Coordinating this OPENING and making patrons feel WELCOME and SAFE is the work of the house manager and the house crew. In fact, they are the OFFICIAL HOSTS at the theater and play an important role.

  5. Give the house manager a BADGE or some way for the audience to identify him/her as the person in charge. It is harder for a student to direct audience traffic than it is for a teacher or other adult. NAME TAGS for the rest of the house crew is also a good idea.

  6. The house manager needs to arrive early enough to check things like the TEMPERATURE of the auditorium, the CLEANLINESS of the bathroom facilities, the PARKING availability, and the EXTERIOR APPROACH to the theater. You'll be relieved to know that the house manager does not have to do these chores, but he or she must know WHO TO CALL to get the job done.

  7. The house manager will need a way to COMMUNICATE with the stage manager so that they can coordinate the START of the show. If possible, provide intercom, portable headsets or at least a student runner for this connection.

  8. Your School Nurse or Activities Director should be able to provide you with an EMERGENCY PROCEDURE list that addresses everything from a choking victim to cardiac arrest. Get one and have it in a place, easily accessible to the house manager.

  9. The house manager needs to know the theater’s POLICIES and be ready to ENFORCE THE RULES. If the house manager is a student, he or she needs to know when to GET THE SPONSOR if patrons or fellow students refuse to cooperate with requests.

  10. The house manager is responsible for INFORMING and TRAINING the ushers. It is necessary to have at least one usher at each entrance to take and tear TICKETS and hand out PROGRAMS and two or more additional ushers to show patrons to their SEATS. Ushers need to be DRESSED NICELY for performances. The appearance and demeanor of your ushers makes the FIRST IMPRESSION on your audience.

  11. The house manager and ushers must be familiar with the performance times, including when SCENE BREAKS occur...that is, if you allow latecomers to be seated before intermission. If you do allow latecomers to be seated before intermission, it is a good idea to have them sit in, or stand behind THE LAST ROW in the theater until a scene break.

  12. It is also wise to know the RUNNING TIME OF EACH ACT if patrons inquire when INTERMISSION is, or when the performance ENDS.

  13. The house manager needs to know how to communicate that the show is about to BEGIN and how to warn patrons that it is the end of the INTERMISSION. FLASHING OF THE LOBBY LIGHTS is a generally accepted way to convey this to patrons. Some theaters are equipped with a PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM in the lobby which can also be used for this purpose.

  14. The house manager must always be DIPLOMATIC, but FIRM in the handling of all situations with patrons. He/she should know who to contact if the situation needs a stronger ENFORCER. Most educational theaters have an ADMINISTRATOR and/or a SECURITY OFFICER on duty on performance nights

  15. The house manager and the ushers should know what area is designated for HANDICAPPED seating. Many theaters are equipped with INFRARED hearing devices. The house manager usually handles the distribution of these At the end of the performance it is the house manager's and the house crew's job to get the house IN ORDER for the next performance.

  16. The house manager or the box office manager is also responsible for doing a BOX OFFICE REPORT each night, that states the number of pre-show tickets sold, broken down according to full price, discounted, and complimentary tickets, the number of tickets sold THAT NIGHT, broken down in the same categories, the STUB COUNT, also broken down according to category, and the amount of MONEY to be deposited.

  17. In case of a fire alarm, it is the house manager's job to direct the EVACUATION OF THE HOUSE. The house manager MUST have the ushers PREPARED for just such an emergency, and PRACTICE for emergencies. To reduce the panic he or she must first communicate to the STAGE MANAGER the emergency so the show can be stopped. And then from the stage or front of house CALMLY INFORM THE PATRONS of the emergency and point out the EMERGENCY EXITS assigning blocks of seats or rows to designated exits. The ushers should assist the evacuation and re-entry by MANNING EACH OF THE EXITS

  18. Emergencies like these or numerous other complications may require you to HOLD THE CURTAIN. It is certainly not a practice that is recommended, but given the option, it is better than seating many late arrivals. The sponsor, the house manager, and the stage manager must COMMUNICATE to decide when the show must start.

  19. It is not always the audience that causes the delay. Sometimes emergencies can happen behind the curtain also. In this case, it is the house manager's job to INFORM THE AUDIENCE that the curtain will be held, and the APPROXIMATE TIME the show will start, if it will be more than just a few minutes.

  20. We have talked about selling tickets and running an efficient, business-like theater, but we cannot ignore the fact that you need a QUALITY PRODUCT to sell. You cannot continue to build an audience base without well executed productions. Building your program

  21. SELECTING THE SEASON EARLY is another key to student involvement. Students and their parents want to know that there is a plan. ADVERTISING AUDITIONS is as important as ADVERTISING THE SHOW itself. It’s wise to inform freshmen even before the school year begins. Just like you have to educate your audience, you should also educate your potential students.

  22. Schedule several sessions of AUDITION WARM-UPS. At these gatherings, let upper-classmen lead new students in improvisations, and show some examples of good auditions, or perhaps some warm-up and articulation exercises. Have TECH WORKSHOPS. Invite interested students to tour the theater, and let the upper-classmen show them how to work the lighting controller, the audio console, paint some scenery, or do an old age make-up. Setting up a REWARD SYSTEM is also a good idea. One way to reward your students is to join the International Thespian Society and create a Thespian troupe at your school.

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