Front of House
The audience experience
Front of house (FOH) covers everything the audience encounters: ticketing, ushering, access, safety, and service. The FOH manager oversees staff and coordinates with the stage manager for house opening and show start. Know the terms: house, foyer, box office, and auditorium.
Safety and access
Audience safety is paramount. Understand evacuation procedures, capacity limits, and accessible seating requirements. Ushers must know exits, assembly points, and how to assist patrons with disabilities. Latecomers are usually held and admitted at a suitable break. Emergency lighting and clear egress must never be blocked.
Service and conduct
Customer service, complaint handling, and duty of care are common topics. Staff must manage difficult patrons calmly and escalate when needed. Ticketing systems, scanning, and reconciliation matter for accuracy.
Traps
Questions often test who authorises holding the show for latecomers (the stage manager/FOH manager in consultation, not an usher alone). Another trap is blocking exits with equipment or queues. Beware options that prioritise revenue over safety.
Worked example
A patron arrives late. The usher holds them in the foyer, informs the FOH manager, and admits them at the next suitable break signalled by the stage manager. Exits stay clear throughout.
Rule of thumb
When safety and service conflict, safety wins - and escalate decisions upward.
Venue and Event Operations
Running a venue
Venue operations coordinate people, spaces, and systems. Understand venue types and their facilities, booking and scheduling, and the relationship between venue management and visiting productions. A venue provides infrastructure - power, rigging points, loading docks, dressing rooms - and sets rules for their use.
Event planning
Event operations involve planning timelines, permits, risk assessments, crowd management, and contingency planning. Know the roles: event manager, production manager, safety officer, and venue coordinator. Licences and permits (liquor, noise, occupancy) must be in place before an event.
Logistics and safety
Loading docks, bump-in schedules, and crew calls drive event timing. Emergency planning - evacuation, first aid, communications - must be documented and briefed. Weather contingency matters for outdoor events.
Traps
Questions often test who approves venue rule variations (venue management, not the promoter alone) or whether permits can be arranged after the event (never). Beware options that ignore capacity or noise limits.
Worked example
An outdoor festival forecasts rain. The event manager activates the contingency plan: covered staging, drainage checks, and a decision point communicated to all crews. Permits and capacity limits remain unchanged.
Rule of thumb
Plan backwards from the event date and build in contingencies; permits and safety briefings come before bump-in.
Working in Live Production and Events
The working reality
Live production is shift-based, deadline-driven, and collaborative. You must understand crew calls, call times, turnaround, and the importance of punctuality and reliability. Freelance and casual work is common, so contracts, invoices, and professional reputation matter.
Collaboration and communication
Every department depends on the others. Understand the production hierarchy, the role of the stage manager as the hub during performance, and how departments coordinate during bump-in, rehearsal, show, and bump-out. Clear communication and handovers prevent errors.
Wellbeing and sustainability
Long hours and night work affect fatigue, which is a safety hazard. Know your rights to breaks and safe hours. Sustainability - waste reduction, energy use, and reuse of materials - is increasingly part of production planning.
Traps
Questions often test whether you should work through fatigue or report it (report it). Another trap is assuming a role's authority in an emergency - follow the venue's emergency plan and the designated warden. Beware options that sacrifice safety for schedule.
Worked example
A crew member is rostered for a 12-hour bump-in after a late show. The correct action is to raise fatigue with the production manager, who adjusts the roster or builds in breaks - not to push through unsafely.
Rule of thumb
Reliability, communication, and fatigue management are as important as technical skill on a live crew.