"Apply to be an usher at your local theatre or arts centre and work as often as you can"

Hometown
I grew up in Lincoln, moved to Nottingham to attend university in 1999 and have lived there ever since

What do you do?
Front of house manager, Lakeside Arts Centre, University of Nottingham

What was your very first role in theatre?
I was a member of front of house staff for about a year before I became manager

Have you got qualifications?
I have 11 GCSEs, 5 A-levels and an English degree from the University of Nottingham

How did you start working in theatre?
In 2001 I was a student in my final year at the University of Nottingham when Lakeside first opened. I started work there as an usher a couple of weeks after it opened to the public. Throughout my final year I worked all the hours I could, both to pay bills and because I enjoyed it so much!

Just before the end of my course my boss handed in her resignation and recommended me to her line manager as a temporary duty manager until a replacement house manager could be appointed. I did this over the summer after my graduation, sleeping on friends’ floors because my student accommodation had run out. When the job was advertised it was expanded to front of house manager for the whole of Lakeside. I applied, gave the best interview of my life and was lucky enough to be appointed. Five years later I am still here and the job is expanding and changing all the time

What did you want to be when you grew up?
I have always wanted to be a writer

What do you do all day?
I am responsible for all front of house operations in the arts centre, which consists of the Djanogly Theatre, Djanogly Recital Hall, Djanogly Art Gallery and the Weston and Wallner Galleries. My job covers a very wide range of duties. I recruit and train our team of front of house staff, working with my two duty managers to ensure the highest quality of customer care at all Lakeside events. The focus of all training is both customer care and health and safety. To assist with this I created front of house and duty management procedure manuals, which I regularly update and improve. I plan rotas a season ahead to provide ushers and duty management for all our performances and invigilation staff for the Weston Gallery. These rotas are monitored and updated throughout the season. Staff hours are recorded weekly and every month I collate these into a spreadsheet to send to our payroll department and I keep comprehensive records of weekly, monthly and season staff costs.
Customer care is as important for artists as it is for members of the public and it is my job to provide hospitality, look after any merchandise sales and generally be a friendly and welcoming face ready to help with anything they might need.

Liaising with all other departments within Lakeside and parts of the University is an important part of my job. I chair a weekly operations meeting which covers everything happening in Lakeside in the next two weeks, as well as the previous week’s events. This way any issues that might have arisen can be discussed and any potential problems flagged up and dealt with. Effective communication is vital, particularly with the technical department, box office and our porters and cleaners.

As well as the responsibilities directly related to front of house, there are also a number of other facets to my role. These include the organisation of signed and audio described performances for our in-house productions and Christmas shows and working closely with the marketing department to help develop audiences for these events. I am also the main point of contact for all private hires in the theatre and am responsible for drawing up contracts and ensuring the smooth running of these events.

A very important part of my job, that I haven’t even mentioned yet, is the duty management of shows. Lakeside has two fantastic duty managers, who I trained and continue to meet with on a monthly basis to discuss all the shows for which they’ve had responsibility. However I also duty manage lots of events myself. Although it would be very difficult to describe an average day in my job, as it completely depends on what’s going on in our programme at that time, I can describe a typical evening duty managing in the theatre (duty managing in the recital hall follows a very similar pattern with a few venue specific adjustments).

When I arrive at work I check the duty diary, where information I have obtained from the company/artists in advance is recorded. Next I check the green room and dressing rooms are clean and tidy, including checking that any hospitality is set-up correctly. Then I greet the company and discuss with them and the technical team anything not covered in advance and recorded in the diary. I give a fire talk to the company, so they know how to evacuate in event of an emergency. Floats and merchandise sales need to be prepared, as do signs, warnings and interval notices for the main doors. I also provide technical department with a set of front of house calls containing show information and talk to the box office about audience numbers and any access requirements. There are a number of checks that have to be carried out front of house and in the theatre to ensure everything is clean, tidy and most importantly safe. Lighting and temperature also need to be checked to make sure the ambience is right for a relaxing evening at the theatre.

When the ushers arrive we meet for a team briefing where they are told all the information relating to that night’s performance and they’re given their roles for the show. From 45 minutes before the show start time we’re all front of house, in position, ready to deal with any queries from the public and making sure everyone visiting Lakeside feels welcome. I open the house at a time agreed with the company, and then when the audience are all in their seats I give the technical team clearance to start the show. I remain on duty throughout the performance managing front of house operations and checking the company have everything they need. After the performance has finished I stay until every member of public has left the bar, health and safety and customer care being my key concerns throughout.

What’s the best thing about your job?
The amazing variety of people I get to meet and work with. Working in a creative environment, especially at Lakeside, is a real joy.

And the worst?
Dealing with complaints can sometimes be difficult, but they can lead to further improvements to our provision and we try our utmost to make sure everyone leaves Lakeside with a smile on their face.

What’s your dream job in theatre?
My dream is to write and get paid for it. If I could do that within theatre it would be extraordinary.

Got any wise words for someone who wants to be where you are now?
Apply to be an usher at your local theatre or arts centre and work as often as you can. Be enthusiastic, willing to learn and proactive, you’ll find your customer care skills are best improved by practise. Being friendly, confident and helpful is a pretty good way to start out in front of house.