What is a Front of House Manager?

A front of house manager (also called an FOH manager or house manager) is the person who runs the audience-facing side of a venue, leading ushers, box office and bar staff and looking after audience safety and experience. The role is common in theatres, concert halls and arts centres, and covers everything the audience sees from the entrance to their seat. In music venues, the same job is often done by the duty manager.

What a front of house manager does

A front of house manager's event follows a clear pattern:

  1. Prepare: check the auditorium, foyers and toilets, and plan staff positions.
  2. Brief the team: run through the show, running time, access needs and evacuation roles.
  3. Open the house: after clearance from the stage manager, let the audience in at doors.
  4. Manage the show: handle latecomers, incidents and complaints, and run the interval.
  5. Close: see the audience out safely and report any issues.

Front of house teams work from pre-show and closing checks, which venues run as checklists in Crescat.

Front of house manager vs FOH sound

"Front of house" has two meanings. In the audience-facing sense, it covers foyers, ushers and box office, led by the front of house manager. In live sound, FOH means the mixing position and the engineer who mixes for the audience.

Who the front of house manager leads

  • Ushers and stewards
  • Box office staff
  • Bar and kiosk staff
  • Cloakroom staff
  • Access and welcome staff
  • Volunteers, at some venues

Frequently asked questions

What does "clearance" mean in front of house?

Permission from the stage manager that the stage is ready and the house can open. At the start of the show, front of house also gives clearance back to the stage once the audience is seated.

Is a front of house manager the same as a duty manager?

Sometimes. In smaller venues one person does both. In larger venues the duty manager is responsible for the whole building, and the front of house manager leads the audience-facing team.

What skills does the role need?

Calm leadership, customer service, safety knowledge and good communication with the stage team. Many front of house managers start as ushers or box office staff and work their way up.

Related terms