Where is the House Manager? (literally)

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 6:02pm

In yet another thread about horrible audience behavior, the predictable "report it to the house manager" came up.

If I were to do so, how would I recognize him and where would I find him or her. I assume I would ask an usher, but is there some way I would be able to recognize him without involving an usher? (Thinking that, at intermission, it can take a while simply to get up the aisle and ushers may already be occupied with someone else in the limited time available)

[loliveve]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 6:16pm

I think frequently the house manager is dressed in a suit and has a name tag on.  At several theatres, I have noticed the house manager in the lobby greeting patrons as they enter (not as one of the ticket scanners but to the side or in the back of the house).  You could always find out who the house manager is before the show, so if an issue arises then you know for whom you should be looking.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 6:37pm

MarkBearSF said: "In yet another thread about horrible audience behavior, the predictable "report it to the house manager" came up.

If I were to do so, how would I recognize him and where would I find him or her. I assume I would ask an usher, but is there some way I would be able to recognize him without involving an usher? (Thinking that, at intermission, it can take a while simply to get up the aisle and ushers may already be occupied with someone else in the limited time available)"

 

Is there a reason you cannot simply ask an usher? If you can't visibly locate the house manager, you will need to ask a staff member anyway, and they certainly will not be sending you to look for him/her. And to be perfectly honest, unless the situation is pretty egregious (i.e., violence or threats of violence), the house manager will most likely direct an usher (or chief usher) to address the problem.  

That said, most problems aren't addressed because no one complains until after-the-fact. The ushers aren't generally going to hear people who are talking or being obnoxious unless they are really loud. Even after a staff member (be it an usher, house manager or security) addresses the problem, if it persists they aren't going to necessarily know until someone speaks-up. They simply cannot catch everything that happens in the house. 

 

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 7:43pm

yes, I would ask an usher. However, as I mentioned, it can often take a while to get to the rear fo the house and the lobby, and often ushers are busy. Waiting for them, asking them, then time for them to find the HM, and then, hopefully addressing the problem can all take time during a 15 minute intermission. If I was able to look myself, before enlisting help, it would take time. 

Knowing that they wear a name badge is helpful information. 

Just looking for pointers so I can keep an eye out, should the occasion arise. (Luckily the only time I've encountered anything like this thus far, was when an audience member across the aisle from me started singing along (somewhat quietly) to the King & I. I was able to catch her companion's glance and I put my finger to my lips - and she quieted her friend.)

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 7:54pm

It's not a bad idea to get a look at the house manager before the show to know who you're looking for. They often move around. Sometimes the ushers don't even know where the house manager is.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 11:05pm

In theaters where I've worked (including subbing for house managers on vacation), the house manager is in the lobby before and after the show and during intermissions, but spends the performance time in his/her office somewhere upstairs. Ushers are expected to take care of problems and call the house manager only if s/he is needed. So, yeah, start with an usher.

 

It used to be that each usher had a station, giving him/her responsibility for a certain portion of the house. The ushers didn't all disappear to deal with a problem except in an extreme emergency (we had a bomb scare once), in which case you'd best leave them alone anyway. (Ushers also used to take people to their seats where now their function seems merely to read the seat number aloud, so I imagine the number of ushers per house has been cut dramatically.)

 

And as I pointed out in the other thread, some of us are large enough (6'3" that getting to an aisle in a dark house means creating quite a disturbance, so "telling an usher or a house manager" isn't always a practical solution.

[bunnie3]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 11:26pm

As a p/t Bway usher for 40 yrs, 1 usher per floor, an usher director, and the chief usher are always on the floor to address whatever small or gigantic problems occur, before and during a show.  Usually during the walk in, you can ask who the chief usher and mgrs are.  The chief usher handles most problems that cannot be resolved for whatever reason a regular usher can t.  Some patrons are polite, patient and understanding, others are not, just like in regular life.  The house mgr is always on the floor during the walk in, intermission and finale.  They have an office in the theatres where they do paperwork during the show.  If a chief usher is unable to handle a particular issue, they will most likely contact the mgr, or SECURITY, who are also on the premises during the show.  You must realize that many people in today s culture are very rude during the show, and the house staff and Mgr can only do SO much while a show is going on w/o making  a "situation" even more noisy and distracting than it already is.  It s a delicate balancing act.  Of course, dealing with front orch problems r more difficult than mezzanine or balcony.  As some hav e stated on this thread, if you can quietly wriggle out of your seat and quietly address the problem to the usher on the floor, and stand quietly  and patiently at the back, a chief usher or mgr will try the best they can to remedy the problem.  Of course, realize we 're talking about all kinds of personalities.  My ex perience tells me from what I 've read here, that a problem should be addressed by a patron w/o anger, but with patience and haste running  up the aisle for an usher, etc..  Don t let obnoxious and rude fellow theatregoers ruin your evening.  Luv, tiny.

 

 

Updated On: 1/15/16 at 11:26 PM

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 11:40pm

Thanks, tiny.

[bunnie3]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 11:46pm

I 've seen it ALL!  Death (literally), destruction, fistfights, handcuffs, and, most of all,  vomiting!  (Dear tourists, eat AFTER the show).

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 1/15/16 at 11:48pm

I worked at a theater in Miami Beach. Death in the audience wasn't even a surprise... The surprise was that most patrons got to the theater in the first place.

[MarkBearSF]

Posted: 1/16/16 at 12:19am

Thanks Tiny.  As someone who is 6'2" himself, I appreciate the difficulty during a performance. In most scenarios, in which I might require the House Manager, it would typically be at intermission. I recall at the Hirshfield a couple of years ago, we sat behind a couple of millennials taking photos during the first act, found an usher nearby, and he took care of it.

Mostly, as I learn more about the workings of theater and the people involved, I appreciate each additional bit of knowledge and experience. I hope I won't need to find the House Manager to resolve a problem, but more likely, after a great evening in a well-run house, I can see myself quietly saying "Thank You" if I pass him in the lobby.

Updated On: 1/16/16 at 12:19 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/16/16 at 12:40am

I've only ever had to get the house manager once, and it was at Book of Mormon in Chicago (dealing with some talkers who were so drunk that people around them were afraid to do anything). At intermission, I alerted an usher and the house manager, both of whom couldn't have been friendlier and more professional. I'm not sure what they did, but the people left, moved, or were sternly and effectively talked to.