How do you coordinate with the front of house and the box office staff in a dress rehearsal?

One of the critical things I believe should be checked first when using a theatre house, is making sure each theatre if more than one in a space is properly connected to the right box office ticket seating chart. Theatre's that have an outside company handling ticket sales won’t know if there was a glitch internally. This could either over sell a theatre or under sell one.

Creating good communication with both the front of house staff and security is a must. In case of an emergency both front of house staff and security should have some protocols in place to quickly communicate if need be. If there is a situation and the front of house staff needs assistance quickly they should have designated times for check-ins and be able to resolve any issues before anything gets out of hand. When performances are sold-out, there should be security close by to handle any disgruntle patrons and not have front of house handle that.

The term gofer was created because you need people who are able to go for this or go for that. When you have a stage manager and an assistant stage manager you will also need 1-2 additional people who are able to go to the box office/ front of house staff in case something specific is needed. For example if someone forgot to leave tickets at will call an assistant can bring them even if the production has started. It is always better to have additional well trained assistants when the distance between back stage and front of house might be far from the other.

I usually have my management people make sure that all of the elements are working at the level they are supposed to. To me, the most important element is good sound mixing. It's difficult to have great sound from every angle in the theater, so working with a great sound designer is very important, as making sure the levels are right is essential, and if they're not, it can destroy the show.

Gathering intel from staff, cast, and crew in the form of a survey will enable the team to make any corrections necessary. It’s important for security and front of house staff to do the same since they are dealing with the public the entire time. Feedback will enable the theatre to help make the experience more enjoyable if acted upon. Once things are uncovered or noted that may need to be upgraded or fixed addressing it quickly is an excellent way to handle build trust with the team.