The Royal Court is the home of the English Stage Company Limited (ESC) and is the UK s leading theatre dedicated to new writing.

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1 The Royal Court is the writers theatre. It is the leading force in World theatre for vigorously cultivating writers undiscovered, new and established. Through the writers we are at the forefront of creating restless, alert, provocative theatre about now. We seek stories from everywhere and create theatre for everyone and we see our audience as one of our chief collaborators. Applications are invited for the post of: FRONT OF HOUSE MANAGER Responsible to: Theatre Manager The Royal Court is the home of the English Stage Company Limited (ESC) and is the UK s leading theatre dedicated to new writing. Up to 16 plays a year are staged between two theatre spaces (the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs and the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs) at the Royal Court s home on Sloane Square. Over 100,000 people visit the Royal Court every year and over 100,000 more see our work elsewhere, including transfers to the West End and New York, National and International touring, online projects and London residencies in Tottenham and Pimlico. A significant amount of play development activity takes place year-round. This work aims to find and nurture the most talented new writers and develop the highest quality plays, for which the Royal Court is internationally renowned. There is an ongoing programme of writers attachments, readings, workshops and playwriting groups. The Royal Court Theatre also has two commercial subsidiaries, Royal Court Theatre Productions Ltd (RCTP), which facilitates the transfer of Royal Court productions to the West End and ESC Catering Limited set up to run the catering operation at the theatre. The Royal Court is the home of the English Stage Company Limited (ESC) and is the UK s leading theatre dedicated to new writing. The Royal Court is an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons, regardless of age, race, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief. MAIN PURPOSE The Front of House Manager supports the Theatre Manager in ensuring the smooth and efficient running of all front of house operations at the Royal Court, encompassing staff management, customer service, day-to-day management of the building, facilities, access & assisted performances, trading, events/hires and health & safety. The Front of House Manager is responsible for upholding and promoting the Royal Court s existing high standards of customer care which reflect the unique operational style and ethos of the venue, providing an exceptional, effective and welcoming service to all members of the public visiting the theatre.

2 The Front of House Manager will be required to act as a Duty House Manager during performances, events & hires, being responsible for the safe running of the building at this time and is solely responsible for the management of the Duty House Managers & Ushers. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES STAFF MANAGEMENT Responsibility for the recruitment, management, organisation, training and motivation of a team of casual ushers and Duty House Managers. Supporting the Theatre Manager in the day-to-day running of the building, in regards to facilities and office management, administration, security, health & safety, cleaners and maintenance. Working alongside the Caretaker to ensure the highest standards of presentation throughout the building. Carrying out daily building checks and regular audits, resolving and reporting issues to the Theatre Manager as required. Leading the development of customer care training/initiatives for all front of house teams including Bar & Kitchen, Box Office, Bookshop & Stage Door. Overseeing the organisation of rotas for the ushers, ensuring a full complement of staff is on duty at all times necessary, including performances, readings, events and external hires. Ensuring there is suitable provision for ushers holiday and sickness cover and be responsible for arranging this as necessary. Conducting regular appraisals and reviews for ushers Leading and participating in six monthly training sessions for the ushering team Supporting the Theatre Manager with the management of Stage Door and the organisation of external contracted staff, such as cleaners and security. Covering Stage Door breaks as required. DUTY MANAGEMENT Undertaking Duty Management of between 4 6 performances a week as standard, (subject to scheduling). Leading pre-show usher s briefing sessions, ensuring all frontline staff are well informed at all times and that all DHMs are abreast of all building and show related updates. Liaising with and assisting other frontline teams; Box Office, Stage Door, Bookshop and Bar & Kitchen. Liaising with Stage Management teams on each production to ensure the smooth running of the performances Ensure the entire building is checked for safety and cleanliness on a daily basis, carrying out daily checks and regular audits, resolving issues directly when possible or reporting them to the Theatre Manager or Caretaker as required.

3 Responsibility for ensuring that all front and back of house areas are clean, tidy and well presented at all times Supporting Security, Stage Door and Bar and Kitchen Supervisors on close down and lock up procedures at the end of the night. Preparing all Front of House documents on a nightly basis (eg signage, merchandise reconciliation, show reports etc) Preparing, monitoring and reconciling floats pre and post show Conducting daily pre-show fire drills with front of house and stage management teams. Responsibility for coordinating the safe evacuation of the building in an emergency, when on duty Dealing with customer complaints confidently, effectively and appropriately. Completing daily show reports for senior management at the end of each evening. Duty management of previews, Press Nights, accessible and education performances as required. Being fully conversant with the local licensing requirements and health and safety regulations, and ensure that they are adhered to at all times. ADMINISTRATION Supporting the Theatre Manager when needed, with show administration in advance of productions, and leading on specific shows as allocated. This may include attending production meetings, watching dress rehearsals, considering health & safety issues on shows and coordinating and leading on accessible performances when required. Attending regular staff and frontline meetings Attending seasonal company meetings. Supporting internal and external events in the building when on duty Assisting the Theatre Manager in scheduling building tours for members of the public and other interested parties and be part of the team that conducts these tours. Overseeing refresher training for tour guides. Taking responsibility for ensuring that the Staff photo board and other notice boards throughout the building are kept up to date. Responding promptly and appropriately to correspondence regarding customer service complaints and referring these to Senior Management when necessary. ACCESS As a key member of the company s access team, to contribute to the Royal Court s active and developing Disability Equality and Diversity policies through appropriate understanding of the needs of all visitors including deaf and disabled patrons and be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of these policies. Assisting the Theatre Manager in working with the Marketing & Press team in programming and running specific access awareness events at the theatre including tours, Disabled Awareness Day and advertising of assisted performances.

4 Overseeing and maintaining all front of house access equipment, including the Sennheiser headsets, and systems. Liaison with the Young Court team about school and youth groups or specifically scheduled education performances, readings and workshops, staffing those performances/events as appropriate and creating a welcoming environment for these groups. Working with Young Court team to update all education packs and information for groups Supporting the Theatre Manager with scheduling, booking and preparing assisted performances and liaising with external companies. TRADING & FINANCE Completing nightly wage sheets for the Front of House team. Responsibility for maintaining stock control, cashing up daily front of house sales, weekly banking and carrying out sales analysis as required. Carrying out income analysis of ice-creams sales when requested. Assisting the Theatre Manager with the generation of income through the hire of theatre spaces to other organisations and companies. Working alongside the Bar & Kitchen Manager & Supervisors to help plan internal events & ensure the provision of high level service and Front of House support at all times. Liaison with the Development team regarding fundraising events around performances if required. Working closely with the Bookshop Manager to ensure precise stock control of playtexts for the Duty House Managers & Ushers. HEALTH & SAFETY Responsibility for the health & safety of the ushers, preparing appropriate work-related risk assessments as necessary. Assisting the Theatre Manager with any health & safety issues around Royal Court productions, including adapting performance evacuation procedures, staff training in adapted procedures and reviewing risk assessments. Acting as a Daytime Fire Marshal in case of emergency during office hours. (training can be provided) Acting as a trained first aider for the building (training can be provided) Assisting the Theatre Manager in preparing risk assessments and ensuring that health & safety standards are maintained in all front of house areas, and are upheld by Stage Door, Bar & Kitchen staff, Stage Managers, Firemen and Cleaners. To be familiar with the fire alarm system (training for this will be provided) Promoting Health & Safety and fire prevention and evacuation policies throughout the building with all departments, reporting any concerns to the Theatre Manager. Adhering to Royal Court Theatre policies on health & safety, diversity and representation, harassment, bullying as laid out in the Staff Handbook.

5 To carry out any other duties required by the theatre in pursuance of the above objectives. PERSONAL SPECIFICATION Previous experience as a Duty Manager or Supervisor in a similar sized venue. Excellent communication and inter personal skills Good team player with some experience of supervising other members of staff Ability to think on your feet and work on your own initiative. Excellent customer care skills and a proactive and welcoming approach. Awareness of licensing and health and safety issues for performance venues. Ability to work calmly and effectively in stressful situations. Highly organised and efficient with good attention to detail Experience of cash handling and stock control Knowledge and experience of access & assisted performances would be desirable. Interest in theatre and new writing in particular. TERMS AND CONDITIONS Title of post Hours: Salary: Contract: Notice period: Holiday entitlement: Front of House Manager 40 hours per week on a shift basis over 5 days. Due to the nature of this role, some additional hours may be required. Shift time will vary but regular evening and week end work is an essential part of this role 25,000 per annum Permanent, subject to a six-month probationary period. 2 months. 20 days per year, increasing to 25 days per year after 2 years continuous service. Pension: The Royal Court Theatre (RCT) offers a contributory Group Personal Pension Scheme for all permanent employees and an Auto Enrolment Scheme. Employee contributions to the Group Personal Pension Scheme of between 2-5% will be matched by ESC. The contribution from the RCT is dependent on the employee making a contribution. If you choose to pay your pension via salary sacrifice or exchange this will have an effect on the level of some statutory leave payments. ESC has an auto enrolment pension scheme, through the People s Pension, which currently operates at a contribution level of 5%: 3% from the employee and 2% from the employer. Other Benefits: Complimentary tickets for preview performances, subject to availability and the Royal Court s staff ticket policy.

6 Interest free season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme, free life assurance, subsidised exercise classes, childcare voucher scheme Discount on meals and drinks in the Royal Courts bar and Kitchen. Discount on all purchases in the theatre s Bookshop, subject to discount policy. Application Procedures: Please note that only applications submitted on the Royal Court s standard Application Form can be considered, CVs are not accepted. Application Forms can be downloaded from: Once the Application and Equal Opportunities Forms are completed please return, by the closing date below, to: By post: recruitment@royalcourttheatre.com Recruitment, English Stage Company, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1 8AS Closing date for applications: 4pm Friday 7 th September 2018 Interviews to be held: 18 th and 19 th September 2018 The ESC is an equal opportunities employer. It aims to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, race, colour, nationality, disability, ethnic or national origins, class, marital status, civil status, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, age, or religious belief. Applications from Deaf and disabled people are welcome. The English Stage Company (no ) is a publicly funded registered charity