House Manager's lament.

Working as House Manager in a Theatre teaches you many things, things you rarely consider as an actor. As an actor it's easy to see your role as expanding the mind of your audience, reaching out through metaphors and language to engage and empower but we are also there to entertain, amuse and delight. As house Manager, I love to talk to the audience before they go into a show and find out what they are looking forward to or what they expect. It is then with trepidation that I engage with them after the show, have we given them what they needed? What they wanted? Will they come back? And ultimately, was the entry fee a valid price to pay for what they received? I feel that theatre (and our audiences) are changing. We need to change with them, we are a service provider and we should strive to provide the best service we can, from first contact with them until they have left the building. It doesn't stop with the curtain falling, it's all about their total experience. Good luck house managers, I hope your audiences have had fun.