Front of house
The public-facing area of a performance venue.
Front of house (FOH) refers to the parts of a performance venue that are open to the public, including the auditorium and foyers. In theatres and live music venues, it is the area where audience members are welcomed and served, as opposed to backstage or front stage areas. The front of house manager oversees guest reception, refreshments, and proper auditorium setup.
Quick Facts
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- restaurant
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- and retailing industries
- Back of house examples
- cooking
- dishwashing
- cleaning
- shipping and receiving
- maintenance and repairs
- accounting
Facts from the source article.
Live venues
Front of house, or FOH, has several meanings in live events, all centered on the audience side of the performance. For sound operators who are not handling monitor mixes, their usual spot is a small, roped-off area either within the audience or at its edge. This location gives them an unobstructed view and clear listening, letting them run the main speaker system, show control consoles, and other gear. In this sense, "front of house" can mean either the general public area or that specific mixing position. The FOH speakers are the main ones covering the crowd, and the FOH desk produces the main audio mix. In smaller venues, that same desk might also create foldback mixes for onstage monitors, but larger venues typically have a separate monitor desk placed off to the side of the stage. The person who designs and sets up the FOH sound system is the system engineer, a role often distinct from the mixing desk operator. On bigger tours, the operator is usually hired by the band; on smaller tours, they might be venue staff. The touring engineer is often helped by a house sound engineer employed by the venue, who knows the installed system. In stage lighting, any fixtures on the audience side of the proscenium arch are called FOH. The lighting operator might also work from the audience area, but more often they are in a lighting booth. The term also covers staff who interact directly with patrons: house managers, ticket vendors, bartenders, merchandise sellers, ushers, and museum attendants. In any theater, the front of house manages all facilities and the audience during a performance or event. This team is overseen by a house manager, who supervises personnel including the assistant house manager, ticket attendants, ushers, concessions and merchandise employees, and security. The front of house also enforces rules for both staff and audience, such as no smoking, drinking, or eating, and requiring that cell phones, cameras, and other electronic devices be turned off.
Personnel
The person in charge of the front of house, often called the house manager, handles both the audience and the physical theater space. Their duties can shift depending on the venue. They coordinate with the technical director or stage manager to set the show’s schedule, including start times and intermission breaks. The house manager also oversees all staff working during performances or other events in the theater. Ushers, who may report to the house manager or a lead usher, control how the audience moves through the theater. They follow strict rules while managing the seating area. As for food and drinks, the venue’s concession stands sell only items the theater allows, and these are available before the show or during intermission.
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