What our house manager does during a pre-show emergency
When a phone call eight minutes before curtain changes the evening, the house manager becomes the calm point between a developing problem and an audience looking for direction. An actor feels ill, a set piece will not lock, a guardian cannot find a child, or a power fault stops a projector. At Figueres a Escena, the response starts by turning scattered information into a safe, clear plan.
The role extends beyond front-of-house duty. The house manager coordinates with the stage manager, technical teams, venue duty manager, production leadership, security and medical staff. They protect the guest experience by maintaining a clear chain of command and giving audience members honest information without alarming details. The manager may pause access, request an evacuation, change the running order or recommend cancellation, while the appropriate leaders make the final call.
Although Figueres is in Catalonia, these procedures resonate strongly with Australian theatre teams. Busy venues in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane combine transport crowds, quick changeovers and weather that can turn ordinary conditions into a safety issue. The principles also apply in regional towns, where touring teams often have fewer spare technicians. Clear authority, careful records and respectful communication make emergencies manageable in either setting.
Establishing control without creating panic
First, I secure the people and place involved. If someone is injured, first aid and clinical support take priority over the schedule. For a technical fault, I check whether the affected area can be isolated without creating another hazard. Staff form a small response group near the relevant stage, box office or auditorium entrance, leaving one named person to communicate with the house manager.
Then I establish what is known, what is still being checked and who owns each decision. A production problem belongs first to the stage or technical manager; a building evacuation belongs to the venue duty manager; a medical emergency may require ambulance staff. Consulting the right person prevents duplicated effort and protects artistic decisions from being made by the wrong role. If danger is immediate, work can stop while those checks continue.
I record the time, symptoms, actions taken and decisions made in a shared incident log. Once the immediate response is stable, public wording is checked against the facts. For programming changes, we use our press and venue updates to ensure the website, box office and media contacts carry the same current information. One source prevents an old curtain time from circulating after the start has moved.
Deciding whether to hold, modify or cancel
Not every incident requires the same response, so I compare the risk, duration and available workaround before recommending an action. A late train, faulty microphone or missing prop may need only a short hold. A gas leak, exposed electrical fault or serious injury requires the affected area to be cleared immediately. For an audience problem, I protect privacy while directing the person to the appropriate support point.
The response must also match the venue’s emergency plan and the authority held by each leader. During a live performance, the stage manager normally controls a show stop; the house manager coordinates the public and operational response; the producer or tour manager decides the commercial consequence. When an event is cancelled, the ticketing lead prepares refunds or exchanges, while venue and production leaders approve the release.
Whatever route is chosen, I brief the team in the same sequence and record who will speak to the audience. I also separate factual information from reassurance: people deserve a reason, an expected update interval and a clear next step. Vague phrases such as “technical difficulties” are unhelpful when staff can already describe a microphone reset or an inspection.
| Situation | Immediate decision | Audience wording | Operational follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| A technical issue has a safe workaround. | Announce a short hold and a review time. | We are resolving a technical issue and will update you shortly. | Assign the reset, test the workaround and protect the revised timing. |
| Safety is uncertain or a building risk exists. | Pause or clear the affected area. | For your safety, the performance is temporarily paused. | Consult the duty manager and emergency services, then record the decision. |
| A performer cannot continue or essential systems remain unavailable. | Cancel or reschedule after senior approval. | This performance cannot proceed, and your ticket options are available from the box office. | Notify ticketing, production, insurers and affected visitors. |
Keeping the audience informed and safe
If a decision affects the performance, audience communication should begin before people reach their seats where possible. Australian theatre audiences commonly keep digital tickets on their phones and expect practical updates by SMS, email or social media. In dense city centres, congestion, tram delays and sudden rain can affect arrival patterns, so announcements should distinguish a performance delay from a building or transport problem. Every message should name the next update time.
Safety decisions also follow the venue’s emergency plan and the work health and safety duties applying in that jurisdiction. Safe Work Australia provides model laws adopted through state and territory legislation, including New South Wales’ Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and Victoria’s Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. The house manager helps maintain clear exits, records risks and escalates reportable incidents. Consultation and incident reporting remain shared responsibilities rather than a solo judgement.
Australian cities are linguistically diverse, and an emergency announcement may need to reach visitors with different language needs. Plain English comes first, followed by key details in the most useful languages, with interpreters or bilingual staff supporting direct conversation. Our experience with multilingual performance planning shows why translation and accessible formats should be prepared in advance, not improvised while people are anxious.
Coordinating the people behind the show
Behind the curtain, the same emergency can involve the stage manager, actors, wardrobe, sound and lighting crews, front-of-house staff, security and volunteers. I assign named roles: one person remains with the performer or technician, another controls the audience side, and a third keeps a written record. For ATEB theatre classes, the plan also accounts for children, accompanying adults, collection permissions and a quiet space for anyone who becomes distressed.
For lean crews and volunteer-led Australian productions, clarity is a safety control. The volunteer production network offers a useful reminder that volunteers need a named host, a briefing, check-in arrangements and a clear route for escalation. Regional touring schedules magnify the pressure: a spare technician may be hundreds of kilometres away, local crews may share several roles, and a replacement part may not arrive before doors. Planning who is authorised to act prevents hesitation.
Restoring a safe, workable performance
Once immediate danger is controlled, I move from emergency mode to recovery. That means checking the room, confirming accessible routes, resetting or replacing affected equipment and deciding whether the performance can begin safely. Any revised running order is tested with the stage manager before the house opens again. Clear signage and a direct briefing prevent staff from repeating the incident or distributing conflicting advice.
After the audience is seated, I keep the incident log open until all immediate actions are closed. If there was injury, property damage or a prolonged delay, the venue may need records for an insurer, occupational health and safety process or emergency review. I include what was observed, not speculation, and distinguish the cause of the incident from the response to it. A concise debrief can prevent a repeat and improve the next production without turning the evening into blame.
Support live performance by booking a production at Teatre El Jardí or Sala La Cate, arriving 20 to 30 minutes early and following the house team’s instructions if plans change. A calm audience helps us make rapid, responsible decisions when a show faces pressure. If you work with an Australian touring team, share its tested emergency checklist with local colleagues before the next festival or regional run.
Choose a performance, arrive early and help us keep every room calm, welcoming and ready. For education and participation, explore what ATEB offers for children, young people and adults. By respecting the chain of command, following safety guidance and treating every visitor with dignity, we can turn an unexpected problem into a controlled response and protect the shared experience that brings people into the theatre.