Front of House Style - Kath Lowe
Kath Lowe
Front of House Manager
Some Traverse people are pretty hard to pin down, because they're so darn busy on show nights (you know who you are, and no, you haven't escaped…). So this bit of blog finds Kath in the Traverse office as the clock hands creep towards midnight, and her job still not over for the day. The energy of these people… it's not right, you know.
Your job in a nutshell?
Basically, my job is to welcome the audience into the theatre, and to ensure their safety, with the help of our ushers. My main aim is for everyone who walks through the door of the Traverse to have an enjoyable experience while they're here, and also if anyone has any particular requirements, I'm here to offer assistance in any way that I can, really. So whether it's lift access, or asking where the toilets are, or how long the show is - I think the key is to be knowledgeable and helpful, and friendly, for everyone that's coming to see a show at the Traverse.
When there's a show on, how does the evening start for you?
I do a walk-round of the building - I walk round all the fire exits, and make sure all the exits are clear and safe, if a fire alarm were to go off, that all the doors open and all the routes are clear. Then I prepare for my ushers arriving. They arrive about 45 minutes before a show. We have a bit of a chat, go through the fire procedure, and also discuss the show - so a little bit about what the show's about, any things we need to keep in mind, like whether we allow latecomers into the performance, and make sure everyone's clear on what they're doing, and what positions they're on for the evening.
What about the usher team?
We've got about 14 ushers at the moment. They're quite steadfast, really - quite a lot of them are the original team who were here when I joined about a year ago - we've got a core section of ushers that have been here for a while. They're mostly drama students, or they have part-time jobs, a couple of artists in there… so they've all got a vested interest in the arts and the theatre, even though not all of them are wanting to do that. As regards recruitment, I receive lots and lots of CVs, by email, so it's a case of when we need a few more, have a few interviews and see who's personable and seems to fit the bill.
How did you get into this line of work?
It was quite funny - about 7 or 8 years ago I graduated, and went round to the Lyceum to pick up my graduation gown from one of the rooms in there, cos I was about to graduate in the Usher Hall, and I saw an advert for a job in the Lyceum ,working behind the bar. And I thought yeah! Theatre! I'm quite interested in that. And I ended up working in the bar in the Lyceum, and went on to doing a bit of ushering as well, and became a bit of a jack of all trades, really. Did a bit of box office work, covered stage door, and then got the opportunity to work as a DM (duty manager) within the Lyceum. So I was part-time duty manager there, and I remember always looking out into the foyer years before and thinking: I'd like to do that job, it looks like fun - because I enjoy communicating with the public, I like building a relationship with the audience. And I'm also a bit of a control freak! I like to know things are running well, and to do my very best to make sure everything is as it should be. So I then started working at the Traverse as well as the Lyceum - I had two part-time jobs - and then, last October, I got the job here as front of house manager.
Hairiest moment on the job?
That has to come under the heading of 'The Festival'! There was one time when a show was running a bit late, due to a few technical difficultites, and it turned out I had to get two shows in at the same time. You can't split yourself in half, but you do your very best. It usually involves running a lot down back corridors and then as soon as you're in a public area, walking and looking like you haven't been running - just going back and forth and looking all calm and composed, when you're thinking 'how am I going to do this?' But you just do!
Most enjoyable aspects?
I like communicating with people. I have a great love of the theatre, but I have absolutely no desire to be on the artistic side of it, cos I'd find that far too scary. The bit that I enjoy the most is making sure that everyone else is having a good time while they're here, and telling them about the show. It's just being friendly and personable. The thing that I like is there's regulars who come to the theatre - they come back again and recognise me and the ushers. It's kind of like an in-joke, like 'the Traverse family'. Going down the road of the Traverse starting out as a private club, we still like to have that kind of ethos, even now, for the variety of people that come here. They are very loyal. I just want people who come here for the first time to want to come back and see more things, because there's such a diversity of theatre.
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