Job Title: Front of House Representative

Location: Chicago, IL 

Terms: Part-Time / Contracted

Requirements: Ability to work evening and weekend hours per events scheduled

About

The Athenaeum Center was built in 1911 on the St. Alphonsus campus and is home to Chicago's oldest continuously-operating off-Loop theater. Our mission is to invite people into encounters with beauty and to revitalize the great Catholic tradition of the arts from our location in one of Chicago's most unique religious, artistic, and civic buildings. At the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, we believe that beauty has the capacity to build up culture, transform society, and change lives. We hope to help you contemplate, encounter, and delight in beauty.

Position Overview

Front of House Representatives are the first and last people our guests meet, and they shape how every patron experiences their time at the Athenaeum. On a typical show night, our team welcomes and seats up to 950 guests in an hour, then manages intermission and the post-show exit. This role is for someone who does well in a busy, high-energy environment, stays warm and composed under pressure, and keeps track of the details when things get hectic.

Our approach to hospitality comes from our mission. We aim to welcome every person who walks through our doors as the unique and unrepeatable human being that they are. Show nights are routine for us, so we can forget that many of our guests have saved for and looked forward to this evening for weeks or months. Our goal is to make it unforgettable for them, and you are at the forefront of this.

This is a seasonal, part-time contract position running from mid-October through December, at 15 to 30 hours per week, mostly evenings and weekends. This role reports to the House Manager. Pay starts at $17.05 per hour. Strong team members may be invited to continue beyond the season. Hours are limited during our quieter winter months.

Key Responsibilities

Guest experience and seating

• Learn the building layout, seating charts, and each night's event schedule, including simultaneous events across the Historic Main Stage, Paradiso, and Black Box Studios, so you can direct guests with confidence.
• Greet every guest warmly and keep a welcoming, upbeat presence from doors open to the final exit, however busy the night gets.
• Help move large audiences efficiently by scanning tickets, directing guests, and seating patrons quickly and accurately.
• Respond to seating issues and guest concerns calmly and courteously, handling what you can and bringing the rest to the House Manager promptly.
• Help guests who need accessibility accommodations get to and from their seats comfortably.
• Support house policies, such as late seating, graciously and consistently.

Show-night operations

• Share show details with guests accurately: curtain time, intermission, run time, bar and concessions, restrooms, and parking.
• Help with intermission and post-show traffic by opening house doors, sharing timing with guests, and guiding an orderly exit.
• Serve in your assigned position each night (Greeter, Usher, or Floor Captain) under the direction of the House Manager.
• Know emergency exits and procedures, and follow the House Manager's lead in an emergency.
• Let the House Manager know about incidents, guest issues, and lost items.
• Be ready to help a guest or teammate at a moment's notice, then return to your original task and finish it.

Facility care

• Help keep the lobby and restrooms clean and welcoming during performances, including tidying, restocking, and spot mopping as needed
• Empty trash and help reset the house after each performance.

Qualifications

• Available evenings and weekends from mid-October through December, including holiday performances
• Customer-facing experience in a fast-paced setting such as theatre, hospitality, restaurants, events, or retail
• Theatre, ushering, or live event experience strongly preferred
• Reliable and punctual, with a commitment to every scheduled shift
• Able to stand and walk for extended periods, move comfortably through a historic building with stairs and low house lighting, and do light cleaning tasks, including lifting trash bags and mopping
• Comfortable using handheld ticket-scanning devices
• Able to follow our dress code: polished, modest business attire, with black on the bottom and a white or black top, plus comfortable, professional black shoes. Some events call for more formal attire, such as a suit or equivalent.

Skills and Abilities

• Outgoing presence: You're comfortable approaching strangers, starting conversations, and staying warm and energetic through a long, busy shift.
• Comfort with a fast pace: You work well when things move quickly, like seating hundreds of guests in under an hour, and you stay accurate and clear with guests and teammates under time pressure.
• Steady composure: You stay calm, gracious, and pleasant with frustrated guests every time, without taking it personally.
• Focus and follow-through: You stay on task in a crowded, noisy environment and don't lose track of details when you're interrupted.
• Sound judgment: You know what you can handle yourself and when to escalate, and you act quickly either way.
• Team mindset: You take direction well and step in to help colleagues without being asked.
• A heart for hospitality: You find real joy in making someone's evening special, including the small, unglamorous tasks.