HOUSE MANAGEMENT SYLLABUS

THA 1104
Fall 2016
Ashley Meyer, Instructor of Record/House Supervisor
Office Hours: T/TH 1:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Office Location: Student Media
Building, Basement-Room #6
Office Telephone: (806) 742-0079
Email: ashley.a.meyer@ttu.edu
Personal Telephone: (409) 617-1917
Assistant House Supervisor: Dora Bosnyak
Graduate Front Of House Staff: Michelle Benson and Lauren Carlton
TA/GPTI Supervisor: Dr. Linda Donahue

Email: linda.donahue@ttu.edu

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1104 Opportunity to participate extensively in theatre activities in the area of house
management.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Interact with audience members in a professional manner.
2. Demonstrate the importance of timely, appropriate and responsible performance of
front-of-house activities.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of the physical layout of the theatres.
METHODS OF ASSESSING THE EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE
COURSE:
Count of hours worked on promotions, number of performances worked; appropriate dress,
timely attendance, courtesy and professionalism toward patrons and staff.
PLEASE NOTE:
1. All practicum students are responsible for any and all information posted on the CALL
BOARD.
2. PRACTICUMS DO NOT RECEIVE A GRADE OF INCOMPLETE.
Not showing up for any assigned or signed-up task will result in a failing grade; for
example, not showing up to usher when you have signed up to do so results in an F.
Also, not completing your required ten (10) promotion hours beyond your house
management/ushering requirements gives you a failing grade; for example, completing
only 5 hours does not result in a B or Cit results in an F.
3. You are responsible for finding someone to replace you in case you are sick. Please make
sure your replacement notifies the House Supervisor and the House Manager that he/she
is replacing you before the shift.
4. Poster placement must be completed prior to show opening, preferably a week in
advance. This task is MANDATORY for 1104 students and is available for promotion
hours for 3104 students.

5. If you are late arriving for a show or late picking up your posters, your grade will be
dropped a letter grade.
REQUIREMENTS
TEN (10) PERFORMANCES: Each THA 1104 student MUST usher ten (10) performances.
You will be expected to stay until the house manager releases you after the entire performance
and post-show clean up. Ushers must arrive by 6:45 p.m. for an 8:00 p.m. show or 12:45 p.m.
for a 2:00 p.m. show.
You must sign in and out on the House Managers sign-in sheet. Leaving early without
permission will result in lost of ushering credit for that nights show, thus FAILING the course. If
you have an emergency, call the box office742-3603 or call Ashley Meyer at 409-617-1917.
Guidelines for dressing:
All clothing should be clean without wrinkles or holes and you should feel comfortably
professional in greeting the audience. Remember you are the first impression that an audience
receives in its visit to our theatre; we want the audience to return many times, partially from the
impression that you make in meeting them. You will be required to stand for long periods of time.
Please consider wearing comfortable shoes.
Appropriate dress for an ushering or house management shift is business casual/business
professional.
Men: Black dress slacks, white button down shirt, black dress shoes and black tie. Black
suits are also acceptable.
Women: Black skirt/slacks/dress, white blouse/sweater and dress shoes. Black suits are
also acceptable.
Only the House Managers are allowed to wear colors other than Black and White.
The following are UNACCEPTABLE and will result in being sent home:
Jeans or any sort of denim material
Provocative items (Low cut, strapless and/or extremely short dresses)
Tennis shoes, flip-flops, sandals (includes high heal sandals), and/or any strapless
shoes
Anything that is worn or has tears or holes
Failure to dress appropriately for a shift will result in being sent home to change and a letter
grade reduction in the course.
Guidelines for demeanor: A perfect segue from first impressions is how you act and how the
audience perceives you when you greet them. What are some things that you would expect when
you are being greeted for the first time in a new environment? We expect courtesy (above all) to
every person who walks in the door. Please do not chew gum or eat or drink anything at the
entryways to the theatre. Sometimes our patrons have had bad daysmaybe they were rushed
to get to the theatre; maybe they had a difficult time finding a place to park; maybe they are just

kind of grumpy to begin withwhatever the reason, you, as a member of the house staff, should
be able to offer them courtesy when you welcome them to our house, the Maedgen Theatre.
Being helpful is a requirement plus as well. Find out where the restrooms and the water
fountains are. Be familiar with the seating plan to help patrons to their seats. Does your patron
have special needs such as a wheelchair or a walker? Do you know where the emergency exits
are located? Who do you turn to when there is confusion about the tickets? Courtesy and
helpfulness are probably the most important attributes for an usher or house manager.
Remember, there is no need to confront an audience member over any issue. An usher can
always go to a house manager who can, in turn, go to a House Supervisor if there is a problem
that cannot be easily resolved.
TEN (10) HOURS OF PROMOTION: Each 1104 student is required to distribute one (1) set of
posters to an assigned location/area. By completing this task, you will receive one (1)
promotional hour. You may volunteer for additional poster distribution assignments to earn
additional promotional hours. You are also eligible to earn credit for additional ushering shifts,
mailings and other tasks the Audience Relations Specialist may need completed, posters, talkback sessions, serving as an alternate, raising the flags, opening night reception, and other jobs
that might arise.
NOTE:
You will be assigned a grade of A, B, C, D or F based upon your customer service, your
appropriate dress, your professional demeanor, your helpfulness to patrons and theatre staff,
and timely completion of duties.
POLICIES:
Withdrawal:
Students new to Texas Tech as incoming freshman can only drop 6 courses in their time at Tech,
irrespective of those dropped during regular add/drop. It is the students responsibility to go to
101 West Hall to withdraw from a course. The last day for a student to withdraw from a course is
October 31st.
Civility in the Classroom
Students are expected to assist in maintaining a classroom environment that is conducive to
learning. In order to assure that all students have an opportunity to gain from time spent in class,
students are prohibited from using cell phones or beepers, eating or drinking, making offensive
remarks, reading newspapers, sleeping, or engaging in any other form of distraction in the
classroom, unless otherwise approved by the instructor.
In the case of a violation of this policy, the instructor will talk with the student about the
inappropriate behavior immediately and will follow-up after class or with a scheduled meeting. In
the case of a second incident, the instructor will refer the student to the department chair who will
schedule a meeting with the student. At this meeting, or any subsequent meeting, the chairperson
will inform the student that repeated deviations from expected classroom behavior will result in
an immediate referral to the Office of the Dean of Students for disciplinary action in accordance
with the Code of Student Conduct at Texas Tech University.
Disability
Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the
course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary
arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services
during the instructors office hours. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide

classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability

Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability
Services office in 335 West Hall or (806) 742-2405.
Sexual Harassment:
This course will observe the university's guidelines for avoiding sexual harassment. However,
because theatre imitates human living, and because sexuality is part of life, some materials in this
course may deal with sexual behaviors, situations and language. Those who are easily offended
by such subject matter may want to reconsider taking this course.
Weapons policy:
Content Disclosure
Courses within the School of Theatre and Dance usually deal with works of dramatic literature,
both on the page and on the stage. Sometimes the situations, actions, and language of these works
can be off-putting or offensive to some students, who might be offended on the grounds of sexual
explicitness, violence or blasphemy. As the School is devoted to the principle of free expression,
artistic and otherwise, and it is not the Schools practice to censor these works on any of these
grounds, students who might feel unduly distressed or made uncomfortable by such expressions
should withdraw at the start of the term and seek another course.