What Broadway’s Front-of-House Staffers Want Audiences to Know
Theatre’s frontline workers on what it’s like navigating the pandemic
While F. is proud of what she does, she admits, “Mask compliance isn’t fun. I have been called things like mask Nazi. I’m Jewish and I just stopped dead in my tracks the first time someone said that. We’ve all been called some name or cursed at. We’re just trying to keep everyone as safe as possible. It’s crazy times right now and we want everyone to see theatre. You can’t do this job unless you love theatre.”
Although ushers are supposed to get a COVID-19 compliance officer if they spot someone breaking the mask rules, sometimes L. will try handling it herself. “If I see somebody while I’m seating people I’ll say, ‘Excuse me: Can you please keep your mask up?’ Sometimes they’ll say, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realize,’ which is a little weird since we’ve been doing this for two years now!” L. says. “It’s gotten a lot better since the bar at my theatre closed. When it was still open, I once saw somebody with a Twizzler hanging out of his mouth just so he wouldn’t have to put his mask up! He claimed he was ‘actively eating.’ We’re not telling you to keep your mask on because we’re jerks. We’re trying to keep our show and the audience and ourselves safe.”
N., a veteran line expediter who helps audiences enter the theatre quickly, notes that all front-of-house staffers are tested for COVID-19 three times a week. Non-union employees like him do this on their own time without extra pay just to keep everyone, especially theatregoers, healthy. “I went almost two years without really working,” he says. “Now I have some people coming up to me, asking why the bar is closed or giving me a hard time about wearing masks. Even if you don’t believe masks work, it’s about respect. Other people are all wearing masks for your safety. You should wear one for our safety.”
Everyone interviewed said audiences are pushing back a lot less these days, presumably due to what we collectively went through with the spike in COVID-19 cases. And they noted many instances when a compliment or a little support from a theatregoer totally made their day.
“Once in a while someone will pull me aside and just thank me for what I’m doing,” says F., the COVID-19 compliance officer. “That definitely helps. Or someone will stick up for me. One night I told this guy if he didn’t keep his mask up, we were going to have to ask him to leave, and the guy behind him went, ‘Yeah, kick him out!’ He ended up complying. Small acts of kindness change your whole night. You could be having a really rough day and that one person who is nice really turns it around.”
F. also cautions that theatregoers shouldn’t try to be the mask police—”we don’t want you getting into a fight or getting hurt!” Instead, find a COVID-19 compliance officer (look for the “Mask Up” signs) and politely ask for assistance. Of course, F. takes her job so seriously, she continues to be on mask enforcement duty even when she’s off the clock. “I was at Company with my family a few weeks ago and this woman behind us literally had no mask and I said, ‘Hey, can you please put your mask on? There are like 17 shows closed tonight and I want to see this one!’ I said it loudly so everyone turned and stared. Her mask went right on.”
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