Our Stories

Meet one of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center’s House Managers, Emily Bennett. Emily has been a part of the Center’s team for nearly 12 years, starting out as a floor supervisor before moving to her current position. You may recognize Emily from your visit as she is part of the team who works “the front of the house,” helping patrons enjoy their time at the Center.

Emily’s passion drew her to the Center, her first theater position. Continuing to stay busy in our community, Emily also works as a local high school science teacher and is a commissioned artist. “Since high school, I have loved musical theater and spend a lot of my free time learning about what is currently happening in that world,” Emily shared.

Not to be confused with a stage manager who is responsible for helping ensure a performance runs smoothly, a house manager focuses on what the public experiences before and after taking their seats inside the theater. Emily and other house managers who are working a performance will arrive four hours prior to showtime. “During that time, we are generating the paperwork required for the show,” Emily remarked. “There’s a lot of prep work, from assigning volunteers and floor supervisors to their positions to making sure all parts of the building are ready for patrons when the doors open.”

Emily navigates a variety of challenges in her role from ticketing complications to ensuring patrons safely/efficiently enter the building and find their seats. “The most challenging part of being a house manager is having to think quickly – it’s important to stay calm and to provide the best service possible,” Emily commented. Effective and good communication between teams is helpful when resolving situations easily and quickly. As Emily proudly said, “I’m proud of the relationships I’ve built with the other departments so that we can work together to ensure patron’s have the best experience possible from when they first enter to when they leave.”

One of Emily’s favorite parts of her position comes with sharing her love of theater, particularly Broadway, with others. “I keep a running list on my phone of my favorite shows,” she commented. “It doesn’t change that often anymore, but last April, I went to New York City and saw 10 shows in 6 days! During that trip, two shows broke into my top four.” Emily’s favorite show is (and always will be) Les Misérables, which coincidentally, just performed at the Center February 20-25 in its national Broadway touring production. “I LOVE talking Broadway, so feel free to approach me and strike up a conversation about shows,” Emily shared.

Interested in joining the Center’s cast? Visit foxcitiespac.com/careers for all current employment opportunities at your Fox Cities Performing Arts Center.

Written by Philomena Dorobek, Brand Storyteller
Fox Cities Performing Arts Center