The concessions chairperson is designated to co-ordinate the box office.
Box
office:
The box office chair is responsible for soliciting SCP personnel to work the
box office during the winter show and also the summer season. Responsibilities
of the box office include taking general admission and season ticket
reservations, either in person or over the phone, tallying attendance figures by
category and for collecting money (general admission) for each ticket sold.
Winter
show:
Ticket sales are generally sold for two weeks prior to the show opening, and
also throughout the run of the show. Typically
the SCP phone is call forwarded to the home of the SCP volunteer, or
the volunteer can check messages from their home or the theatre.
Box office hours are 5:30 to 8:00 each evening. M ailed reservations are
also accepted. Tickets are mailed
or held according to the patron wishes and time restraints. The seating chart for each night is kept current and the
restaurant is notified each week of the total reservations processed (if it is a
dinner theatre production). Credit
card order are processed and checks and cash and given to the treasurer as often
as requested. The box office chair
also solicits volunteers to work the ticket table at each winter shower
performance.
Honoraria:
SCP
provides a $100.00 honoraria to the person(s) who handle the ticket reservations
and processing. If more than one
person helps, the honoraria is
divided up accordingly.
Summer
season:
The box office chair is responsible for soliciting volunteers to work the
box office for each of the summer shows. The
box office opens the Sunday before opening night and is open every night thru
the run of the show (14 nights). Box
office hours are 5:30 - 8:00 pm. During
the run of the first show only, box
office personnel are asked to stay through intermission as there are usually
some patrons wishing to purchase season ticket at that time.
For the balance of the season, box office personnel are free to leave
after locking up at 8:00.
Box
office duties/procedures:
The season ticket chair will provide a seating chart for each summer season performance
which will show all seats already sold through season ticket sales.
Box
office duties include taking ticket reservations either in person or over the
phone, keeping the seating chart updated, pulling ticket as sold, answering the SCP
phone during normal box office hours, and returning any phone message left
during off-hours.
The
treasurer will provide $200.00 in start up cash for each show.
All
tickets must be paid for or held with a credit card at the time of the ticket
order. Holding a ticket order with
a credit card means that if they do not pick up their tickets the night of the
performance and we cannot resell the tickets we have the right to charge their
account the cost of the tickets. Be sure this is clear to the caller. Tickets
will be held until 7:50 before each performance. If they are not picked up by
that time they can be resold. Cast members
may hold seats without a credit card, but they are asked to keep you informed of
any changes. We will want to resell
the seats if at all possible should there by cancellations.
There are no gratis seats provided to cast members.
Season
ticket hold reservations:
Those season ticket holders using the flex option will call when they have
decided which night they would like to come - please note their flex option
account number on their ticket order and mark the order paid.
Switch
tickets for a different night:
If at all possible have the patron return the original tickets. Return the tickets to the ticket box, pull the new tickets
and update the seating chart both
for those returned and the new seats.
Bank
deposits:
Make arrangements with the treasurer on how they would like the deposits
processed.
Credit
card orders:
Check with treasurer for procedures.
Nightly
reconciliation:
The ushers will turn in all ticket stubs as soon as all patrons are seated.
Double check with the actual audience count.
Count the total number of seats unsold.
Stubs + unsold should equal 164 seats. If they don’t the difference is
indicated as “no-shows”.
Nightly
closing:
Lock up all monies and tickets.
Revised November 1, 2002. L. Hunyard