Website TimeLine Theatre Company
About TimeLine
TimeLine Theatre Company, recipient of the 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, is a Chicago not-for-profit theatre company with an annual budget of more than $2 million. Since its inception in 1997, the company has garnered more than 50 awards for artistic excellence and business management. TimeLine is on the verge of its next chapter with the establishment of a new home in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.
Over 28 seasons—25 of those in residence in our longtime home at 615 W. Wellington Avenue in Chicago’s Lakeview East neighborhood—we have produced 95 plays, including 15 world premieres and 43 Chicago premieres. Topics have ranged from LGBTQIA+ experiences (Boy, Falsettos) to issues of cultures intersecting and intertwining (A Walk in the Woods, Chimerica, The Lehman Trilogy) to Black life in America (Kill Move Paradise, Relentless, Boulevard of Bold Dreams), among many others. TimeLine’s rich production history demonstrates the company’s commitment to expanding the lens through which history is viewed and fully engaging with a multitude of perspectives to better serve and reflect our community and our collective histories.
After 25 years in residence at Wellington Avenue—and the 2024-25 season of itinerancy—TimeLine’s 2025-26 Season will culminate in the inaugural production in our new home at 5035 N Broadway in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood.
About the Position
If you are hired as the Front of House Lead at TimeLine Theatre, you will enjoy a part-time (20—29 hours/week), non-exempt, hourly schedule. While working all shows in our performance calendar (shows are usually Wednesday through Sunday—so evening and weekend availability is a must), you will be responsible for providing excellent customer service to our patrons while supporting 1-2 members of the Front of House and Box Office team. You will be cross-trained in House Management and Box Office positions. You will report to the Audience Services Manager.
Location Information
This position will operate in multiple locations during TimeLine’s 2025-26 season. TimeLine’s Box Office and administrative headquarters are currently at 5539 N. Broadway in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, close to the Berwyn Red Line CTA stop. TimeLine’s 3-play season includes Hundreds and Hundreds of Stars hosted by Lookingglass Theatre (Oct 8 – Nov 9, 2025); Eureka Day at Broadway In Chicago’s Broadway Playhouse (Jan 13 – Feb 22, 2026); and An Enemy of the People at TimeLine’s new home at 5035 N. Broadway (estimated May – June 2026).
Responsibilities/Duties
Customer Service
- At a typical performance, the Front of House Lead will be the Manager-on-Duty and work alongside members of the Front of House team (typically a Box Office Associate and a House Manager) to provide a consistent, friendly, and welcoming experience to all patrons
- Resolves high-level patron issues/complaints in the moment
- Works with Audience Services Manager to maintain, improve, and enhance accessibility efforts of the organization—with particular attention to ADA guidelines and implementation
- Listens to patron issues and/or concerns and resolve them in a friendly and efficient manner
- Collaborates with Audience Services Manager and Audience Services Assistant to create and execute unique experiences for groups and special events
Front of House Operations
- Coordinates the smooth operation of the house before, during, and after performances and special events
- With House Manager, orients and trains volunteer ushers, with an eye towards creating a consistently welcoming and inclusive environment
- Works with Audience Services Manager to train and support the part-time Front of House staff while implementing consistent Audience Services goals, values, standards, and mission
- Manages FOH inventory including: merchandise, concession, and supplies
Box Office Operations
- Maintains a detailed understanding of all Box Office policies and procedures (pricing structures, discounts, accessibility, database integrity, etc.), with an eye towards patron issue resolution
- Supports the smooth operation of Will Call and the Box Office before, during, and after performances and special events
- Establish strong working knowledge of TimeLine’s databases and develop, maintain, and use queries to pull lists for various administrative needs such as mailings, reporting and analysis
Safety
- Ensures the safety of patrons and staff through the enforcement of emergency procedures
- Maintains the cleanliness, accessibility, and safety of interior and exterior public spaces, which includes mopping, shoveling/icing sidewalks in the winter, etc.
- Works with Audience Services Manager to maintain, improve, and enhance security and emergency procedures for the organization
Company Culture
- With the Audience Services Manager, provide leadership to the Front of House team
- Create an inclusive atmosphere through honest, clear communication with patrons and staff
- Be knowledgeable about the company, our mission, values, current productions, current season, and upcoming events
- Works with Audience Services Manager and Director of Marketing and Communications to ensure consistency of TimeLine brand throughout all customer service interactions
Compensation
- Non-exempt, part-time hourly position
- $18.50 per hour
- Paid sick time accrued
- 20-29 hours/week during our performance schedule
Qualifications/Skills
- Must be available to work evenings and weekends, in particular Wednesdays – Sundays, with occasional Tuesday performances
- Prior experience performing high volume customer service-related work
- Prior experience in supervision and/or people management
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
- Experience with cash management
- Must be computer proficient, especially with a PC, Microsoft Office, and Google Drive
- Some experience with database use and management, preferably a ticketing or donations-based system. Specific experience with PatronManager is a plus.
- Experience working for a not-for-profit arts organization or in arts administration is a plus, but any customer service or teamwork experience is welcome!
Personal Characteristics
- You have demonstrated the ability to thrive and multi-task in a fast-paced, high energy, multicultural environment
- You enjoy assuming responsibility, and take initiative using good judgment and strong attention to detail
- You are a leader with a genuine desire to see your teammates achieve their potential and thrive
- You feel responsible for the environment around you and seek to improve it with every action
- You get energy from new perspectives
- You maintain a calm, professional demeanor in public-facing situations
- You can effectively identify and communicate issues or problems to your team
- You are punctual and have a strong track record of showing up
- You have a drive not just to complete your own projects and work, but also to participate in organization-wide collaboration. You are positive and forward-thinking.
**Employment Policy**
Apply for this position if you are interested in obtaining a foundation in arts management at an award-winning theatre while supporting the theatre’s goal of being one of the best customer experiences in Chicago theatre.
It is an essential practice of TimeLine Theatre Company to recruit, hire, train and promote individuals, based upon personal capabilities and qualifications and without regard to race, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or ancestry, marital status, citizenship, disability, military status, creed, or any other trait or characteristic protected by law. TimeLine Theatre Company is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse staff and an inclusive work environment. This policy of Equal Employment Opportunity applies to policies and procedures relating to all terms and conditions of employment at TimeLine Theatre.
**To Apply**
1. Please email, in one clearly-labeled document (PDF preferred), a resume and your answers to the short answer questions below. Your email should be to the attention of Kellyn Henthorn, Audience Services Manager, at HR@timelinetheatre.com with the subject line of your email, “Front of House Lead Position”
2. We will reach out to you whether or not you are called in for interviews. Please no phone calls. If you do have questions about your application, please email us at the above address.
3. Applications will be accepted through September 25, 2025.
**Short Answer Questions – REQUIRED**
In addition to submitting your resume, please take the time to answer the following questions. You do not have to write a cover letter for this application, so we ask that you put your efforts into answering these questions in complete, thoughtful sentences (no need to write more than 3-4 sentences per question). Thanks!
1. What is your customer service philosophy? How do you see yourself practicing it at TimeLine Theatre? (Please be specific and use examples if you can!)
2. Staff members at TimeLine Theatre Company share the core values of the organization. Please choose one value from the list below, and tell us how you have used it successfully as a leader of a project, team, or work experience?
ACCESSIBLE Advancing access in all its forms
ANTIRACIST Centering racial equity and inclusion as we build a just future
COLLABORATIVE Valuing teamwork and mutual respect as a creative force
COMPASSIONATE Nurturing wellness in a humane and caring culture
EXCEPTIONAL Pursuing excellence and innovation in everything we do
FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE Ensuring effective stewardship of our resources
INCLUSIVE Welcoming people of all identities
INTIMATE Creating a close connection between art and audience
3. How can this position and the skills you’ll learn at TimeLine contribute to your personal or professional goals?
4. How did you find out about this position?
To apply for this job email your details to hr@timelinetheatre.com