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 a House Manager/Box Office Associate at TimeLine Theatre, you will enjoy a part-time (10-20 hours/week during performance schedule), non-exempt, hourly schedule. You will be cross-trained in house management and box office operations. During shifts, you will be responsible for providing excellent customer service with great sensitivity towards inclusion, access, and safety to our patrons at in-person performances and readings. You must have evening and weekend availability. You will report to the Audience Services Manager and collaborate with many other departments (both production and administration).
Location Information
This position will operate in multiple locations during TimeLine’s 2025-2026 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
Box Office and Customer Service
- Maintain regular Box Office hours at our theatre to process phone, mail, internet, and walk-up ticket orders, including single ticket sales, subscription sales, reservations, and exchanges
- Act as the primary communicator between the organization and patrons by responding to incoming calls, voicemails, and emails
- Maintain a working knowledge of our ticketing system, single ticket and subscription pricing structures, and discounts
- Listen actively to patron issues and/or concerns to resolve them in a friendly and efficient manner
- Establish a working knowledge of ADA guidelines in support of TimeLine’s accessibility goals
Will Call Management and Front of House Operations
- Work with Front of House team and Stage Management team to coordinate the smooth operation of the house before, during, and after performances, readings, and special events
- Maintain the tidiness and accessibility of TimeLine-operated spaces
- Answer any patron questions about tickets/subscriptions during pre-show and intermissions
- Create and execute an accessible seating plan that meets our patrons’ needs while prioritizing safety and comfort
- Prepare and distribute observant and detailed reports after performances, communicating any specific challenges and successes
- Ensure the safety of patrons and staff through a strong, working knowledge of TimeLine’s emergency procedures
- Helps maintain the cleanliness and accessibility of interior and exterior TimeLine public spaces, which may include mopping, shoveling/icing in the winter, etc.
Company Culture
- Be knowledgeable about the company, our mission, values, current productions, current season, and upcoming events
- Advance the strategic marketing goals of the theatre through thoughtful collaboration with the Audience Services and Marketing teams
- Establish a strong working knowledge of ADA guidelines in support of TimeLine’s Accessibility goal to welcome everyone
- Create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere through honest, clear communication with patrons, staff, and teammates
Compensation
- Part-time hourly position
- Starts at $16.85 per hour
- Paid sick time accrued
- 10-20 hours/week during our performance schedule
Qualifications/Skills
- Must be available to work evenings and weekends, in particular Wednesdays – Sundays, with occasional Tuesday performances
- Some prior experience performing high volume customer service-related work
- Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills
- Must be computer proficient, especially with a PC, Microsoft Office, and Google Drive
- Experiences working in a performing arts environment or with emergency situation management are appreciated, but not necessary
- First Aid, CPR certification, and cash management are plusses
- Experience with a ticketing system or customer relations management database (specifically PatronManager) is a plus
Personal Characteristics
- You have demonstrated the ability to thrive and manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, high energy, multicultural environment
- You have comfort acting as a leader and taking charge in different kinds of situations
- You enjoy working independently, assume responsibility, and take initiative using good judgment and strong attention to detail
- 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 all 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
**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 (she/her), Audience Services Manager, at HR@timelinetheatre.com with the subject line of your email, “Front of House 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 should not 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?
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 that value in a professional setting in the past? (If you do not have professional experience, feel free to tell us how you have used that value when you have worked with others on a large project.)
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