Front of House Stewards

Purpose of job
As a Front of House Steward, you’ll be the welcoming face of the theatre, ensuring that all Opera
Holland Park audiences have an exceptional experience from the moment they enter the venue. Your
primary responsibility is to provide outstanding customer service while maintaining a safe and
enjoyable environment, in addition to ushering, checking tickets, and helping with general customer
enquiries. The Front of House stewards are crucial in creating a positive atmosphere and ensuring
smooth operations during performances and events. Flexibility, excellent communication skills, and a
personable nature are essential for success in this position.

Areas of responsibility
– Setting out the auditorium correctly for each specific performance
– Welcoming guests to the theatre
– Checking tickets and showing customers to their seats
– Addressing customer enquiries
– Ensuring safety and comfort of the patrons whilst maintaining good order.
– Dealing with disturbances in a polite and firm manner
– Ensuring that the theatre site is maintained in a clean, tidy and safe condition
– Ensuring patrons comply with house rules and safe use of the venue

The duties and responsibilities outlined in this job profile are indicative of the role; however, they are
not exhaustive and may be subject to change. In addition, you will be required to undertake other
reasonable duties as directed by your manager.

Role expectations and accessibility
The role of the Front of House Steward is based at the Opera Holland Park theatre, which is in the
middle of Holland Park, and is mostly canopied. Front of House staff can expect to be exposed to the
elements for the duration of the festival season, from extreme heat, to the cold and wet.
The role will require a lot of standing, walking, and using the radio during each shift.
Access to the theatre site is step-free via both the East and West Gates. There is a short hill with a
steep gradient at the West Gate, so the East Gate is more appropriate for those using a self-propelled
wheelchair. All further information on theatre access can be found here.

Practicalities
Opera Holland Park will provide a uniform including a rainproof and windproof jacket for colder days.
It will be the FOH Steward’s individual responsibility to keep it clean, ironed and tidy. The company
will also provide umbrellas for rainy days. We will ask the FOH Steward to wear their own dark
trousers and sensible shoes. Each typical shift will include a 20–30 minute break. You will need to
provide your own drinks and food.

Person Specification
We are looking for Front of House stewards who are welcoming, personable, confident and reliable.
For this role, we are prioritising potential over experience: we want someone who is committed to
exceptional customer service and high-standards in everything they do. Successful applicants will be
team players who will represent Opera Holland Park and its values throughout the summer season.
If you’ve worked in a theatre or other customer facing environment, that’s fantastic, but what’s more
important is that you can show us that you are highly motivated, open to new ways of working and
ready to meet that challenge.

We are heading into a very exciting time for Opera Holland Park, and we need a welcoming Front of
House team with integrity and openness to support the company in delivering a successful 2026
season.

Essential criteria
– Customer-orientated approach
– Ability to work well within a small dedicated team
– To be thorough and pay attention to detail
– Patience and ability to remain calm, positive and professional when working under pressure
– Ability to be creative and resourceful in problem solving
– Excellent verbal communication skills
– Reliable with excellent time management skills
Desirable criteria
– First Aid/Emergency First Aid, Fire Marshal Training
– Experience in a demanding customer facing environment, either in the theatre or other
industries
– Knowledge of opera, ballet, theatre, and/or other art forms

How to apply
To apply for this role, please:
1. Download the Application Form here (also available in large print here)
2. Complete the anonymous Equal Opportunities Monitoring Survey here.
3. Complete the Application Form, and email it as an attachment (either in Word or PDF format)
to info@operahollandpark.com.Please make sure you demonstrate how your skills and
experience meet the person specification provided, particularly in the ‘Personal Statement’
section.
4. We also accept applications in video or audio format. If you would prefer to apply in this
way, please email a link to your video or audio file to the email address provided.
5. We also accept applications in a video or audio format. If you would prefer to apply in this
way, please email a link to your video or audio file to the address above. As a guideline, you
should aim for a recording of around 3–5 minutes to answer all questions on the Application
Form

The deadline for receipt of completed applications is 10am, Friday 20 March 2026. Any application
received after this date may not be included in the recruitment process.

We will be considering applications on a rolling basis. We therefore encourage early applications!
We will reply to all applicants with the outcome of their application within two weeks of the deadline.
If you would like feedback on your application, please reply to the email informing you of the
outcome of your application.

Equal Opportunities
Opera is for everyone. We commit to creating opera for all people, and working with all people to
create opera. We believe it is essential to nurture new and diverse talent, onstage and off. The more
diverse our workforce, the stronger our community and the better able we are to achieve these aims.
We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of a variety of ethnic backgrounds,
people with disabilities and people who identify as members of the LGBT+ community, as these
groups are currently under-represented at Opera Holland Park. We are taking positive action by
guaranteeing a first round interview to any candidate who self-identifies as having one or more of
these backgrounds and have experience in Front of House settings. If you regard yourself as someone
who meets these criteria, please state so clearly on the email you send your application on.

Access

We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible. As part of this, we
will:
– Provide detailed access information for all roles to the best of our knowledge at the time of
recruitment
– Provide our Recruitment Pack and Application Form in a variety of formats, including large
print
– Accept applications in written, video, and audio format
– Provide interview questions to all shortlisted candidates in advance
– Commit to offering interviews to all candidates who self-identify as disabled and meet the
essential criteria

Contact us
If you have any questions about this role or our recruitment process, or if you wish to discuss any
adjustments to make our recruitment process or workplace accessible to you, please don’t hesitate to
get in touch with info@operahollandpark.com

We will be very happy to hear from you.

Thank you for your interest in Opera Holland Park