Opportunities

Audience Experience Team | Guest Associate

Fine Arts Building, a historic landmarked building located at 410 S. Michigan Ave, home of the Studebaker Theater (a 600 seat proscenium), is seeking dynamic individuals to join our Front of House team. We are building a talent pool to support our company’s growth and ensure our company is representative of the communities we serve. We view our employees and co-workers as equals who deserve our respect. It is important that we create and foster an affirming space for our employees to be seen as their full selves.

The right candidates will provide exceptional guest service at all times as they offer the first impression of our theater. Candidates should have the ability to assess and react quickly to guest’s needs, have superior cash-handling skills, and a genuine passion for theater. This position will allow the right candidate the opportunity to work within multiple departments of theater management.

Requirements:

Reporting directly to the Guest Experience Manager while under the supervision of the General Manager, you will be cross trained in multiple front of house positions but primary areas of responsibility will vary depending on your scheduled shift. These duties include the following:

• Event setup and nightly FOH strike
• Assisting with will-call in the box office
• Ticket sales and exchanges
• Greeting guests
• Scanning tickets 
• Selling concessions and bar upkeep
• Selling event and building merchandise
• Availability for front-of-house quarterly meetings and trainings
• Other FOH duties as assigned

Schedule

We present live theater and performance. As a rental company, we are guided by the overall schedule that is provided by clients of the theater. Since FAB/Studebaker Theater does not have a dedicated memberbase and only infrequently produces its own events, our theater schedule depends heavily on the schedule of our renters. This means that Associate will be should provide the following required availability:

• Evenings and weekends

• Some holidays 

• Fine Arts Building Second Fridays community events (one a month)
• Open House Chicago, (annually, generally in October)

Shifts

• Shifts are offered on a monthly basis and associates are scheduled a month in advance. 
• Associate availability is requested by the 15th of every proceeding month.
• Associate shifts typically range between 3 to 5 hours and associates work, on average, between 4 to 6 shifts per week.  

Candidates with previous experience in Customer Service, Box Office, Audience Services, or Arts Administration are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Additional Requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent required 
• Age 21+ 
• BASSET Certified (or willing to become certified upon hiring)
• Ability to lift up-to 40lbs
• Ability to stand, walk, stoop, bend, serve food and drink for extended periods (at least 4 hours)
• Ability to climb stairs and multiple levels of the theater
• Candidates should possess the ability to work calmly and clearly in high-paced settings as a supportive member of team
• Flexibility and willingness to adapt to changing policies and procedures.
• Ability to attend all scheduled dates of training

Ideal Candidates

• Value accessibility, supporting public audiences who will express a range and variation of physical ability: wheelchairs, assistive listening devices, canes, walkers, blind, deaf, captions, ASL
• Will elevate anti-racist practices and assist our team in dismantling the systemic racism perpetuated within arts and culture
• Passionately brings an appreciation of inclusivity to their role, peers, and our theater audiences, while identifying barriers that prevent full, human participation
• Extend grace, patience, and compassion as required by the start-up environment. You are joining a brand new company that is still building and growing – you must be excited by that.

Wage and Status
This is a part-time position with an hourly rate of $17.50.

Benefits

Eligible employees may participate in Fine Arts Building’s insurance/benefits programs. Benefits include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401K. Part-time employees must meet minimum hours requirements to be eligible to participate. If eligibility requirements are met, further details will be provided.

Apply
Interested applicants should send a resume, cover letter and 3 professional references to jobs@fineartsbuilding.com.

All applicants should  format the subject line of the email as follows:

• Guest Associate: Your Name in the subject line of your email
  • Example: “Guest Associate: Jane Doe”

Please note that Fine Arts Building joins the coalition of Chicago theaters in implementing safety policies and guidelines for our staff and audience to protect against the spread of Covid-19. Full vaccination is required to be considered for employment.

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The Fine Arts Building was built in 1885, originally designed as the carriage assembly and showroom for the Studebaker Company. Situated on Michigan Avenue overlooking Grant Park, the building was immediately hailed as one of “Chicago’s architectural jewels.” In 1898, the building was repurposed to become the Fine Arts Building, Chicago’s first fine arts colony. From the beginning, the building attracted influential artists from all creative disciplines, becoming a cultural hub for some of the most acclaimed visionaries of their time – A home for art in all forms.

The Fine Arts Building acknowledges its place on the traditional unceded homelands of the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations. Many other tribes such as the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, and Fox also historically called this area home.

The Fine Arts Building strives to be an organization which embraces a commitment to Indigenous rights, racial justice, and cultural equity. As a home to some of Chicago’s most prominent artists, the Fine Arts Building strongly believes that art is for everyone and aims to be a driving force in showcasing art that is accessible to all. The Studebaker Theater, while not a producing organization, is committed to building, fostering, and maintaining an inclusive, accessible, affirming, diverse workplace that is an equitable and anti-racist environment for artists to thrive. By honoring our past as a home for art in all forms, we carry that legacy into the future through articulating these core values. This vision of being an intersectional home to today’s artists shapes the organization’s decision-making and institutional policies.

Fine Arts Building is an equal opportunity employer where all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.