Front of House

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For the magazine for live audio professionals, see Front of House Magazine.

Front of House (abbreviated FOH) is a theatrical term, referring to the portion of the building that is open to the public. In theatre and live music venues, it typically refers to the auditorium and foyer, as opposed to the stage and backstage areas. The term has also come into use in the food service industry, referring to the area where the general public eat. The kitchen is referred to as "back of house".

[edit] Live venues

Lighting and sound operators, excluding the monitor engineers, are normally positioned Front of House. From this position they have a clear view of the performance, enabling the operation of show control consoles and other equipment. The FOH speakers are the main speakers that cover the audience and the FOH desk is the desk that generates the FOH mix. The FOH desk may also produce foldback (monitor) mixes for the monitor speakers onstage. The audio engineer that designs the FOH sound system is the system engineer and this role is often separate from the person who operates the desk.

In stage lighting, any lighting fixtures that are on the audience side of the proscenium arch are referred to as being FOH.

This term can also refer to the individuals whose primary work is dealing with patrons, including house managers, ticket vendors, bartenders, merchandise vendors, and ushers.