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Theatre manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted experts

R. Scott Hengen,

R. Scott Hengen

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical theatre manager skills. We ranked the top skills for theatre managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 55.8% of theatre manager resumes contained pos as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a theatre manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 theatre manager skills for your resume and career

1. POS

POS is an abbreviation of "Point of Sale" which is the time and place where a customer completes a transaction. It can either be a physical shop that consists of POS terminals or a virtual shop. A POS system helps simplify the retail functions and track important sales data.

Here's how theatre managers use pos:

Managed and maintained on-site computer system and POS and inventory system.
Processed information/merchandise through computer system and POS register system.

2. Guest Service

Here's how theatre managers use guest service:

Directed successful operations by providing quality guest services, maintaining facilities, and serving properly prepared food through supervision of personnel.
Handle guest activities, complaints, and all other areas of guest service.

3. Safety Regulations

Here's how theatre managers use safety regulations:

Uphold District/County and State Safety Regulations.
Work closely with production and building management to ensure the safety of all patrons and adherence to fire and safety regulations.

4. Cinema

A cinema is a place where motion movies are shown to people for public entertainment. Cinemas not only offer relaxation and entertainment but also create awareness and education.

Here's how theatre managers use cinema:

Assisted in converting the cinema to digital in the fall of 2011.
Trained staff to use the cinema projector.

5. Human Resources

Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Here's how theatre managers use human resources:

Worked with all theatre departments (Concession, Box Office, Floor Operation and Human Resources Dept.)
Worked in partnership wit Human Resources to produce job descriptions and performance evaluations for all clinical and non-clinical hospital positions.

6. Loss Prevention

The steps taken by a business to prevent theft is called loss prevention. There are multiple methods for loss prevention for example usage of automated cash handling, secure physical location, product security staff buy-in, and attentive customer service.

Here's how theatre managers use loss prevention:

Developed business rhythms to drive sales, inventory control, loss prevention, and customer retention.
Designed and implemented loss prevention techniques with 95% success rate.

7. Inventory Control

Here's how theatre managers use inventory control:

Order, receive, and provide inventory controls for all items used in concession operations.
Advanced training with Risk Management, Profit and Loss, and Inventory Control techniques.

8. Theater Operations

Here's how theatre managers use theater operations:

Supervised theater operations and theater personnel.

9. Ticket Sales

Ticket sale is the selling of the rights to be a part of a sports event or show. The ticket sale grants each buyer access to the show or event and leaves everyone who isn't buying out of the show. It can also be referred to as the sums of money generated from the sale of tickets for an event or sports show. Over the years, laws have been enacted to prohibit the resale of tickets by unauthorized sellers.

Here's how theatre managers use ticket sales:

Completed all concessions and ticket sales reports on daily, weekly and monthly basis.
Tabulated and kept a record of all ticket sales and receipts daily.

10. Cash Control

Here's how theatre managers use cash control:

Handled deposits and cash controls.

11. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how theatre managers use oversight:

Provided business administrator oversight for human resource functions and accounts payable/receivable using Oracle, Business Works and Excel platforms.
Served as member of Senior Vice-President Information Technology Steering Committee for oversight of entire clinical electronic documentation project.

12. Bank Deposits

Any money that a customer chooses to leave with their bank account is a deposit. Deposits can vary in amounts and different banks have limits on the deposits their customers can have as a minimum. Banks charge customers for deposits especially when a teller is used by the customer to deposit money into their account.

Here's how theatre managers use bank deposits:

Performed daily/nightly cashcontrol/reconciliation (including making cashier register "banks" and change orders) as well as bank deposits.
Executed daily operations of inventory reports, nightly figure sheets, balancing the safe, bank deposits, handling cash drawers.

13. Press Releases

Here's how theatre managers use press releases:

Write press releases and public service spot announcements and create publicity needed for theatrical events.
Prepared executive communications including speeches and press releases.

14. Variances

Here's how theatre managers use variances:

Lead the stock and inventory crews to have low variances weekly.

15. Customer Complaints

Here's how theatre managers use customer complaints:

Handle escalated customer complaints upon customer or executive request utilizes escalations as a method to train and develop staff.
Resolved customer complaints by investigating problems, developing solutions, and taking recommendations to management.

What skills help Theatre Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on theatre manager resumes?

R. Scott Hengen

Technical Theatre Faculty/Production Coordinator, Montgomery College

Work experience in LORT theatre would be especially helpful and attractive to prospective employers. Even if the work is as an overhire, having those connections and contacts will prove helpful. With those experiences, basic theatre skills will become evident: knowing stage directions, building and handling materials in any or all of the technical shops, and knowing the employees' jobs in those shops and the production team in general.

What hard/technical skills are most important for theatre managers?

R. Scott Hengen

Technical Theatre Faculty/Production Coordinator, Montgomery College

Basic skills in more than one department are helpful. The more a technician can understand other areas that may overlap, the better the chance of more opportunities. This does not exclude the importance of focusing on one technical area, but the technician who understands how that one area, or several areas, influences each other, the better the technician will understand the collaborative nature of theatre.

What soft skills should all theatre managers possess?

Tom Alsip

Director of Musical Theatre, Assistant Professor, University of New Hampshire

I think the most important soft skills are problem-solving and organizational skills. With most theatre departments being understaffed, having someone who can take care of themselves and does not need assistance to do their job is key. We always want self-starters who can solve problems as they arise and have the organizational skills to oversee the vast array of projects, classes, and students they will have to advise.

What theatre manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Blake Hackler

Associate Professor and Head of Acting, Southern Methodist University

During a gap year, graduates would do well to focus on two areas: Building skills in their chosen field and building usable skills in an alternate "survival" field.
- Jobs in the TV and Film industry are already starting to return. Graduates in acting should focus on skills they might not be as practiced in; on-camera classes, voice-over training, commercial audition technique, etc. The pandemic has forced a kind of instant accessibility, and training opportunities with top professionals in every area of the performing arts are available from the comfort of one's own home. Of course, not everyone can afford classes right now. In this case, performers could use this time to focus on creating their materials. If you own an iPhone, you can make a movie. I don't know how to, but I know most of my students could figure it out with minimal effort!
- The pandemic has forever released performers of the idea that cultivating survival skills is an artistic cop-out. Instead, artists must be highly trained in their chosen field and be skilled in other workforce areas.
- Performing artists are keenly aware of the lasting effect Zoom, and other online platforms will have on the performing arts. Interest in and mastery of these technologies and the possibilities available on and through these platforms will be a necessity moving forward.

What type of skills will young theatre managers need?

Rashana Smith

Instructor of Theatreand Dance, Ohio Wesleyan University

Those graduating with degrees in dance will need to be as versatile as ever. Indoor theaters are mostly closed during the pandemic. Choreographers and directors shift their focus outside and to video to keep doing work and finding new ways to present movement material to people in different situations. The dance surfaces themselves are challenging norms. Instead of a sprung floor covered with Marley vinyl flooring, dancers may be dancing barefoot in the sand, swimming in the water, dancing in trees, or rolling on concrete - all potentially in front of a safely distanced small audience or through the lens of a camera. Site-specific and digital performances are not new concepts, but we are leaning on them heavily now.

Do you want to know more?

List of theatre manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a theatre manager resume and required skills for a theatre manager to have include:

POS
Guest Service
Safety Regulations
Cinema
Human Resources

Loss Prevention
Inventory Control
Theater Operations
Ticket Sales
Cash Control

Oversight
Bank Deposits
Press Releases
Variances
Customer Complaints

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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