Since I've been getting a ton of questions about it, here's how the box office/ticketing procedures are planned out for this year. If this FAQ doesn't cover everything, please let me know and I will add the appropriate information.
1. Please be on time for your shift. If you've signed up for box for the 8 PM show, please be at the theatre no later than 7:15 to set up, allow for traffic/parking/etc. The box office opens promptly 30 minutes before show time. I heart people who are on time
If you want to verify what you've signed up for, check the schedule at http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key= ... output=pdf2. Folks can buy tickets online at www.outofboundsimprov.com as well as at the door. Every night I will deliver the complete and final list of online ticket sales for all shows that night by 45 minutes before the first show starts.
3. There are two lines for tickets: Will Call (purchased online and all-festival passes) and the regular box. Will Call will be a table at the front of the coffeehouse, and will have as many boarding passes as online tickets plus passes sold. The Will Call table will be open until 10 minutes before showtime, at which time those boarding passes will revert to the main box. If someone who purchased tix online shows up after the Will Call table is closed, they can still pick up their tix at the main box if there are tickets left. If all tickets are gone, life is hard and they should have read the explicit instructions given them when they bought their tickets to be there more than 10 minutes in advance.
4. When the box office opens, the first ten performers/volunteers per show block who wish to use a free ticket are guaranteed a seat. These tickets are available via the Will Call line. After the first ten, performers/volunteers will need to wait until 10 minutes before the show in the regular line to use their free ticket. Make sure to have your performer badge punched if you're using a comp. If all seats are gone, life is hard and they should show up early the next night to be one of the first ten.
5. If someone has an all-show pass, they must still get a boarding pass. Their ticket will be waiting for them at the will-call table at the front of the theater until 10 minutes prior to showtime, after which they can get one at the main box. If they show up after all tickets are gone, life is hard and they should be happy that OoB made some extra $$ by selling another ticket.
6. You must have a boarding pass to sit in the theater. We have as many boarding passes as we have seats, so we need to make sure everyone who paid for a ticket gets a seat. If you hand over a boarding pass, there needs to be a tick mark on the box sheet or a name crossed off the reservation list - no exceptions, including for performers/volunteers using a free ticket.
7. There is a separate box sheet for every show block for easy tracking of sales. These are in labeled envelopes in the cash box. Please tally up how many of each type of ticket you distributed a boarding pass for (paid at door, online sale, performer/volunteer comp, festival pass) and mark it on the sheet. This will make my job much easier.
8. At the end of your shift, give the envelope with tally sheet, credit card receipts, online sales sheet and cash to me.
9. During your shift, enjoy the tasty fruit snacks I stashed in the box office for your eating pleasure.
10. You are all awesome and responsible people, but if you run into any unforeseen difficulties, please give me a call at 512-fore 66-ate 483 and let me know so I can get it taken care of.
FAQ:
Can someone buy tickets for the late and the early shows at the same time?
Yup. We have separate boarding passes for every time slot, so we can take their moneys for any show at the theatre that evening. Somebody wants to buy a ticket, but the show already started. What do I do? You sell them a ticket, but warn them first that they will not be allowed into the theater until the next changeover between troupes. Invite them to buy some delicious snacks and peruse the art while they wait. Some guy is pissed at me, and I don't know what to do. Help! Call me or flag down a festival producer and we'll work it out. Somebody says they bought an online ticket. What do I do? Check their ID against the printed list of online ticket sales. The name will be the person whose credit card was used. If they insist that they bought one and they're not on the list, flag me down. I'm out of change, and somebody needs to pay cash Flag me down or call me, I should have extra change in addition to the change provided at the beginning of your shift. If you can't find me, set aside their boarding passes and politely ask the person to wait a moment until somebody else buys a ticket with cash so you can use it for change. Why did you write such a long post? Every time I press a key on my keyboard, a fairy gets it wings.