Spotlight on Juanita Beck
Juanita Beck has been working at the Adelaide Festival Centre since she was 12 years old. She chats to MEAA about why she loves her job and why she’s a MEAA member.
What is your role at the Adelaide Festival Centre?
Since 1999 my role has been front of house (FOH) supervisor, prior to that various roles within front of house.
Take us through a full day for you at the Centre.
Depending on the current show or season, most of my work is based around evenings however we currently have a children’s production for the school holidays, where I’m required to be here during the day. At the start of a season I will liaise with the stage manager or company manager to discuss running times, latecomer lockout policies, photography policies and any other requirements the visiting company have for FOH. I will then brief my FOH team before each performance throughout the season to ensure we deliver the best experience for both the patrons and performing company. Every shift presents new and varied challenges to be dealt with and no two days or performances are the same. During my shift I’m responsible for getting the patrons into the auditorium before the scheduled start time and advising the stage manager when we are clear to start the show and again after interval. If we have any medical emergencies, that has to be managed with the minimum of disruption to other patrons and the performance. There are also show reports and charge sheets to be submitted for every show and if there have been any incidents, hazard reports and incident reports need to be submitted.
How did you get your start in the industry?
Popular belief is that I started working here at the age of 2, the truth is I started working here at the age of 12 for the season of “Winnie the Pooh”. I started by blowing up balloons with a helium tank for the merchandise shop. The following year we had “Jesus Christ Superstar” and I worked in the merchandise area. From then on I continued to work weekends and school holidays as an usherette, as we were titled back then, until I left high school and then continued to work for FOH whilst raising a family of three sons. My sons are now in their 20s and I have been here for 40 years and still love it!
What are some of your career highlights?
Having worked my way through all areas of FOH, I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many patrons and performers over my 40 years of service. Many of our regular patrons feel like friends and family after knowing them for so long and it’s always lovely to have performers remember me from their previous visits. Especially when some of them have gone to the trouble of asking about me on their return.
What would be your advice for people wanting to get into the industry?
Make sure you actually enjoy interacting with people as you will be challenged by a variety of people throughout your career in FOH. Over the years I’ve had several long time patrons mention how much they enjoy seeing a familiar face whenever they attend the Festival Centre. I now know what that feels like from the other side, as there are a group of beautiful, friendly, welcoming FOH staff at Wallis Cinemas at Mitcham, who give me the warmest welcome whenever I’m there. My motto has always been, “If you love what you do you’ll never really have to work a day in your life”. Considering I’ll probably be working for the rest of my life, I’m extremely grateful to have a job that I really do love!
Why is being a MEAA member important to you?
Because I was so young when I first started at the Adelaide Festival Centre it was comforting to know that I had a group of people advocating for my best interests at work. I have continued my membership throughout my employment as a form of support if required. I appreciate the hard work of MEAA as they work with the AFCT to ensure we are all treated fairly over many years.
Juanita Beck and Rob Mills at the Adelaide Festival Centre
