Theater Security: A Comprehensive Guide for Technical Directors and Venue Managers
Security in the performing arts venue is a technical and operational responsibility that extends far beyond the work of contract security guards. Theater technicians, who know the building more intimately than almost any other category of staff, are a critical component of a comprehensive venue security program. Understanding the building, its vulnerabilities, and the protocols for various security scenarios is a professional obligation.
Knowing the Building
The foundation of venue security is comprehensive knowledge of the facility. Every technician should know:
- Every entrance and exit: not just the public exits, but every loading dock, emergency exit, mechanical access door, roof hatch, and utility entrance.
- Every locking system: which doors lock from which side, which doors are on automatic openers, which can be locked from remote control panels, which have push-bar (panic) hardware that can only be secured from outside.
- Utility shutoffs: the locations of electrical main disconnects, gas shutoffs, water mains, and fire alarm panel controls.
- Camera coverage: which areas are covered by security cameras and which are not. Dark spots in camera coverage are a security concern to report.
- Communication system locations: PA system panels, fire alarm pull stations, emergency phones, intercom stations.
- Areas not visible from normal staff positions: storage rooms, mechanical spaces, restrooms (the number of stalls), loading dock recesses.
Access Control
Access control is the systematic management of who may enter which areas of the building. A properly designed access control system limits backstage access to authorized personnel, restricts chemical and pyrotechnic storage areas to authorized personnel, controls access to electrical rooms and mechanical spaces, and logs entries and exits for sensitive areas.
Technical staff responsibilities in access control include: maintaining key accountability (knowing where every key is and who has it), challenging unfamiliar individuals in restricted areas, ensuring that doors that should be locked are locked, and reporting evidence of unauthorized access such as broken locks, propped emergency exits, or unfamiliar items in restricted areas.
Fire Door Compliance
Fire doors are life safety equipment. Under NFPA 101, fire doors in required fire barriers must be kept closed (or equipped with approved automatic closing devices) and must not be blocked, propped open, or altered in any way that affects their fire-rating. Propping a fire door open to allow easier load-in traffic is a fire code violation. The correct approach is to request a fire door drop cord or electromagnetic hold-open device from the building system, which releases on fire alarm activation.
NFPA 80 (Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives) requires that fire doors be inspected annually by a qualified person and that records of inspection be maintained. Technicians who notice a fire door that fails to close and latch fully must report it immediately for repair.
Chemical and Pyrotechnic Storage Security
Storage areas for flammable chemicals and pyrotechnic devices must be locked at all times when not in active use. Only authorized, trained personnel may have access. Access should be logged. The temptation to leave chemical storage rooms unlocked for operational convenience during production periods must be resisted, because unsecured chemical and pyrotechnic storage creates both safety and liability risks that cannot be justified by convenience.
Bomb Threat Procedures
Bomb threats are rare but must be taken seriously until the threat is resolved by law enforcement. When a bomb threat is received:
- Record all information about the call: exact words, voice characteristics, background sounds, call time, and the number the call came from if displayed.
- Do not hang up if the caller is still on the line.
- Call 911 immediately. Do not delay to consult with management.
- Evacuate the building by the nearest available exit. Do not use the PA system to announce that a bomb threat has been received: use general emergency evacuation language.
- Do not search for a device. This is law enforcement’s responsibility.
- Do not touch or move any suspicious package or item.
- Do not re-enter the building until cleared by law enforcement.
Active Threat Response
Active threat situations require an immediate decision: run, hide, or fight (the federal government’s ALERRT program uses a similar framework). In order of preference:
- Run: if there is a clear path to safety, evacuate immediately. Leave belongings behind. Warn others as you go. Call 911 when safe.
- Hide: if evacuation is not possible, get to a room that can be locked or barricaded, turn off lights, silence phones, and stay away from doors and windows until law enforcement arrives.
- Fight: as a last resort, if confronted directly, resist with whatever is available. This option is a last resort, not a first response.
Theater technicians should know in advance which rooms in the venue can be locked from inside, which doors can be barricaded effectively, and which exits are available from each area of the building. This knowledge is built by simply paying attention to the building during normal operations.
Crowd Control During Events
Performing arts venues are subject to maximum occupancy limits established by the certificate of occupancy, which is based on the means of egress capacity calculated per NFPA 101. Exceeding the posted occupancy limit is illegal and can result in revocation of the occupancy permit, in addition to creating dangerous conditions if an emergency evacuation is required.
Technical staff should know the posted occupancy limit, be familiar with conditions that indicate the limit is being approached (standing room only, crowded lobby, inability to move freely in the aisles), and know who to notify when the limit appears to be approaching.
Pre-Event Security Walk
Before every public performance, a systematic security walk should be completed by a designated person. The walk should cover:
- All exit doors: verify they open freely and are not locked from inside.
- All exit signs: verify illumination.
- Aisles and corridors: verify no obstructions.
- Restrooms: check for persons, evidence of weapons, or abandoned packages.
- All areas backstage and front-of-house: check for unauthorized persons or suspicious items.
- All secured rooms: verify locked.
Key Takeaways
- Knowing the building completely: every entrance, exit, utility shutoff, and security blind spot, is the foundation of venue security.
- Access control must be maintained consistently, not just during performances.
- Fire doors must never be propped open. NFPA 101 and NFPA 80 require that they close and latch.
- Bomb threat procedures require immediate evacuation and 911. Do not search for devices.
- Active threat response: run, hide, fight, in that order of preference.
- Occupancy limits are legal maximums, not suggestions.
References
National Fire Protection Association. (2024). NFPA 101: Life safety code. NFPA.
National Fire Protection Association. (2022). NFPA 80: Standard for fire doors and other opening protectives. NFPA.
National Fire Protection Association. (2021). NFPA 1: Fire code. NFPA.
Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT). (n.d.). Active attack response training. Texas State University. https://alerrt.org
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). (n.d.). Security guidance for performing arts venues. https://www.cisa.gov