Visual taste

A Door to Beauty

Posted by Chandan Singh on 12-09-2026

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At 24, Freya Bennett felt uncertain about her future. After finishing a music degree, she was working as a nanny and living in a shared house she could barely afford.

A friend suggested applying for a front-of-house position at Arts Centre Melbourne, one of Australia’s largest performing arts venues. The job offered a chance to be surrounded by creativity again — and it ended up changing the way she viewed art, people and herself.

Finding a place among performances

Bennett was nervous before her final interview for the theatre role. Unable to prepare properly and unexpectedly faced with a maths test, she focused on the one thing she could control: her appearance. She spent more than she could afford on styling her hair and arrived in her best office clothes, hoping to make a strong impression.

Despite the unusual interview challenge, she got the position and began working as part of the front-of-house team at Arts Centre Melbourne.

Her first shift took place near the entrance of the State Theatre. It was chosen as a safe starting point where she could learn the job under supervision. During that first evening, she watched Madama Butterfly from a small fold-down seat and experienced opera in a completely new way.

Although she had never considered herself an opera fan, seeing the performers on stage inside the historic theatre left her amazed. The experience reminded her of discovering music with fresh eyes, like a child encountering something extraordinary for the first time.

A backstage view of culture

Over the years, Bennett moved between different theatres and became familiar with the hidden corridors beneath the venue’s famous spire. The job gave her opportunities to experience countless performances that she might never have seen otherwise.

She watched Summer of the Seventeenth Doll 17 times and enjoyed unforgettable concerts by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. During an Australian Ballet performance featuring Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel, she found herself emotionally overwhelmed when her assigned guests did not arrive and she watched the performance alone.

She also witnessed the unexpected energy of popular entertainment. A performance by boy band Human Nature brought audience members of all ages to their feet, creating one of the most memorable shows she experienced.

Being part of the usher community also brought unexpected encounters. After attending a performance, Bennett and her partner were able to meet comedian Bill Bailey thanks to a colleague who told them about a private meet-and-greet opportunity.

Watching people in all their emotions

The role was not only about helping audiences find their seats. It also gave Bennett a unique perspective on human behaviour.

She viewed theatre visitors with affection, almost like children she cared about from a distance. She witnessed moments of excitement, frustration, vulnerability and kindness.

She saw a young girl experiencing her first ballet performance, a man angrily throwing away an ice cream after being told food was not allowed inside the theatre, and a woman who politely accepted that she could not return to a performance after a serious coughing episode because of theatre rules.

For Bennett, these moments showed the full range of human experiences. Audiences arrived carrying their own stories — they were happy, nervous, emotional, imperfect and hopeful. Watching these interactions became one of the most meaningful parts of the job.

A workplace built on connection

Several years into the role, Bennett met Stef, another usher who would eventually become one of her closest friends. They met while working outside a musical performance and quickly began dancing together in the empty foyer, creating their own playful version of Chess.

Their friendship grew through shared experiences, including conversations about feminism and anxiety. Stef later became one of Bennett’s bridesmaids, and her children now call her “Aunty Steffy”.

Looking back, Bennett says she never felt more comfortable in a workplace. Despite the dark hallways and hidden areas of the theatre, the environment felt safe and welcoming. Many of her colleagues were artists who brought creativity and enthusiasm to the job while taking their responsibilities seriously.

The experience taught Bennett that art is not only about what happens on stage. It is also about the people who gather to experience it together. Working as an usher opened her heart to the beauty of human connection and gave her the rare opportunity to witness thousands of people being moved by the power of performance.