Front of house (abbreviated FOH) is a theatrical term, referring to the portion of the building that is open to the public. In theatre and live music venues, it typically refers to the auditorium and foyer, as opposed to the stage and backstage areas.

Live venues

Lighting and sound operators, excluding the monitor engineers, are normally positioned front of house. From this position they have a clear view of the performance, enabling the operation of show control consoles and other equipment. The front of house speakers are the main speakers that cover the audience and the front of house desk is the desk that generates the front of house mix. The front of house desk may also produce foldback (monitor) mixes for the monitor speakers onstage. The audio engineer that designs the front of house sound system is the system engineer and this role is often separate from the person who operates the desk.

The term also often refers to the very position of the main mixing desk.