A problem I've run into (unfortunately) dealt with a black box presentation where the seats are moveable chairs in a small thrust space.  The configuration was set to prevent spillover light from going right into the audience members' eyes.  However, the house manager one evening decided she could get several more tickets sold by pushing more chairs into those spaces.  The director (me) finally had to tell her if any more tickets were sold (or chairs pushed), the show would not go on. As I had worried, several of the patrons in said sections had to use their programs as visors to watch the show.

Adapting that to your theme, I could just imagine the frenzy a box office would have with a battle between director and stage manager who continually add and subtract the number of seats to be sold.

When I did summer stock the guy who ran the company was so cheep that we had to erase the names and such from the ticket enveolpes so they could be reused. the aprentices has to do this backstage during shows! this was the same guy who would have them wash out the  paper cups the cast used backstage for water and coffee. Gross, we ended up buying our own.

One more story from that summer: While I was SM for Phantom I also had to work boxoffice and house manage. the theatre was a converted old barn with canvas walls. anywhy we had a killer storm and lighting hit the building just as Christine starts to sing the Bistro number. not only did the cd skip and the actress jump right out of her wig, but we lost power to almost all of the building the lights and sound on stage were working but the rest of the power was out I had to have the spot op run the rest of act one while I went and fornd lanterns and flashlights to get the 600 blue hairs out of the theatre and through the 2 bathrooms. the producer (yeah the cheep one) sat in his office the whole night and did not help at all. Needless to say I never went back to that summer theatre.

I can make a few suggestions that involve dealing with those who patronize your theatre:
1)  The person who is outraged that he does not have HIS usual seats.

2)  The person who comes on the wrong night and announces grandly that they will sit anywhere, "backstage if you prefer."

3)  The man and woman who bring children to a show that has been clearly advertised as having adult themes and language and then tells you blithely that the theatre should not do a show that the whole family cannot watch together as they demand their money back.

4)  The happy-go-lucky drunks that show up for a performance of "Agnes of God", thinking its another "Nunsense."

5)  The people who bring food into the auditorium after intermission and munch on it while crackling the bag it came in for the first 20 minutes of the second act.

6)  The older couple who complains to you that your theatre never does good British farce anymore during the intermission of "Noises Off."

7)  The group of six whose spokesman puts you and your ticket person through holy hell for two weeks with their demands and then doesn't show for the night they demanded center section tickets (eight of them).

The story that always makes me shake my head is the day the two older people showed up to a sold out performance with their own folding chairs. The poor lady running the box office came to get me explaining, "They keep saying they live next door, and don't need a reservation."

Linda

Among helping CT's, I also work for a dinner theatre. When we first opened, a self proclaimed critic(who actually worked for a paper) wanted to attend opening night. He was GIVEN tickets for the second night, but came the first night "I thought they were for tonight". He got lucky that night, but didn't get in until 2 min. before curtain. Also, part the theatre's name is 'playhouse'. One of the first calls recieved was "what time do the girls go on". It gave our box office a good laugh!

I can tell you of two instances of box office debaucles.

!- a spring dinner theatre show- box office lady sold the same seats twice.  Did so by giving the first couple who bought their tickets the tickets for the fall show.  She then sold the spring show seats- the proper ones- to another couple.

2- a seasons tickets customer(another CT- not dinner theatre) called

to change his tickets to the following week as he couldn't make the original night he had tickets for.  Box office lady changed his tickets and sold his orignal night to another custommer.  Well, the first fellow who had changed his seats came on his original night as his plans had changed.  He didn't call box office.  He had his tickets as they had been mailed out.  So, he was seated. per his tickets.  The new customer who had been sold the tickets showed up and was very unhappy that he couldn't have the seats he was promised.  The ST customer wouldn't move.  Set a big domino effect into action as the show was sold out.  Ended having to start the show 10 minutes late becasue of the fuss the second ticket holder made.

She was just a local clown from South Florida. I had never heard of her before that day.