The performance never stops at MSU’s Wharton Center, and isn’t confined to the stage.

Every day is a new act for the house management staff, which ensures the show goes on in front of the curtain as well as behind.

Assistant House Manager Melissa Byers led the house troops during Wednesday’s performance of “Cabaret,” which plays at Wharton through Sunday as part of the center’s annual Broadway series.

“It’s really more of a team effort,” Byers said. “Nobody has one set job. We all work together to make sure things run smoothly.”

Byers alternates supervising performance nights with House Manager Nina Silbergleit and two student assistant managers.

“While we each have specified daily job descriptions, we do a lot of the same things - even the two students. There’s not that much hierarchy,” Silbergleit said.

It’s the duty of each night’s leader to coordinate with the ushers, concessions and gift shop to ensure patrons are satisfied and the foot traffic in and out of the hall flows smoothly.

“There’s a lot of responsibility,” Byers said. “Not only are you representing yourself and Wharton, but you also are representing MSU and the company renting the stage.”

On Wednesday, Byers punched in at about 12:45 p.m., just prior to a 1 p.m. stage rental meeting about an upcoming performance by the MSU-based musical ensemble “Acafellas.”

Normally Byers would arrive at work around 3 p.m. before she supervises a night performance.

“There’s no nine-to-five Monday-through-Friday routine here,” she said. “If I have to do a night show, I come in later unless other things are scheduled too, because I have to be here late. If I do a weekend show, I’m here on the weekend. Each day and week is different.”

The Wharton team also provides house management for the Auditorium and Fairchild Theatre. Wharton’s house management employs more than 60 ushers and 10 concessions workers, all MSU students.

“There are a lot of employment opportunities for students here,” Byers said. “It’s a fun place to work. Many students stay their entire academic career here. We get a lot of brothers and sisters too.”

Byers began working as an usher when she was an anthropology freshman in 1994. She was hired into her professional position after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary humanities in 1999.

Her older brother and sister also worked at Wharton while at MSU, and the center now employs her younger sister - completing a family generation of Spartans and Wharton workers.

“It’s a family tradition of sorts,” Byers said.

After a 2 p.m. interview, Byers organized her usher phone lists and schedules.

“With the new semester started there are a few people who get changed around,” she said. “It’s a semesterly task.”

“There is a lot of busy work to do - organizational type of stuff and so on - that is constantly being interrupted by small tasks that take a minute or two.”

About 5 p.m., Byers was ready to start things in order for the evening’s 7:30 performance. She made a quick trip through the Great Hall to make sure nothing in the center’s auditorium was out of place.

Then, it’s a quick trip to the box office to see where seating has been sold for the evening’s show.

“I like to be able to let the ushers know where to watch for a lot of people to be coming in or let them know where the holes will be,” she said. “Just so they know what to expect.”

By 6:10 p.m., all the ushers have arrived to work and are stuffing programs with inserts about “tonight’s performers,” in the lobby. Byers takes the opportunity of having the group together to inform them about the performance company’s policies.

She reminds them that once the show begins, there is an eight-minute hold before late arrives can be shown into the auditorium - a rule set by “Cabaret.”

Byers also gives them a heads up about people possibly exiting the show early because of its risqué content.

“And remember - smile,” she laughs, before dismissing ushers to their posts inside and outside the auditorium doors.

After dismissal, she heads to the concessions stand to check if they need any more help before patrons begin arriving.

“She just comes to make sure we’re on the same page,” concessions supervisor Audrey George said. “There’s no real boss-type relationship. We watch out for each other.”

Finally, Byers enters the auditorium to wait for the stage manager’s OK to open the doors - it comes at about 7:05 p.m.

“It’s time to open up,” she said. “That’s right, shake out those jitters. Here we go.”

Once the house is opened and patrons are all seated, Byers can finally stop to take a break and sneeze after the curtain rises.

Everything’s going in motion and Byers wanders the house and lobby checking for things that are out of order and directs patrons to the proper auditorium doors for their seats.

Before intermission, she checks with the concessions stand and gift shop again to make sure they’re ready. With a simple OK, she can lay low and watch the crowd’s reaction to the first act as they fill the lobby.

“I like to hear what they think of it,” Byers said. “It’s interesting - all the different ways people see things.”

But Byers only has the chance to see a complete show once in a while.

“Normally, I just piece things together from what I get the chance to see each night I’m here,” she said.

“Even then, I am constantly preoccupied with wanting to help out. It’s like that when I go to other theaters too.”

After the intermission, the crowd returns to their seats and Byers gets a second break.

Once the show ends, she must make sure everyone has left and all the doors, concessions and gift shop revenue are secure. She normally gets home around midnight.

“It always changes every day,” she said. “Tomorrow will be similar - there’s always the same basic stuff to do - but never the same. And two weeks from now, like when ‘Swan Lake’ comes, things will be totally different.

“And that’s all right with m., I like variety - it keeps things interesting.”