House rules

Opening time main entrance
The entrance to the foyer of the theatre opens one hour prior to curtain-up.

Have your discount cards at hand
If you are making use of tickets to which a discount (CJP, Stadspas or Cultuurkaart) applies, you must show the appropriate discount card upon entry. If you are using a Fidelio discount, you are required to have an ID card showing your date of birth. If you cannot show a legitimate discount card, you may not take advantage of the discount.

Avoid disappointments: be punctual
Performances at Dutch National Opera & Ballet begin promptly at the designated time. It is therefore crucial that audience members are seated in the auditorium before curtain-up. Latecomers risk being denied permission to the auditorium..

Latecomers
Dutch National Opera & Ballet offers a latecomers’ cabin for visitors who arrive after curtain-up and are therefore unable to be admitted to the auditorium. There is room for a maximum of ten people. You can watch the first part of the performance from here, and the music is relayed through loudspeakers. If there is an interval, you may then take your seat in the auditorium. No rights may be derived from seats in the latecomers’ cabin. Latecomers can also watch and listen to the performance on the TV monitor in the foyer on the second balcony.

Cloakroom is free of charge and obligatory
Use of the cloakroom is free of charge for visitors. For security reasons, it is not permitted to take your coat, bag and luggage into the auditorium. We therefore request you to hand in your coat, bag and luggage to the cloakroom. Bags no larger than A4 size (30 cm x 21 cm x 10 cm) are permitted in the foyer and auditorium. Bags larger than A4 size are not permitted and must be handed in at the cloakroom.

In special cases where required for reasons of general security, Dutch National Opera & Ballet can request to look inside any luggage you have brought with you. If deemed necessary, specially trained staff may also request your cooperation in making a body search.

Photography and/or recordings prohibited
Taking photographs or making audiovisual recordings in the auditorium of Dutch National Opera & Ballet is strictly prohibited.

Smoke-free building
The Dutch National Opera & Ballet is a non-smoking building. Both in the theatre and within a 15-metre radius of the building, staff and guests are not allowed to smoke.

No food and drink from outside
Consumption of food and drink you have brought yourself is not permitted in Dutch National Opera & Ballet.

At Dutch National Ballet, the General Conditions for Visitors of the Association of Theater and Concert Hall Directors (Dutch: Vereniging van Schouwburg- en Concertgebouwdirecties, in short VSCD) apply. Download the PDF here (in Dutch): General Conditions for Visitors. This document outlines the rights and responsibilities of Dutch National Opera & Ballet and you, as a visitor to our theatre.

In addition, specific House Rules apply at Dutch National Opera & Ballet:

We at Dutch National Opera & Ballet make every effort to make visitors feel welcome. We provide a secure, varied, and inclusive atmosphere in which everyone treats each other equally, with respect and trust. We make no distinction in age, gender, skin colour, ethnicity, nationality, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, appearance, religion, political affiliation and belief.

We do not tolerate transgressive and unwanted behaviour by staff and visitors.

The theatre may be chaotic and crowded; even when under pressure, disappointment, or setbacks, we want to behave appropriately. We assist one another when needed and respect one another’s privacy and (personal) boundaries.

We value our colleagues and our visitors. As a result, we maintain high-quality standards for our work and are constantly looking for ways to enhance ourselves, the organisation, our art forms, and the experience for visitors.

We urge that visitors to our theatre be aware of the preceding context, which applies to all aspects of Dutch National Opera & Ballet. This means that we have developed a set of particular rules of conduct for visitors to Dutch National Opera & Ballet:

• Respect our staff and other visitors
• Staff instructions and orders must be followed
• We consider profanity, discriminatory language, screaming, threats, intimidation, and touching of the staff to be unacceptable and will not tolerate it
• In case you do not cease the unwanted behaviour, your behaviour escalates, you do not follow the instructions of the staff, we will no longer help you, we may remove you from Dutch National Opera & Ballet, and deny you access to the theatre.

These General Conditions for Visitors and House Rules apply to any agreement between Dutch National Opera & Ballet and you as a Visitor (and to all acts implementing that agreement). Furthermore, the General Terms and Conditions for Visitors and House Rules apply if you are present at Dutch National Opera & Ballet without having entered into an agreement with Dutch National Opera & Ballet, whether directly or indirectly.