1.    Scope of validity

The Terms and Conditions apply to legal relations between patrons, on the one hand, and the Berlin Opera Foundation, on the other, concerning the latter’s artistic establishments (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Komische Oper Berlin and Staatsballett Berlin). Where the following refers explicitly only to the Berlin Opera Foundation, this also refers implicitly to its artistic establishments.

The Terms and Conditions form part of the contract which comes into existence when tickets are purchased.

The Terms and Conditions also apply to subscribers and patron organisations and their members, if not waived by a separate agreement.

 

2.    Schedules and start times

The valid schedules and start times can be found in the official publications of the Berlin Opera Foundation.

The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to alter the schedules and casts. 

The Berlin Opera Foundation accepts no responsibility for information on posters or other publications.

 

3.    Entrance fees

The Berlin Opera Foundation will publish the valid entrance fees and make them known at the ticket offices. Discounts are available to groups of persons with special entitlements, upon presentation of an appropriate certificate at the ticket office. Discounted tickets are valid only with this certificate. If the certificate cannot be produced, the difference between the discount fee and the full entrance fee must be paid in full.

 

4.    Provision of tickets

Tickets will be sold in advance for a season at the times listed in the publications of the Berlin Opera Foundation. The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to limit the number of tickets per buyer in individual cases. Severely disabled people can be given preferential treatment.

Ticket orders in writing will be processed from the start of the advance sale period on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. There is, however, no right to have orders processed on this basis. Telephone ticket orders will be accepted from the start of the advance sale period. 

If payment for ordered tickets is not received within the stipulated time limit, these tickets will be made available for resale. Pre-paid tickets can be sent by post on request. Both the costs and the risks of sending them by post will be borne by the purchaser.

Purchased entry tickets may not be resold for commercial purposes without the prior consent of the Berlin Opera Foundation. If contravened, the Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to legal recourse. Furthermore, the Foundation is entitled to refuse to sell entry tickets in future to those contravening the aforementioned prohibition. 

The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to alter or amend existing ticket sale regulations. They will be published and made known at the ticket offices by the Berlin Opera Foundation.

 

5.    Ticket refunds

Sold tickets will not be refunded, nor will compensation be paid for expired tickets, except in the cases listed below.

The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to alter casts, and cast alterations do not entitle ticket holders to have their tickets refunded. 

If the work performed is different from that indicated when the ticket was purchased, the ticket can be returned before the beginning of the performance and the ticket price will be refunded. 

If a performance is cancelled without substitution, the ticket price will be refunded, as long as the tickets are presented or sent to Patron Services within 30 days of the scheduled date of the performance. 

If a performance is ended prematurely, patrons are entitled to have their tickets refunded only if the performance is ended before the first interval, or, if the performance does not have an interval, if it is ended before half of its scheduled duration has elapsed. Even in these cases, claims for refunds are valid only if the tickets are presented or sent to Patron Services within 30 days of the date of the performance. 

Apart from the right to have the entrance fee refunded, as provided in the above paragraphs, no other expenses or damages claimed by patrons will be paid.  

 

6.    Lost tickets

If a patron loses his or her ticket, he or she will be provided with a replacement ticket at the ticket office, as long as he or she gives a believable account of which ticket he or she has purchased. The holder of an original ticket takes precedence over the holder of a replacement ticket. 

 

7.    Entry

The audience cloakrooms and foyers are ordinarily opened one hour before the beginning of a performance.

No one is entitled to enter after the performance has begun. If a patron is denied entry on account of his or her lateness, he or she has no right to have his or her ticket refunded. 

 

8.    Cloakroom

Objects and clothing carried by the guest, in particular backpacks, suitcases or larger bags have to be deposited at the cloakroom during the performance. Animals will categorically not be supervised. The Berlin Opera Foundation reserves the right to charge a cloakroom fee.

Coats left for supervision are insured in accordance with published insurance terms and conditions. Patrons of Deutsche Oper Berlin can leave furs for supervision only in designated cloakrooms for an insurance fee. 

Supervised property will be returned upon presentation of cloakroom tags without further proof of ownership. If no tag is presented, cloakroom items left for supervision will be returned only if the patron gives a believable account of his or her entitlement to the items.

If the patron receives the wrong items, his or her items are damaged, or he or she has lost the cloakroom tag, this must be reported immediately to the cloakroom personnel. If a tag is lost, the patron is liable for replacement costs. 

 

9.    Lost property

Lost property of any description found in the performance venues of the Berlin Opera Foundation must be handed in to the house or cloakroom personnel. Lost property will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of §§ 978ff. of the German Civil Code.

 

10.    Householders’ rights

Householders’ rights are attributed to the Directors, who entrust their employees, in particular, their evening personnel, to exercise these rights. The instructions of the personnel at the performance venues must be followed.

Patrons can be refused entry to the performance venues if there is reason to believe that they will disrupt the performance or upset other patrons. Patrons can be sent out of performances in progress if they are disrupting these performances or upsetting other patrons, or if they do not have valid tickets for their seats. Entry can also be refused to patrons who have repeatedly breached these General Terms and Conditions. These patrons have no right to have their entrance fees refunded, or to compensation for any damages or expenses of any other description. 

Persons preventing the sale of tickets or upsetting patrons can be sent out of the performance venues. It is not permitted to offer tickets for sale in the ticket office halls or anywhere else in the performance venues or their premises. 

It is not permitted to take seats other than those indicated on the tickets. If a patron changes seats without entitlement, the Berlin Opera Foundation can charge the patron the difference between the paid ticket price and the ticket price for the seat occupied, send him or her back to the seat marked on the ticket, or send him or her out of the performance. 

Mobile phones, watches and any other technical devices with acoustic signals must be switched off for the duration of the performance. 

 

11.    Image and sound recording

Patrons are forbidden to make image and/or sound recordings of any kind. Patrons can be sent out of the performance venues for violations of this rule. 

If image and sound recordings during a performance are carried out by persons authorised by the Berlin Opera Foundation, the patrons agree, by their presence at the performance, that their images and words may be recorded, and that they have no right to remuneration if these are broadcast or published. 

 

12. Liability

The Berlin Opera Foundation, its representatives and its employees accept no liability for damages of any kind suffered by patrons of its performance venues, except for those caused by malice or gross negligence. Liability for injury to life, limb and health remains unaffected, if the damages in question could ordinarily have been expected. 

 

13. Data privacy

The personal order data can be collected, processed and used for the purpose of customer care by the Berlin Opera Foundation (Deutsche Oper Berlin, Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Komische Oper Berlin und Staatsballett Berlin) if the visitor has given his consent during the purchase process. Customer care is defined as taking measures intended to supply the customer with significant information and thus further provide the customer with specific benefits. The customer  was informed that he can at any time revoke this agreement without prejudice. Berlin Opera Foundation affirmed that data privacy is absolutely ensured and that the data will not be transmitted to third parties.

 

14. Term of validity

These General Terms and Conditions will come into force on 1st September 2017. At the same time, the General Terms and Conditions of the Berlin Opera Foundation valid up to that point will expire. 

 

15. Concluding clause

Should any stipulation of these General Terms and Conditions be invalid, the legal validity of the remaining Terms and Conditions will remain unaffected. The Berlin Opera Foundation is neither prepared nor obliged to take part in dispute settlement procedures by any consumer dispute settlement authority.

 

This English translation of the General Terms & Conditions is a service of the Berlin Opera Foundation. Thus the current German version is solely legally binding.