MargaretN7 Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Changes, now on website, from info given in House magazine:- Manon Insight still in Clore but on Wednesday 7th March 2018, not Thursday 8th March. The In Conversation with Yasmine Naghdi on 6th March, and the RB in Rehearsal on 4th April, dates unchanged but now in the Linden Studio over the road at the RB School. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Thanks Margaret. Could someone clarify please: are all Insights now filmed and/or streamed? Or is it only selected ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 It seems to be more or less everything, apart from the "In conversation" evenings, I think? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Sorry to hijack but just wondering what level of ‘friends’ do you have to be to secure tickets for these events? They always seem to be sold out by plain old friends level... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Which is why I stopped being a "plain old friend" and cannot afford the next level so am no longer a friend at all!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Newcombe Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 52 minutes ago, Blossom said: Sorry to hijack but just wondering what level of ‘friends’ do you have to be to secure tickets for these events? They always seem to be sold out by plain old friends level... Just keep looking, the odd tickets become available at times Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Yes I have managed to get the odd ticket from this forum and on the day of a performance/ event ...you can always try for returns at the Box office ...though this won't suit people who don't live or work in London. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 Do you have to physically go to the box office? I am less than a 10 minute walk away but it’s the getting out during the working day which is tricky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 It depends how close to the start of the performance you may be trying to get a ticket. im sure returns come in during the day if you have quite a bit of access to a computer .....but at some point all the returns are sold from the actual Royal Opera House in the foyer there on a first come first served basis However for some prize insights ( eg Jasmine Naghdi in conversation) there may not be that many late returns! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 I am a Supporting Friend of Covent Garden, which is several levels up from the bottom, and I typically find all Ballet insights are fully sold out when my level of booking priority opens - it is sometimes the case that there is availability for Opera ones. But I have *never* yet failed to get a return for something I wanted. I just bookmark the event pages in my browser, check each one a couple of times a day, and eventually I *always* find something. Often more than one (I like to take my mother to them when I can). There is always a 2-ticket limit, so nobody can hog more than their fair share. You're more likely to find something the closer you get to the event date. Of *course* the capacity is limited (hopefully when we get the Linbury back they can hold more of them in there) and if everyone who wanted a ticket was persistent in hunting one down, not everyone would get one, but my persistence hasn't failed me yet. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 (edited) Supporting Friends' booking opened this morning for spring season, and by some miracle the one Insight I wanted (In Conversation with Yasmine Naghdi) wasn't sold out when I went in. It is now. (I wonder if the RBS Linden Studio has more capacity than the Clore? It doesn't say, as there's no seating plan to choose from, just a drop-down box for number of tickets.) Edited November 27, 2017 by RuthE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
londoner Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 They also keep at least four tickets back for students - it may be more but four is the most I've ever seen available on student booking day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 50 minutes ago, RuthE said: Supporting Friends' booking opened this morning for spring season, and by some miracle the one Insight I wanted (In Conversation with Yasmine Naghdi) wasn't sold out when I went in. It is now. (I wonder if the RBS Linden Studio has more capacity than the Clore? It doesn't say, as there's no seating plan to choose from, just a drop-down box for number of tickets.) Clore Studio - 170 seats Linden Studio - 180 seats 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 So a negligible difference, then! (By the way, how do you know?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 29 minutes ago, RuthE said: So a negligible difference, then! (By the way, how do you know?) That sort of info is easy to find on the interwebby. It feels like there should be significantly more seats in the Linden in comparison to the Clore, but the seats are bigger (and more comfortable) and the studio is not as wide. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riva Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 So is it then the case that ALL the ‘seats’ are made available to the top level of friends when that tier of membership has access to performances/insights? I assumed that a certain percentage would be held back and released as each level went on sale, that I was just too slow and someone else won the ‘fastest finger first’ battle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 (edited) If it is anything like the allocation for main house performances, then yes, all tickets (which are available for general release at the time*) are made available at top level. I don't know if, like the main house performances, there is a 20% retention for release at General Public booking stage. So the lower down the Friends you go, the less chance you have of there being anything left. *Besides a possible retention for general public, there always seems to be a large proportion of Insight seats which are not initially made available for booking at all. Presumably for potential company use, or similar reasons. So it's often the case that when you check back later for returns, it will appear that a whole block of 10 or more seats has been released on the website at once, which clearly aren't customer returns (given that any one customer can't book more than two tickets). I know one of our regulars here, who is a Premium 2 member (the top level of Friend without being a Patron), has expressed frustration in the past that the Insight seats available to him as a top-level member are often inferior to those which later become available through later releases of retained seats. A case in point. When the Winter booking period opened, I was initially unable to get any tickets for the three Insights I wanted, one of which was the masterclass on 14th December by Joyce DiDonato. I tried again on public booking day with no luck. Then I kept checking back a couple of times a day, and eventually hit the jackpot - a block of 13 or 14 seats suddenly available. So I bought one for me, and contacted three other people who I knew on Twitter had been vainly in search of tickets - two of them singers who are participating in the masterclass who had until then been unable to find tickets for their partners or family. All now have what they needed. Edited November 28, 2017 by RuthE 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 On 11/21/2017 at 11:59, MargaretN7 said: The In Conversation with Yasmine Naghdi on 6th March, and the RB in Rehearsal on 4th April, dates unchanged but now in the Linden Studio over the road at the RB School. Even though the tickets I have just received have not been changed! And there will be no reserved seating (as in the bad old days of The Clore) so people will be queueing outside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizbie1 Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 6 minutes ago, capybara said: Even though the tickets I have just received have not been changed! And there will be no reserved seating (as in the bad old days of The Clore) so people will be queueing outside. Given that the tickets are presumably all the same price, that doesn't seem unfair to me. On a related point to RuthE's comment about better seats being made available later, it did raise my hackles slightly when at a recent event at the Clore some prime but apparently empty seats (and which I overheard some very high-ups fretting about) were taken at the last possible moment by a VIP and their train. It would be nice if they were made to take their chances in the Linden, though I suspect a section might be reserved instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 33 minutes ago, capybara said: Even though the tickets I have just received have not been changed! And there will be no reserved seating (as in the bad old days of The Clore) so people will be queueing outside. Indeed i will be! ;-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 5 hours ago, Lizbie1 said: Given that the tickets are presumably all the same price, that doesn't seem unfair to me. It would be nice if they were made to take their chances in the Linden, though I suspect a section might be reserved instead. The problem in the unreserved seating days of the Clore and for RBS events in their Linden Studio is that queues develop very early and entry is often allowed only 10 minutes before the start. This creates problems for audience members with physical disabilities or other health issues which make it difficult for them to stand. In the case of the Clore, there were some seats within the queue. In the case of the RBS, there are only 2 seats in the entrance area and, often, people have to wait outside in Floral Street. This isn't really acceptable whatever the weather or time of year. Reserved seats are very much a feature of RBS studio performances, so much so that, when one walks in, it can feel as if RESERVED notices are everywhere. And sometimes a good number remain unoccupied. I too find the reservation of seating in the Clore a little difficult to 'take'. I don't understand why the VIPs concerned don't just have numbered tickets just like everyone else. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebird Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 (edited) 21 hours ago, RuthE said: If it is anything like the allocation for main house performances, then yes, all tickets (which are available for general release at the time*) are made available at top level. It's no longer the case that all tickets for Main House performances are made available for the higher levels of membership. For opera, I always used to buy an inexpensive seat in the rear of the amphitheatre. For some time now this seat has only become available on Standard Friends' booking day. Because I have been checking the website on that day, I've noticed a number of other amphitheatre seats as well as some Stalls Circle and Balcony Standing being released at the same time. Interestingly, these newly released seats and standing places don't usually appear until some time after booking opens at 9am. Edited November 29, 2017 by Bluebird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted November 29, 2017 Share Posted November 29, 2017 8 minutes ago, Bluebird said: It's no longer the case that all tickets for Main House performances are made available for the higher levels of membership. For opera, I always used to buy an inexpensive seat in the rear of the amphitheatre. For some time now this seat has only become available on Standard Friends' booking day. Because I have been checking the website on that day, I've noticed a number of other amphitheatre seats as well as some Balcony Standing being released at the same time. Interestingly, these newly released seats and standing places don't usually appear until some time after booking opens at 9am. Which all makes it sound as if booking is really a bit of a lottery! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynette H Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 The Draft Works programme on 11 and 12 January is now in the RBS Linden Studio and the start time has changed from 8pm to 7:30pm. Incidentally, Friends (ordinary variety) booking opened on 5 December and for once I didn't see any mention of it here - none of the usual howls of frustration. Have they finally got it working smoothly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riva Posted December 8, 2017 Share Posted December 8, 2017 More of a whimper than a howl! I was online in advance of 9am ready to book immediately, but wasn’t able to get tickets for any of the insights, I think in 5 years of being a friend I’ve been able to get tickets for 2 insights events. I note a previous post saying to check back repeatedly to see if seats become available later on, which I will try in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blossom Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 On 23/11/2017 at 15:48, RuthE said: I am a Supporting Friend of Covent Garden, which is several levels up from the bottom, and I typically find all Ballet insights are fully sold out when my level of booking priority opens - it is sometimes the case that there is availability for Opera ones. But I have *never* yet failed to get a return for something I wanted. I just bookmark the event pages in my browser, check each one a couple of times a day, and eventually I *always* find something. Often more than one (I like to take my mother to them when I can). There is always a 2-ticket limit, so nobody can hog more than their fair share. You're more likely to find something the closer you get to the event date. Of *course* the capacity is limited (hopefully when we get the Linbury back they can hold more of them in there) and if everyone who wanted a ticket was persistent in hunting one down, not everyone would get one, but my persistence hasn't failed me yet. Followed your advice RuthE and despite missing out on the last release of tickets for the main Swan Lake Insight by what must have been a few seconds, I finally got one! It's in my birthday week as well so maybe luck was on my side. I feel like the cat who got the cream. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthE Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 Oh, that's good to hear! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jillykins Posted April 30, 2018 Share Posted April 30, 2018 It’s on my birthday and really looking forward to it. I am lucky to get a wheelchair space. I am a friend and also an Access member. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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