DON QUIXOTE - ROYAL BALLET AUTUMN 2023

[capybara]

15 minutes ago, Fonty said:

@Sim @Blossom According to the ROH website, you are part of a "specially invited" audience.  Are we allowed to know why you have been specially invited? 

Several people on this forum booked before the performance was thus designated, at which point the tickets went off sale.

 

Since then, of course, many performances have been accessible only to those (staff) invited to buy tickets at bargain prices

[Sim]

19 minutes ago, Fonty said:

@Sim @Blossom According to the ROH website, you are part of a "specially invited" audience.  Are we allowed to know why you have been specially invited? 

Nothing special about me, I'm afraid!!  I got my ticket when booking was open to Friends in the normal way.  

[Fonty]

As it is the cinema relay maybe members of the forum will be invited to participate.

Edited October 23, 2023 by Fonty

[San Perregrino]

40 minutes ago, capybara said:

Since then, of course, many performances have been accessible only to those (staff) invited to buy tickets at bargain prices

this is incorrect. with the exception of November 7th all other performances have been on general sale.

[capybara]

21 minutes ago, PeterS said:

this is incorrect. with the exception of November 7th all other performances have been on general sale.

 

Technically, yes. But I think that most Forum members know perfectly well that I was referring to those fortunate enough to be invited to obtain tickets at bargain prices.

[Blossom]

4 hours ago, Fonty said:

@Sim @Blossom According to the ROH website, you are part of a "specially invited" audience.  Are we allowed to know why you have been specially invited? 

Not ‘specially invited’ just booked before they decided to take it completely off sale (the bar side of the auditorium only was available to book).

[San Perregrino]

29 minutes ago, Fonty said:

Also, if the staff whose job it is to know their product and promote its productions can only do so after being invited  to see it half way through the run, then I would say they have a rather strange way of doing their job. 

I’d agree with you. Perhaps it was the first opportunity the ROH had to be able to offer a ‘product tasting/viewing’ to those unable to attend a pre-opening night rehearsal for whatever reason. 

I freely admit to not knowing the how’s? and why’s? of this situation. I do know that, as with people, rumours, supposition and gossip can be damaging to organisations too. As such I am trying to separate fact from supposition and innuendo.

[bangorballetboy]

39 minutes ago, Fonty said:

 

Also, if the staff whose job it is to know their product and promote its productions can only do so after being invited  to see it half way through the run,

 

What a peculiar thing to say.  I think the staff responsible for pricing and promoting the ballet shoes are an incredibly small proportion of the total ROH staff.

[Guest oncnp]

Nuñez/Muntagirov and Osipova all sold out or nearly so well before opening night, so no need to dispose of over-priced tickets at the last minute as was the pattern for many other performances. The house was empty one minute and "sold out" the next? 

 

The ROH may also be using this as a part of their marketing strategy. "We sold x% of tickets at less than £y. Look how inclusive and affordable we are! "  

 

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by oncnp

[Silke H]

Aren't the reduced ROH tickets similar to West End and Broadway Day Tickets that are sold on the day of the performance in order to fill the auditorium?  I have been lucky enough to snag some Broadway show tickets on the day of for much less than those patrons who booked their tickets weeks/months in advance to have their certainty of knowing they will attend the performance on the day they want to in the seats of their choosing.

Like most here I agree that ticket prices have shot up a bit too much recently, but I also understand that with reduced government funding theatres are struggling.  And I'd rather support the arts than be deprived of them if theatres have to close (or have to scrap live music, etc.)

I'm really sad that this thread has become so hateful and jealous.

I, too, would love to be able to see as many performances as I want to without having to dip into saving.  Yet, I also recognise how privileged we are in London to have such plethora of shows, and that we can book ballet/opera tickets knowing which cast we get.  NYCB for example only release their principal casts 2 weeks prior to performance by which time the lower price band ticket have typically been snatched up.

[BalletcoForum Moderators]

A post has been hidden by moderators whilst under discussion.  Subsequent posts quoting it have also been hidden for now.

 

Meanwhile, may we please remind everyone to be polite when disagreeing.

[Guest oncnp]

5 minutes ago, Silke H said:

Aren't the reduced ROH tickets similar to West End and Broadway Day Tickets that are sold on the day of the performance in order to fill the auditorium? 

 

And if that was what was happening, freely available to the public and advertised as such, that would be great.  That doesn't seem to be what they are doing though, those discount tickets being "friends and family" (literally) only. 

 

I wonder why the ROH doesn't do day tickets? 

[Emeralds]

18 hours ago, Rob S said:

It’s got to be bingo with Darcey Bussell and Petroc Trelawny 

If that's not actually on the programme, Rob S, I think they should definitely do that at some point in the future! 

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, oncnp said:

 

And if that was what was happening, freely available to the public and advertised as such, that would be great.  That doesn't seem to be what they are doing though, those discount tickets being "friends and family" (literally) only. 

 

I wonder why the ROH doesn't do day tickets? 

They used to do day tickets on the day of the show which you had to go in person to buy, but it's now been changed to Friday Rush so you can book them online and with up to 7 days' (1 day if it's the Saturday show or shows) notice to plan travel and other practicalities.

 

You can still show up on the day and ask them what reductions they have. I've seen expensive tickets reduced significantly when patrons have turned up at the box office desk (knowing from the website that the show has plenty of pricey seats left) 10 minutes before curtain up and said "I only have £20 [or £30 or whatever] - are there any seats or offers available that you can do?" The staff know full well that 30 people with 100 quid are not suddenly going to appear in the space of 9 minutes all wanting to buy tickets. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

ROH should consider doing dynamic pricing like Royal Albert Hall- cheaper if you book early, and cheaper if you book Monday to Wednesday/Thursday which fewer people can make it for. Then as the day of the show approaches, the popular shows with fewer remaining tickets get more pricey as the tickets get more sought after. Any big wads of tickets still unsold several days or less before the show can be significantly reduced to sell them.

 

Those who wait patiently for a long time get rewarded for taking the risk and wasting time following sales trends every day, and those who pay early (so that the funds go into ROH coffers instead of accruing 3 months' interest in your savings account) get rewarded for their commitment to the company, those who wait for the reviews or word of mouth pay a bit more for the privilege of being able to hedge their bets to avoid a disappointing show.

 

The pricing is not "tiered" according to whether the lead is mega famous like Pavarotti but the convenience of being able to go on a weekend which current box office numbers show is the most popular choice/s. As tickets start to sell, if say, a Tuesday show sells out quickly because Nunez and Muntagirov are dancing in it, or Takada is returning after injury, or Hay is dancing the Prince or Hamilton is dancing Manon after fans waited a few seasons, for example, then the price of the remaining tickets can rise because it is in great demand. It's purely down to numbers. It's fair to all because anyone can track the prices online and choose when to buy. The prices of course should only be changed at a certain time eg at midnight (or whenever it is that they programme the Young ROH and Returning Booker Offers) and should not shoot up once you've put your ticket in the basket. 

 

This system works pretty well for Royal Albert Hall ballets and some music productions. I have not sat in any shows there that weren't at least 90% full recently,  and I attended a lot. It's fair enough that the early planners get rewarded for being early, and those who want to wait for casting pay a bit more to get their favourite dancers. I do remember seeing a Sat show for Takahashi and Frola being more expensive than their weekday show, and I was fine with that- it's slightly more expensive for me to travel on a weekday so lower ticket prices more than offset my travel costs.

 

There's no "law" that says tickets at ROH must always be at the same price (seeing as they are already being discounted belatedly in some shape or form) - that is outdated in this era of price fluctuations by the day on Amazon and vegetables and meat prices yoyo-ing due to weather, world politics and fuel prices. I think they should publicise that the prices are dynamic by having a different pricing column like Birmingham Hippodrome and some other theatres do, or they can write a little paragraph, emphasising the lower prices on certain days or for certain shows- not the higher prices for weekend or hot ticket shows! 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Emeralds

[JennyTaylor]

"Invited audience" can also imply NHS workers, as it has done in the past. 

[Bluebird]

52 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

ROH should consider doing dynamic pricing like Royal Albert Hall- cheaper if you book early, and cheaper if you book Monday to Wednesday/Thursday which fewer people can make it for. .....

.......The pricing is not "tiered" according to whether the lead is mega famous like Pavarotti but the convenience of being able to go on a weekend which current box office numbers show is the most popular choice/s.

 

When the House re-opened after the late nineties redevelopment, the weekend prices were cheaper than the midweek prices!  At the time, I assumed there was a dependence on 'corporate' bookings to fill the House on weekdays, making it harder to fill the House at weekends.  The reopening was in late 1999 and I was taking advantage  of these cheaper weekend prices as late as 2002.  I don't remember when this scheme was abandoned.  

Edited October 24, 2023 by Bluebird

[alison]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

You can still show up on the day and ask them what reductions they have. I've seen expensive tickets reduced significantly when patrons have turned up at the box office desk (knowing from the website that the show has plenty of pricey seats left) 10 minutes before curtain up and said "I only have £20 [or £30 or whatever] - are there any seats or offers available that you can do?" The staff know full well that 30 people with 100 quid are not suddenly going to appear in the space of 9 minutes all wanting to buy tickets. 

 

It didn't work for me on Saturday.  Maybe I need to phrase it differently.  Or maybe it depends on which member of staff it is?

 

The ROH used to do half-price standby, I think 4 hours before the show, if tickets were available.  I remember getting a balcony standing ticket for £3 instead of £6 for a triple bill some years ago, and chopping and changing between it and something in the Linbury as a result.  But then they stopped.  And made it clear that standbys were no longer available (I think it specifically said so on the website somewhere).  I see no reason why they couldn't reinstate it, thereby giving the humans some more to do - but obviously waiting for walk-ups shortly before curtain-up is a hit-and-miss method of getting rid of lots of unsold tickets.

 

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

ROH should consider doing dynamic pricing like Royal Albert Hall- cheaper if you book early, and cheaper if you book Monday to Wednesday/Thursday which fewer people can make it for. Then as the day of the show approaches, the popular shows with fewer remaining tickets get more pricey as the tickets get more sought after. Any big wads of tickets still unsold several days or less before the show can be significantly reduced to sell them.

 

The last time someone suggested this, I said God forbid.  I still think that way, but with (my) tickets sometimes 3 times the price they were I could see some logic in reducing them and seeing when people bite.  Certainly before offering company rush.

[Emeralds]

43 minutes ago, alison said:

 

It didn't work for me on Saturday.  Maybe I need to phrase it differently.  Or maybe it depends on which member of staff it is?

 

The ROH used to do half-price standby, I think 4 hours before the show, if tickets were available.  I remember getting a balcony standing ticket for £3 instead of £6 for a triple bill some years ago, and chopping and changing between it and something in the Linbury as a result.  But then they stopped.  And made it clear that standbys were no longer available (I think it specifically said so on the website somewhere).  I see no reason why they couldn't reinstate it, thereby giving the humans some more to do - but obviously waiting for walk-ups shortly before curtain-up is a hit-and-miss method of getting rid of lots of unsold tickets.

 

 

The last time someone suggested this, I said God forbid.  I still think that way, but with (my) tickets sometimes 3 times the price they were I could see some logic in reducing them and seeing when people bite.  Certainly before offering company rush.

I think it might have been the staff member, @alison- how very unfair when you've done so much free publicity for the company, writing about RB online! I think the pricing this season is de facto dynamic now- high prices for the public who pay in advance and take time off and wait on wet freezing railway platforms in the dark or squashed in hot, congested Tube trains at rush hour regularly to attend frequently.  But 80% off for friends of staff who may not even bother to book an inexpensive ticket during the rest of the year. At least my method makes more money for the ROH and is fairer  to loyal fans. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, Bluebird said:

 

When the House re-opened after the late nineties redevelopment, the weekend prices were cheaper than the midweek prices!  At the time, I assumed there was a dependence on 'corporate' bookings to fill the House on weekdays, making it harder to fill the House at weekends.  The reopening was in late 1999 and I was taking advantage  of these cheaper weekend prices as late as 2002.  I don't remember when this scheme was abandoned.  

Yes, I remember seeing those prices and asking a box office manager then if that was a typo. She said, honestly,  no. She said that at that time they had far more ticket bookings for weeknights (Mon-Thurs) so the cheaper Fri & Sat (Sunday shows had not yet become an established practice) prices were to encourage more people to buy those nights!! I shrugged and smiled gratefully as I bought my Saturday tickets as I couldn't go on week nights (especially when I had 7.45am starts at work) but remembered thinking it was a bit sureeal.

 

I think when travel and property were cheaper in those days, lots of their audiences either lived in London or had both a home in London and a home in the country (such a completely different world to nowadays, I know!) so they did their theatre going on Mon-Thurs. Many parts of Greater and central London eg Hackney, Islington, Clapham etc also weren't expensive to buy/rent like they are now. The cheaper weekend prices were gone by 2007, when changing lifestyles and property prices were reflected in ticket sales (might have gone earlier than 2007). 

 

So yes, how things change..

Edited October 24, 2023 by Emeralds

[bangorballetboy]

34 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

At least my method makes more money for the ROH 

 

Not necessarily.

 

Also, if dynamic pricing is to work, the ROH will need to remove the ability for patrons to return tickets (else patrons will just return tickets purchased at higher prices and instead buy tickets at the lower prices).  Personally, given how far ahead we buy tickets for the ROH, I'd prefer the flexibility to return tickets.

[alison]

Me too.  I also wouldn't want, having booked early, to be clobbered by having to change a date and finding the prices had gone up further.

[Swan]

5 hours ago, Emeralds said:

You can still show up on the day and ask them what reductions they have. I've seen expensive tickets reduced significantly when patrons have turned up at the box office desk (knowing from the website that the show has plenty of pricey seats left) 10 minutes before curtain up and said "I only have £20 [or £30 or whatever] - are there any seats or offers available that you can do?" The staff know full well that 30 people with 100 quid are not suddenly going to appear in the space of 9 minutes all wanting to buy tickets. 

After struggling with engineering works on my train line a couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be lovely to upgrade my SCS ticket for Don Q. There were still unsold tickets available 5 minutes before the performance started so, being brave, I asked the box office if a discount on any of the empty seats was available. The answer was no.

[Guest oncnp]

2 minutes ago, Swan said:

After struggling with engineering works on my train line a couple of weeks ago, I thought it would be lovely to upgrade my SCS ticket for Don Q. There were still unsold tickets available 5 minutes before the performance started so, being brave, I asked the box office if a discount on any of the empty seats was available. The answer was no.

How typical. Instead of making a little revenue, the ROH chose to make none at all. 

[OnePigeon]

Personally, I hate dynamic pricing and it’s most inconvenient for people outside London who need to plan ahead and find week nights difficult, especially if they have to work.  It just adds a whole layer of stress to booking something up - wondering if you’re booking at the right time and if you’re going to regret or be pleased with the price you paid.  It puts me off and with ballet where you’re often choosing a particular cast, as opposed to a West End show where dates don’t depend on casting, it would be really annoying and might actually put me off booking at all.  

 

I always used to book for week nights in my early days of seeing the RB as being in my early 20s there were other pressing matters to attend to at weekends, like going out dancing and partying.  I worked and lived in London so it made perfect sense to go after work.  Those were the days.

[Fonty]

On 24/10/2023 at 10:34, bangorballetboy said:

 

What a peculiar thing to say.  I think the staff responsible for pricing and promoting the ballet shoes are an incredibly small proportion of the total ROH staff.

 

I wasn't referring to the promoting of ballet shoes, not sure where you got that idea from?  I was responding to a post that has now been hidden, so it probably doesn't make much sense. 

[capybara]

SHOWS maybe?

[art_enthusiast]

16 hours ago, Swan said:

I asked the box office if a discount on any of the empty seats was available. The answer was no.

 

What would happen if you sat in an empty unsold seat, would anyone notice?

[capybara]

5 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

What would happen if you sat in an empty unsold seat, would anyone notice?

😂

On the opening night on Don Q, at both intervals (different) couples tried to occupy the empty seats next to me. They were asked to show their tickets and were chased back to their original seats.

 

However, last Thursday night two £40 ticket holders from Stalls Circle Row C sides successfully moved into the same £150 seats without being challenged. I think the fact that they were chatting to me might have helped them avoid detection.

 

There is often quite a lot of movement into the side blocks of Stalls seats near the stage.

 

Make of all that what you will!

 

But, a word of warning. There is a patron who buys three adjacent seats for himself. People moving into what look like spares from a distant part of the House can find themselves in difficulty as he returns to claim his seats very near to curtain up after each interval.

[Rob S]

16 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

 

What would happen if you sat in an empty unsold seat, would anyone notice?

 

I've seen stalls circle standing people go and sit in empty seats and then get told to return to their place by an usher

[Guest oncnp]

2 minutes ago, capybara said:

😂

 

 

However, last Thursday night two £40 ticket holders from Stalls Circle Row C sides successfully moved into the same £150 seats without being challenged. I think the fact that they were chatting to me might have helped them avoid detection.

 

I thought that was what was going on when I saw them.  Did they actually admit what they were doing? 

Edited October 25, 2023 by oncnp

[capybara]

1 minute ago, oncnp said:

 

I thought that was what was going on when I saw them.  Did they actually admit what they were doing? 

Yes - immediately they arrived. 

[bangorballetboy]

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

 

I wasn't referring to the promoting of ballet shoes, not sure where you got that idea from?  I was responding to a post that has now been hidden, so it probably doesn't make much sense. 

 

It was a typo (as someone pointed out to me last night in the Linbury foyer) - it should have said "shows" (as @capybara rightly surmised).