Terms and Conditions
Please note: The present text is a courtesy translation from German into English. In case of conflicts between the German and English version of this text, its structure, meaning or interpretation, the German text, its structure, meaning and interpretation shall prevail.
The present General Terms and Conditions shall govern the legal relationship between the Theater und Orchester Heidelberg (hereafter »Theater HD«) and its visitors. By purchasing a ticket or concluding a contract for a subscription to Theater HD, you agree to these terms. Additionally, subscriptions shall be subject to our Terms and Conditions for Subscriptions. Insofar as no deviating agreement was made, these General Terms and Conditions shall apply for members of so-called Besucherorganisationen (theatre organisations), schools, theatre busses, travel groups etc.
Current programmes including the curtain times of a show shall be announced in publications and on the website of Theater HD. Theater HD reserves the right to changes. In case of any changes to a show, if a show is cancelled or the curtain times have changed, Theater HD shall do its best to inform visitors in a timely manner. Theater HD assumes no responsibility for announcements and publications of third parties (f. ex. press).
a
Tickets may be bought at our local theatre box office, in writing, by phone, on the webshop of Theater HD as well as with external vendors of advance tickets. Purchases from external vendors of advance tickets shall be exclusively subject to their respective terms of business.
b
Advance ticket sales shall start at the times specified in publications and on the website of Theater HD. There may be an early advance sale of tickets for select shows.
c
Theater HD reserves the right to limit the number of tickets sold per person, the availability of reduced tickets as well as to place restrictions on the times of ticket sales and/or specific sales channels. In particular, ticket quotas shall be subject to the contractual obligations of Theater HD regarding subscribers and Besucherorganisationen.
d
Ticket reservations by phone or in writing shall be possible at the earliest upon the start of advance ticket sales. In general, tickets shall be reserved for one week. However, it shall be incumbent upon Theater HD to determine a binding deadline for reservations. It shall not be possible to reserve tickets for collecting at our evening box office.
Any order shall be binding only upon payment of tickets. Tickets shall have to be collected/paid at the latest by the date specified in the confirmation of your reservation. If tickets have not been paid by that time, they shall automatically be offered for sale again and any claim to these tickets shall be void. Tickets shall remain the property of Theater HD until complete payment.
e
Once advance ticket sales have started, ticket orders in writing, via either mail or e-mail, shall be processed in the order of their reception and simultaneously to ticket sales at our daytime box office and orders via phone. Ticket orders in writing shall be temporarily reserved once confirmed by Theater HD in writing or by phone. In addition, the provisions of section d shall apply.
f
After payment, tickets ordered by phone or in writing may be sent home via mail upon request of the ordering party. If tickets are sent via mail, the shipping risk shall be upon the purchaser. Mailing tickets shall be subject to a shipping and handling fee of EUR 3.00 (uninsured shipping as letter). Theater HD shall not be obligated to provide compensation in case of loss. If a timely delivery of tickets is no longer possible, they shall be deposited at our evening box office for collection. There shall be no compensation for deposited tickets that are not collected.
g
Customers shall check change immediately after buying tickets at our theatre box office and make sure they have bought the right ticket(s). Retroactive complaints shall not be accepted. Information on payment options is available on the website of Theater HD or from sales staff.
h
Online ticket orders are limited to the seats marked as available in our webshop and selected reductions. Information on payment options is available on the website of Theater HD. Tickets bought from the webshop of Theater HD shall only be available for printing at home (“Print@Home”). Selected shows may offer the option of saving your ticket digitally on compatible terminals (“mobile ticket” and/or “wallet ticket”). Theater HD shall not assume any responsibility for incomplete or incorrect booking processes, in particular no responsibility shall be assumed for seats that are no longer available in such cases. Any duplication, copying or changes to “Print@Home” or digital tickets shall be expressly prohibited. Each ticket has a barcode that allows admission only once. In case of copies, only the first ticket holder shall be admitted to the show. Any copies will be recognised as such and shall not be accepted. In case of unauthorised access, Theater HD reserves the right to pursue this violation according to criminal and civil law.
i
You may purchase vouchers of any value to be redeemed at any theatre box office, evening box office or in the webshop of Theater HD. In case of external venues, this shall depend on technical possibilities. If the price of a show is below the value of a voucher, a new voucher shall be issued for the remaining amount. Vouchers shall be valid for three years. This period shall start with the date of purchase. Any prolongation of this validity period shall be excluded. It shall not be possible to exchange vouchers for cash.
j
For tickets ordered by phone or in writing via our theatre box office or in our webshop, a special non-refundable order fee shall apply as of season 2024/25. This fee shall be EUR 0.00 in case of free tickets, EUR 1.00 for orders between EUR 0.01 and 10.00 and EUR 2.50 for orders of EUR 10.01 and above. Subscribers and members of the Freundeskreis (friends’ association) shall be exempt. Orders for groups, excluding school groups, shall be subject to a lump sum order fee of EUR 5.00 per booking. This order fee is a service and booking fee, which covers the handling and technical processing of tickets.
a
Information on current admission prices may be found in publications and on the website of Theater HD. For some events (f. ex. special events or guest plays) special pricing may apply. Theater HD reserves the right to perform show-specific price adjustments at short notice. Reselling of tickets at higher prices shall not be permitted.
b
Any potential reductions shall have to be claimed upon ordering without request. It shall not be possible to claim any reductions retroactively after receiving tickets or the invoice. Reduced tickets shall only be valid in combination with a certificate entitling to this reduction. This certificate shall be provided upon purchasing and presented to admission staff on the date of the show without request. If no proof is provided, you shall be charged with the price difference compared to a standard rate ticket to be paid before admission. It shall not be possible to combine different reductions.
c
Persons with severe disabilities with a degree of at least 50% shall receive reduced rate tickets. If your disability card contains a “B” indicating that you require an accompanying person (B for German “Begleitperson”), the accompanying person shall be granted free admission but they will require a ticket. Special events and guest plays may be exempt from this rule.
d
Children, teenagers, apprentices, university students, people serving a voluntary social year (Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr) or who participate in the Federal Volunteer Service (Bundesfreiwilligendienst) as well as holders of the Heidelberg Pass shall be entitled to reduced tickets. Guest plays and special events may be exempt from that.
Holders of the Heidelberg Pass may visit a maximum of four shows of Theater HD per month for free. These tickets are available only at our evening box office upon presentation of a theatre card obtained beforehand from our theatre box office. Premiers, special events, guest plays and festivals shall be exempt.
Information on other types of reduction are available in the publications of Theater HD or from sales staff.
a
Exchanging purchased tickets against other tickets or a voucher shall be permissible at a fee of EUR 2.50 per ticket. Exchanges shall be permissible up to three working days before the event at the latest. A refund in cash shall not be possible. Any fees paid (f. ex. order fees or shipping fees) shall be non-refundable and shall not be credited, neither in whole nor in part. Special events, guest plays and shows of Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele shall be exempt from this return and exchange policy. Unused tickets shall be exempt from compensation as a rule.
b
Changes in cast shall not entitle to return tickets. Organisational changes to the show at short notice or abandoning the show after half the performance has taken place due to force majeure (traffic, sickness, strike, weather etc.) shall not entitle to return tickets. In case a different show is performed instead of the one announced, tickets purchased for this show may be returned within one week after announcement. If the show performed instead was attended in whole or in part, any claim to refunds shall lapse.
c
Open-air shows shall take place even in unfavourable weather conditions. In case of unsettled weather, we recommend to bring rain-proof clothing and rain capes. In case of weather conditions, Theater HD reserves the right to postpone the curtain time of an open-air event, to interrupt it or to move the open-air event to a stage protected from the weather. In case a show is moved from the castle courtyard to the King’s Hall due to weather conditions up until 30 minutes after the curtain time of a show, only ticket holders of price categories 1 and 2 shall be admitted. A refund for tickets of price categories 3 and 4 shall be possible up until one week after the show. In case the show is cancelled more than 30 minutes after the show has started, there shall be no claim to receive a refund of ticket prices, as is usual for open-air events.
a
Evening box office and foyer will usually open one hour before the show. Theater HD reserves the right to changes.
b
Upon admission to the auditorium, visitors shall show their valid ticket or subscription pass as well as a relevant certificate in case of reduced tickets to our admission staff.
c
After the curtain time, late comers shall be admitted to the auditorium only during a suitable break at the discretion of admission staff. There shall be no claim to the specific seats that were booked. In case of shows that would be severely disrupted by late seating and shows on the stage Zwinger1, late seating shall not be possible.
d
Theater HD has a limited number of wheelchair-seats. Visitors requiring these seats please indicate this upon purchasing their tickets, as wheelchair admission may not be guaranteed otherwise.
Due to architectural reasons or the staging, some seats may have limited view and/or supertitles may not be readable without obstruction. There shall be no claim to readability of supertitles.
a
Wardrobe items (coats, jackets, umbrellas, rucksacks, large bags etc.) may not be taken into the auditorium. You need to leave them with attendants at the cloakroom. They will be stored there for the duration of the show. After checking your wardrobe, you will receive a cloakroom ticket. Your wardrobe will be kept safe by our cloakroom attendants for the duration of the show and is kept in a space inaccessible to audiences. Checked items shall be collected after the show has ended upon presentation of your cloakroom ticket.
It shall not be permitted to check the following items (in particular in the pockets of wardrobe items): Smartphones, mobile phones, keys, cash, securities, savings certificates, non-cash payment means/cash cards, tickets for trains and other means of transportation, IDs and other documents of any kind, jewellery and fur items, gemstones and items made of precious metals, multimedia systems/devices, light systems/devices, IT systems/devices, handheld devices, organizers, photo cameras, digital cameras, video cameras, camcorders, as well as electric, electro-technical and electronic devices.
b
Any items found on the premises of the stages of Theater HD shall be handed in to our cloakroom attendants. Lost objects shall be treated in accordance with the provisions of section 978 and following of the German Civil Code (BGB). Any loss of items shall be reported to our cloakroom attendants.
a
Taking photos of and filming shows of Theater HD shall be prohibited for copyright reasons. Any infringement shall entitle admission staff to confiscate recording devices as well as cameras and to keep them until the end of the show. Visitors may be excluded from the show. Any recording material containing parts of the show, shall be confiscated by Theater HD, stored, and only be handed back to owners after the respective recordings have been deleted. Any violation may not only lead to claims for damages but is also a criminal offense.
b
In case Theater HD records a show or event or commissions a recording, visitors shall agree to (potentially) being recorded on video and/or audio and to the publishing and/or use of these recordings without any claim to remuneration.
a
Responsible staff members of Theater HD exercise our domiciliary right on all our stage premises. They have the right to expel individuals or pronounce house bans as part of our domiciliary right or to take other appropriate measures. In particular, visitors may be expelled from the premises if they disrupt shows, harass other visitors or if they seriously or repeatedly violate our General Terms and Conditions in any other way. Admission may be denied if there is a reasonable suspicion that a visitor will disrupt the show or harass other visitors. Any orders of staff shall be strictly followed.
b
A valid ticket shall entitle the visitor to use the respective event halls and relevant foyers. It shall be prohibited to enter service rooms.
c
Visitors may only take the seat indicated on their ticket. If a visitor takes a seat without a valid ticket for it, Theater HD may charge the visitor with the price difference or exclude the visitor from the show.
d
Mobile phones and other devices of any kind that emit acoustic or optical signals may only be taken into the auditorium if they are switched off.
e
It shall be prohibited to take food and drinks into the auditorium.
f
Smoking shall not be permitted in the buildings of Theater HD.
g
In case of fire or any other dangerous situation, visitors shall leave the building immediately and directly via designated exits and emergency exits. Wardrobe shall not be handed back in that case. Any orders of staff shall be strictly followed.
Theater HD and its visitors shall be liable vis-à-vis each other in accordance with statutory provisions.
In its capacity as a public authority of the City of Heidelberg, Theater und Orchester Heidelberg is committed to ensuring data protection. The basis for this are statutory provisions like for example the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act of the state of Baden-Württemberg (Landesdatenschutzgesetz, LDSG).
Detailed information on how Theater und Orchester Heidelberg protects your data is available here.
Any relationship shall be exclusively governed by German law. This shall apply to tickets sold via our webshop as well. The place of performance and jurisdiction shall be Heidelberg. Insofar as any individual clauses of these General Terms and Conditions are or become void, this shall not affect the validity of the rest of the provisions. Instead of the invalid provision, the statutory provision shall apply.
These General Terms and Conditions shall enter into force on 1 May 2024.