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Friends FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

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Free Friends

How do I know if I am a Free Friend?

Simply sign in to your account and make sure you have opted-in to our news and offers email communications. Let us know your interests so we can send you more relevant updates, offers and information.

I want to be a Free Friend but I don’t want to receive emails – is that possible?

Unfortunately not. In order to hear about Free Friends offers and benefits, you must be subscribed to our emails.

The event/class I want to book for appears to be sold out.

Check you are logged in first, and if it still says sold out then there are unfortunately no more places available. You could put your name down on our waiting list. Please contact our Friends team for events and our Engagement team for classes.

I can’t log in to my Scottish Ballet account/I need to reset my password.

Please make sure that you are entering your email address and password correctly and with no spaces. Our passwords are case sensitive.

If you need to reset your password, then we suggest the following steps:

  • Go to the login page and type in your email address, then leave the password box blank and click ‘forgotten/generate password’.
  • This will send you an automatic email with a link to click that will let you re-set your password on our website.
  • Follow the prompts to reset your password.

Please note, your password must be at least 6 characters long, and have one uppercase letter, one number, and one punctuation mark (special character). Your password won’t work if it has a space or underscore in it.

I want to upgrade from a Free Friend to become a Silver Friend. How do I do this?

We’d be delighted to have you as a Silver Friend! Find out more about upgrading your membership.

How do I change my email address, contact details or preferences?

You can change these details by logging into your account and changing them in the contact details section of your account page.

Please note that you must include County when filling out your address, otherwise you may receive an error message.

How do I book your online ballet classes?

Classes are sold by term and we will advertise the next on-sale date in advance here. You need to become a Free Friend to book most of these classes – excluding our Dance Health classes, for those with neurological conditions. When classes go on sale, Friends will be emailed a link to book the classes available.

Please note, you must become a Free Friend by 6pm the evening prior to on sale.

Our Silver and Gold Friends receive priority booking for our ballet classes and are able to book these ahead of Free Friends.

Do I need to become a Free Friend to book health classes?

No, you don’t need to become a Free Friend to book our health classes. You can discover more about our health classes here.

Can I book events/classes for my pals?

No, you can only book events and classes for yourself. If someone you know would also like to book, they will need to also become a Free Friend. Please note that using your Friends account to book classes for others will result in your order being cancelled.

I’m having problems making a donation.

We are sorry to hear this! Please contact Olivia Calder on olivia.calder@scottishballet.co.uk.

What are the differences between being a Free Friend and a Silver or Gold Friend?

Full details of the benefits of each level of our Membership programme are available on our Friends page.

I signed up to become a Free Friend but I’m not receiving any emails from Scottish Ballet.

Please check your spam/junk folders. If you can’t find our emails there, contact feedback@scottishballet.co.uk with your first name, surname and email address so we can investigate this further.

How do I cancel my Free Friends membership?

You can cancel your free membership by unsubscribing from any email you receive from Scottish Ballet or by going to your account and updating your email preferences. Please note it may take up to 72 hours to reflect in your account and you will still receive transaction emails about any upcoming classes or events you have booked with us.

Changes to Friends membership

The Scottish Ballet Friends programme had a makeover in July 2023, with new membership levels and price points. Have a look through our FAQs to find out what the new programme has to offer, why things are changing, and what this means for your membership.

When did the changes take place?

The new Friends programme came into effect on 1 July 2023. Any new or renewing membership purchased after this date will now follow the new pricing structure.

What does the pricing structure look like?

Young Friend (£2 a month / £24 a year) – Under 16s
Free Friend
Silver Friend (£5 a month / £60 a year)
Gold Friend (£20 a month / £250 a year)

What are the different benefits for the new levels?

Benefits Free Friend Silver Friend Gold Friend
In-person events at your local theatre
Online events
Exclusive access to book online and in-person ballet classes
E-news based on your interests, keeping you in the loop with our latest films, tours, classes, news and offers
10% discount on merchandise from our online shop for your birthday
Exclusive articles about life at Scottish Ballet
Enhanced in-person events at your local theatre, including the chance to get to know our dancers, and meet the teams who make us performance ready
Watch dancers in rehearsal at SB’s home in Glasgow
Priority booking for all events, classes and performances
A copy of Backstage, our company magazine full of in-depth features delivered to your door twice yearly
A personalised booking service for the winter tour, along with complimentary drinks with dancers and staff
Invitation to our magical onstage winter tour events
Complimentary tickets for online events
One souvenir programme of your choice, delivered to your door annually

I am already a Friend. How will this affect me?

If you had an existing Friend (£36) membership purchased before 1 July 2023, you will be treated as a Silver Friend for the remainder of your membership. You will then be invited to stay a Silver Friend at the new price point of £60 per year (£5 per month).

If you had an existing Family or Great Friend membership purchased before 1 July 2023, you are now a Silver Friend. Anything paid over the £60 Silver Friend membership fee will be treated as an optional additional donation to Scottish Ballet. You may also wish to become a Gold Friend.

If you had an existing Principal Friend membership purchased before 1 July 2023, you are now a Gold Friend.

If you had an existing Young Friend membership, there will be no changes to your membership fee.

Times are tough – why are you increasing my membership fee?

Scottish Ballet has not increased Friends membership fees for over eight years, yet we have added more and more benefits to our Friends programme, particularly over the last two years. After a great deal of quantitative and qualitative research, carried out by external companies and internally, the feedback we received on the new pricing structure was positive and in line with other Friends programmes in the performing arts.

The Friends programme has always been expensive to run and, as a charity, we have been looking for ways to reduce our costs and increase our income. Importantly, more of your annual fee will go towards the work of Scottish Ballet rather than administration costs. Delivering unique events and priority booking for classes and productions that bring you even closer to your national dance company will remain cornerstones of the programme.

I pay by Direct Debit. Will my monthly or annual payments be going up?

If you were already a Friend, your Direct Debit payments will stay the same for the remaining months of your existing membership. The month before you are due to renew, we will be in touch to let you know that your monthly or annual payments will be automatically going up to £5 per month or £60 per year, unless instructed otherwise. Please refer to the Direct Debit Guarantee on your confirmation letter for further details, which you would have received when you signed up. If you do not have this to hand, please get in touch and we can share this information with you.

If you were already a Family or Great Friend, there will be no change to your Direct Debit payments unless instructed otherwise. Anything paid over the £60 Silver Friend membership fee will be treated as an optional additional donation to Scottish Ballet.

If you were already a Principal or Young Friend, there will be no changes to your payments.

Is there another option if I am not in a position to become a Silver Friend right now?

We will also have the Free Friend level, which is completely free of charge. Please see the answers above for the different benefits for the new levels.

You may need to log in and update your contact permissions to ensure you hear from us as a Free Friend.

What do the Friends membership fees fund?

From 1 July 2023 onwards, our Friends as a collective fund new work. It might be a new winter season ballet, a short film or a one-act ballet, but the difference your combined fees make will be transformational for Scottish Ballet. It could mean the difference between a new work happening or not. As a collective, Scottish Ballet Friends play a crucial role in the company’s bold, creative aspirations.

Are there other ways to donate to Scottish Ballet?

There are lots of different ways you can donate! You may choose to support our annual appeals, or donate to any of our year-round funds (Shoe Fund, SB Health, Works on Screen and General Donations). Find out more about supporting Scottish Ballet.

If you have any further questions, please email friends@scottishballet.co.uk