Friends FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Renewing, cancelling, booking classes – and more
How do I know if I am a Free Friend?
Simply sign in to your account and make sure you 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 don’t want to receive emails – is that possible?
No. That’s because email is the only way we can let you know about Free Friends offers and benefits. But you can always sign in to your account to select only the updates you want.
I’m trying to book an event or class, but it’s sold out.
You need to be logged in to see Friends spaces, so it’s worth checking that first. If you still can’t see any places, 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.
It’s easy to reset your password:
- Go to the login page and type in your email address
- Leave the password box blank
- Click ‘forgotten/generate password’
- We’ll send you an email click the link to re-set your password
- Follow the prompts
I want to upgrade from a Free Friend to become a Silver or Gold Friend. Can I?
We’d love to have you as a Silver or Gold Friend – your existing login details will still work when you upgrade. Discover all the benefits, see how your support helps us and join here.
I need to change my email address, contact details or preferences. How?
Log into your account and visit the contact details section of your account. When you’re updating your address, you’ll need to include a county.
How do I book adult ballet classes?
To book, you need to become a Free Friend, Silver Friend or Gold Friend by 6pm the day before the class goes on sale. (Silver Friends and Gold Friends get priority access ahead of Free Friends.)
When classes go on sale at the beginning of each term, we’ll send you an email to let you know booking is open.
Our What’s On page is where you’ll find all our adult ballet classes, and you can book straight from there.
Do I need to be a Friend to book a Dance Health class?
No, you don’t need to become a Friend to book our health classes. You can discover more about our health classes here.
Can I book Friends events or classes for family or friends?
No, you can only book events and classes for yourself. If someone you know would also like to book, they will need to become a Friend too.
I’m having problems making a donation.
We can help – email Olivia Calder on olivia.calder@scottishballet.co.uk.
What are the differences between being a Free Friend and a Silver or Gold Friend?
In a word: access.
As a Free Friend you get lots of opportunities to book Friends-only events. As a Silver Friend you also get jump-the-queue access to book performances too – and as a Gold Friend you’ll add invitations to exclusive pre-show events, including the chance to go backstage before curtain up on our winter performance.
See the benefits and compare levels
I’m a Friend, but I’m not getting emails from Scottish Ballet.
It’s worth checking your spam or junk folders. If you find them there, simply add us as a contact, or mark one of our emails as ‘not junk’.
If you still can’t see our emails, we can help. Email feedback@scottishballet.co.uk from the account you registered with and include a note of your first name and surname.
How do I cancel my Free Friends membership?
Just click the ‘unsubscribe’ link in any of our emails. You can also login to your Scottish Ballet account update your email preferences. (It can take up to 72 hours to update your account.)
If you cancel your membership you will still receive emails about any transactions you’ve made, including upcoming classes or events you’ve booked.
Friends membership
How much does it cost?
| 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’s the difference between Friends 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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Email newsletter 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 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| In-person events at your local theatre, including the chance to hear from our dancers, and the rest of the team | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Watch dancers in rehearsal at our home in Glasgow | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Jump-the-queue booking for all events, classes and performances | ✓ | ✓ | |
| A copy of Backstage, our company magazine, delivered to your door every six months | ✓ | ✓ | |
| A priority, 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 every year, delivered straight to your door | ✓ |
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. We will then invite you to stay a Silver Friend at the new price of £60 a year (£5 a 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 are no changes to your membership fee.
Why are you increasing my membership fee?
Up to July 2023 we’d frozen our Friends fees for over eight years, and added more benefits. As a charity, we need to make sure we reduce our costs and protect our income, which is why we had to take a fresh look at fees. We still think they offer terrific value compared to similar programmes in the UK and around the world. Importantly, most of your Friends fee goes to support new work at Scottish Ballet – with a smaller amount going towards our administration costs.
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’ll get in touch to let you know your payments will be going up to £5 a month or £60 a year. Your original Direct Debit Guarantee still applies – we can send you a copy if you don’t have this to hand.
If you were already a Family or Great Friend, we won’t change your Direct Debit payments. We’ll treat anything you paid over the £60 Silver Friend membership as an optional additional donation to Scottish Ballet.
If you had an existing Principal or Young Friend membership, your fee stays the same as before.
I am not able become a Silver Friend right now. What are my options?
You can join as a Free Friend. You may need to log in and update your contact permissions to make sure you get your Free Friend emails, including details of when you can book classes and events.
What do my fees pay for?
The answer’s simple: they pay for our new work. That could mean a new winter season ballet, a short film or a one-act ballet.
Are there other ways to donate to Scottish Ballet?
Yes – you can 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.
