Theatre: questions and answers

The tonight page lists every show on our calendar tonight by start time, and the calendar lets you filter by day, city and kind of show. We are starting with North Rhine-Westphalia, Leipzig and Dresden, and check the programmes every day. →

Musicals play in houses of their own: Starlight Express at the Starlight Express Theater in Bochum, the Musical Dome next to Cologne's main station and the Capitol Theater in Düsseldorf. Musicals on tour and family musicals at the city theatres come on top. The calendar shows which titles are running. →

Most shows are in German. Operas are often sung in the original language with surtitles, and for ballet, dance, circus and variety the language hardly matters. Whether a house offers English surtitles is on the show's page or with the house. →

Most city theatres take a summer break of several weeks, usually in July and August, and the new season starts in September. Musical houses, variety theatres and summer stages often keep playing, and spring and summer bring festivals. →

Ask about concessions: pupils, students and trainees pay a lot less at many houses, often at short notice at the evening box office when seats are left. Weekday shows and seats further back cost less. Buy from the theatre's box office or website; resale sites often charge more than face value. →

A Abo (subscription) is a package of several performances in a season with a fixed seat and a discount, often for a fixed weekday or a genre. You don't need one: single tickets are on sale for almost every show. A subscription pays off if you go regularly. →

Musicals, Weihnachtsmärchen, opera premieres and weekend evenings at the big houses sell out early, so book those ahead. Plays and smaller stages often have seats until the day itself, sometimes at the evening box office.

At some houses the ticket doubles as a fare for local public transport on the day of the show: at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, for example, across the Rhine-Ruhr transport area (VRR). It differs from house to house, so check the ticket or ask the house. →

Most evening shows start at 7:30 or 8 p.m., and weekend and family matinees at 3 or 4 p.m. Doors often open about an hour earlier; at musicals it pays to arrive early because of the bag check. →

No. Most people wear what they would wear to a nice dinner, and jeans are fine. At opera evenings and premieres you see more suits and evening dresses, but it is not usually required. →

Latecomers are often let in only at the interval or another suitable break, and sometimes not at all. Allow time for the journey, the cloakroom and the toilets. →

Coats, jackets and large bags are often handed in at the cloakroom, at some houses for a small fee. Ask at the entrance whether the cloakroom is compulsory. →

At the end there is usually long applause until the curtain has opened several times; standing ovations are kept for special nights. At opera premieres you sometimes hear boos, mostly for the director. That is part of the culture and not meant personally. →

Check the age recommendation on the show's page, such as “from 4 years”. The children's and youth stages of the city theatres and houses such as the Theater der Jungen Welt in Leipzig make plays for young audiences, and afternoon shows suit families best. Children usually need a ticket of their own. →

A Weihnachtsmärchen is a fairy-tale play for children and families in Advent that many city theatres stage, usually from mid-November until just before Christmas. The Nutcracker, Christmas musicals and winter shows come on top. →

Most houses have wheelchair spaces; ask at the box office before you book which seats suit you best and whether companions get a concession. Some houses offer performances with sign language, audio description or surtitles. The show's page has the dates where the house gives them. →

Shows come from the houses' own programmes. A ranking puts forward the highlights by house, performers and date; nothing is hand-picked yet. Nobody pays to be listed or picked.