Data Privacy Statement

The Württemberg Staatstheater Stuttgart take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We only process personal data when you use particular offers or services. As an institution of the state of Baden-Württemberg, we assure you that your personal data will be treated as confidential according to the terms of applicable data protection law and will not be shared with third parties for advertising purposes. External service providers are strictly bound by contract as processors as defined by data protection law and are not considered third parties in regard to data protection law.

According to Art. 13 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are required to provide you with comprehensive information regarding the handling of your data and on your rights. The following Statement will provide you with a summary of how we ensure the protection of your personal data as well as our reporting requirements with regard to the handling of personal data.
1. Ticket, Gift Certificate and Merchandise sales, as well as Subscriptions
a) Processing of personal data
During a binding order, the acquisition of tickets and gift certificates as well as merchandise in the scope of a telephone or written order, as well as with online sales, we process the following personal data in association with your account number:

  • salutation
  • Last name, first name, degree (if applicable)
  • Address
  • Email address (if you have ordered electronically)
  • Telephone number if necessary (to contact you in the event of a performance cancelation or change)
  • Bank details (for payment with Debit or EC-Card. For security reasons, credit card numbers are not stored)
  • Consent to periodically receive information regarding our performance schedule and current events via the Staatstheater Stuttgart newsletter or via the uni@staatstheater newsletter and mailings.
  • Additional customer characteristics (such as references to publications, the Schauspielcard, mailings)
  • Tickets booked with performance date, event, seats, price, number of tickets.
  • Payment method, blocked for delinquent payers
  • Reasons for discounts (such as discount tickets for children, apprentices, students, unemployed patrons, or due to a disability). We use this information to calculate the discounted ticket price and save the reason in order to verify discount eligibility, for example admission with valid ID.
  • Special qualifications (support organization member, Schauspielcard holder, household members as well as retirees)
  • Notes (for distinctive features of the sale, such as ticket pickup)
  • Gift certificates and merchandise products purchased online.

Furthermore, the following personal data is processed during the respective purchasing orders:

  • For print@home tickets, the full name and date of birth of the actual attendee. This is re-quired by VVS guidelines to generate the personalized VVS KombiTicket for print@home tickets. The data is transmitted to EOS UPTRADE GmbH, the IT service provider employed by the SSB, in order to generate the required barcode and is stored there for half a year before it is deleted.
  • For premium gift certificates, your personalized text.

In the scope of a subscription agreement, we process the following personal data in association with your subscription number:

  • salutation
  • Last name, first name, degree (if applicable)
  • Address
  • Email address and telephone number if necessary (to contact you in the event of a performance cancelation or change)
  • Bank details (for payment with Debit Card)
  • Tickets booked with subscription series, performance date, event, seats, price, number of tickets, exchanges, gift certificates
  • Payment method, blocked for delinquent payers
  • Additional customer characteristics (such as references to publications, the Schauspielcard)

For online sales, you must initially register with your prefix, your first and last name, your mailing address and your email address. This data serves to identify you when logging into your account in order to display and, if necessary, send you your tickets, as well as to process payments. Providing your telephone number is optional and we will use it to reach you as quickly as possible in the event of questions and changes to performances.
When you pay with credit card or SEPA Direct Debit, you will be routed to our external payment provider TeleCash via an encrypted connection. The TeleCash Data Privacy Statement is available at https://www.telecash.de/datenschutz/. When using PayPal all transactions are subject to the PayPal data privacy statement, available at https://www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full?locale.x=de_DE.
We have commissioned the service provider CTS EVENTIM Solutions GmbH, Contrescarpe 75 A, 28195 Bremen, to operate our ticket purchasing system, including subscription management, as well as our online shop. This provider operates as an order processer for the Staatstheater Stuttgart and we have contracted with them in accordance with data protection regulations pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR. CTS EVENTIM Solutions GmbH is ISO 27001 and BSI C5 certified. In the course of online sales, the service provider collects your IP address and metadata to facilitate network communication and security. You can find more information in section 2.1.1 of the data privacy statement on the CTS EVENTIM Solutions GmbH website, available at: https://www.eventim.de/help/data-protection/

We have commissioned the shipping provider Bernd Hörtkorn Versandservice GmbH, Industriestraße 14, 71272 Renningen, for the purpose of sending letters and publications, and have contracted with them in accordance with data protection regulations pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR. This service provider is obligated to delete address data following shipment.

Of course, you can use cash to purchase tickets, gift certificates and merchandise directly from the main box office or the box offices of the performance venues without having your personal data stored.


b) Purposes and Lawful Bases of Storage
We store your personal data in accordance with Article 6(1) GDPR for the following purposes:
  • For the performance of a contract and in order to take steps prior to entering into a contract (Article 6(1) lit. b GDPR): to process your order, your purchase (including associated VVS combo tickets) or your subscription, as well as to inform you of possible performance changes and cancellations with short notice.
  • On the basis of your consent (Article 6(1) lit. a GDPR): to periodically send you information regarding our performance schedule and events via newsletter and mailings. You can revoke your consent at any time by clicking on the appropriate checkmark during your next online purchase or by sending your cancellation request to the following email address: tickets@staatstheater-stuttgart.de or by mailing Staatstheater Stuttgart, Verkauf und Abonnement, Postfach 10 43 45, 70038 Stuttgart.
  • On the basis of legitimate interests for customer service/ direct marketing purposes (Article 6(1) lit. f GDPR): to make you aware of our events and promotions via occasionally targeted emails and mailings. Your personal data required for this will be stored until you object to its processing for the aforementioned purpose. Please direct your objection to: tickets@staatstheater-stuttgart.de or by mailing Staatstheater Stuttgart, Verkauf und Abonnement, Postfach 10 43 45, 70038 Stuttgart.
  • For the performance of a legal obligation (Article 6(1) lit. c GDPR): to document your purchase and your existing subscription for a period of 10 years following the end of the current year, pursuant to the record retention periods determined by commercial law (§§ 147 AO, 257 HGB). At the end of the retention period, we delete or anonymize your customer data. In the event of your request for cancellation, your customer account will be saved for further use until the end of the retention period and all personal data not required for documentation will be deleted.
2. Use of additional offers on our website
While visiting our website, we will only process personal data if you use particular offers or services. If you provide personal data within our online services, then this is always done voluntarily.

a) Newsletter
We keep you updated on us and our current events with the newsletters of Staatsoper Stuttgart, Stuttgart Ballet, Schauspiel Stuttgart and the Staatstheater Stuttgart as well as the newsletter "Junges Publikum". Newsletters will only be periodically emailed to you if you have subscribed to them at the "Newsletter" link on our home page. When you first subscribe you will receive an email prompting you to confirm your subscription. You will only be subscribed to the newsletter after activating the link. This helps us ensure that you don’t receive unwanted emails from us.

With the confirmation email, you consent to the electronic storage of your email address to receive the periodic newsletter pursuant to Art. 6(1) lit. a GDPR. And your email address will only be used for this purpose. When subscribing to the newsletter you will also have the option of providing an address that doesn’t allow for determination of your identity. You can cancel the newsletter and revoke your consent at any time by using the link in the emails you receive. You will only incur transmission costs based on your basic rate charges. Your email address will then be automatically removed from the mailing list.

b) Publication Ordering
On our website as well as on other forms, we offer you the opportunity to order our periodic publications (for example the yearbook, the monthly performance schedule, Reihe 5). By ordering, you consent to the processing of your data for a subscription to these periodic publications in accordance with Art 6(1) lit. a GDPR. For the distribution of our publications, we employ service providers who are contractually obligated to comply with data protection.

If you have also consented to the use of your data for informational and customer service related purposes in accordance with Art. 6(1) lit. a GDPR, we will periodically send you information regarding our performance schedule and current events via newsletter and mailings. You can revoke your consent at any time. Please direct cancelation requests for wanting to unsubscribe from the publications or information services to the following email address: publikationen@staatstheater-stuttgart.de or by mailing Staatstheater Stuttgart, Publikationen, Postfach 10 43 45, 70038 Stuttgart. Your data will then be deleted from the mailing list(s).

c) Contacting us
If you contact us via our contact forms or an informal email, you consent to the electronic storage of your data in accordance with Art. 6(1) lit. a GDPR for the purpose of replying to and documenting your inquiry. Of course your data will be treated as confidential, will only be used for these purposes and will not be shared with third parties.

d) Preview Club Oper Stuttgart
The Oper Stuttgart offers adolescents and young adults between ages 16 and 30 the opportunity to attend free dress rehearsals and to stay updated on special promotions as Preview Club Members. You’ll find the application form for membership available to download from our website. By submitting your signed application, you consent to the processing of your data for the purpose of contact and for sending information regarding the performance schedule in accordance with Art. 6(1) lit. a GDPR. Of course your data will be treated as confidential, will only be used for these purposes and will not be shared with third parties. If you no longer wish to participate in Preview Club events, you can revoke your consent at any time. Please direct your cancelation request to the following email address: preview@staatstheater-stuttgart.de. Your data will then be deleted from the Preview Club Oper Stuttgart’s membership list.

e) Application as an Extra
If you would like to apply to be an extra, you can find an application form to download on our website. Your application data will then be included in our extra casting database. Of course your data will be treated as confidential, will only be used for the purposes of extra casting and will not be shared with third parties. With your application, you hereby agree to the processing of your data (including photos) in accordance with Art. 6(1) lit. a GDPR for the purposes of extra casting for the Staatstheater Stuttgart. You can revoke your consent at any time if you no longer wish to be available for extra casting. Please direct your cancelation request to the following email address: statisterie@staatstheater-stuttgart.de. Your data will then be deleted from the extra casting database.

f) Requests for Internships
You can make a request for an internship via a form on our website by uploading the completed form to our cloud service. Of course your data will be treated as confidential, will only be used for these purposes and will not be shared with third parties. For artistic interships ("Hospitanz") we offer application via e-mail. You hereby agree to the processing of your data in accordance with Art. 6(1) lit. a GDPR for request purposes. You can revoke your consent at any time if you are no longer interested in an internship request. Please direct your objection to the following email address: bewerbung@staatstheater-stuttgart.de. The form or e-mail with your data will then be deleted.

g) Employment Application / Jobs
If you apply for a job, we use your data to contact you or to evaluate your qualification and skills regarding the offered job. The provision of the personal data is necessary for a rightful selection process. Missing relevant personal data may lead to the exclusion from the selection process. As described here, we use your personal data in accordance with Art. 6 (1) (e) i. c. w. (3) DS-GVO, i. c. w. Art. 15 Landesdatenschutzgesetz BW i. c. w. Art. 83 – 85 a Landesbeamtengesetz BW. Recipients of the personal data are the responsible members of the human resources department and the employee committee if necessary. If your application is rejected, your personal data will be deleted after six months, as long as we do not need to store it longer for the defence of legal claims or if you explicitly agree to an extended period of storage. In case of a successful job application the respective documents become part of your personnel file.
3. Visiting our Website
We have configured our website so that you can visit it anonymously:

a) Usage Data
In order to identify statistics on the frequency of visits to our home page, the following datasets of our website visitors are stored with the provider Globalways and deleted after no later than a year:
  • URL and port
  • IP address (condensed to the last byte)
  • Date and time
  • Files that are loaded
  • The referrer, meaning the page that linked to ours
  • The software version used by your browser to connect
By condensing your IP address, we permit anonymous use of our websites. User profiles based on IP addresses are therefore not possible. The individual entries in the log files no longer allow the possibility of determining an individual person’s identity.

We have commissioned the service provider spiritec GmbH, Valentin-Linhof-Str. 2, 81829 München, for the technical creation and support of our websites and web hosting, and have contracted with them in accordance with data protection regulations pursuant to Art. 28 GDPR.

b) User Tracking
In order to continually optimize our web presence, we employ a web analysis tool from the company etracker GmbH from Hamburg to analyze usage data. For this purpose, data is compiled, processed and stored, in order to create a pseudonymous user profile.

This process employs cookies that enable a statistical analysis of the use of our website by our visitors. Cookies are small text files that are saved by the internet browser on the user’s terminal device. etracker cookies contain no information that would allow for identification of the user. The etracker generated data is exclusively processed and stored in Germany by etracker on behalf of the website provider and is subject to strict German and European data privacy laws and standards. To that effect, etracker has been independently audited, certified and awarded the ePrivacyseal from ePrivacy. Additional information on data privacy with etracker can be found here.

The data processing is conducted on the lawful basis of Art. 6(1) lit. f (legitimate interest) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Our legitimate interest consists in optimizing our online offerings and our web presence. Since the privacy of our visitors is particularly important to us, an IP address is anonymized with etracker as early as possible and login or device identifiers are converted by etracker to a distinct but not personally attributable key. Additional use, consolidation with other data or transmission to third parties is not carried out by etracker.

You may object to the aforementioned data processing at any time, insofar as it is carried out on an individual basis. You will experience no negative consequences as the result of your objection. You will only incur transmission costs based on your basic rate charges.

Exercise your right of objection


c) Cookies
We only utilize cookies that are mandatory for offering services on our website. When visiting Staatstheater sites, a session cookie is used to hold the identity of the browser session on your computer and is deleted after the end of your browser session. This information will not be available during future browser sessions. It is not possible to reference the identify of the user.
In order for you to use the virtual shopping cart on our sales module, a cookie is utilized in the ordering process to track your individual orders. This cookie is automatically deleted after a maximum of 30 minutes or at the end of your order. However you can also set up your browser to not accept cookies in general. Please be aware that certain web features may not be technologically available when cookies are deactivated.
4. Visiting our Social Media Pages and other services
The Staatsoper Stuttgart, Stuttgart Ballet, Schauspiel Stuttgart and the Staatstheater Stuttgart also have presences on online social networks (Facebook, Instagram, X). On our website, you’ll find links to these sites displayed as icons. To protect your data, the links are configured so that the social media platforms obtain no personal data from us, as long as you are only viewing our page.

As soon as you open these links to the Facebook, Instagram and X your IP address and browsing behavior will likely be transmitted to Meta Platforms and X corp. We would like to point out that as a website provider we receive no information on the content of transmitted data or its usage by Facebook, Instagram and X.

The following personal data is processed in connection with our social media websites: the data you have made publicly available using the services mentioned above, in particular your first and last names, biographical information, age, user name, user URL, profile picture, information from your profile page, such as timelines, comments or user interactions on our profile, the content of communications (in messages or comments, for example) or other media content you have shared with us, are sharing with us or have otherwise divulged. Via the application functions, we receive aggregated, anonymized statistical data on profile users such as page impressions, countries of origin or whether content was liked or not. In the course of advertising on Facebook, we also receive demographic, aggregated information on Facebook users.

To obtain further information, we refer you to the data privacy statements of Facebook, Instagram and X.

Please be aware that the respective privacy and usage terms of these companies are effective for registration and use of such online networks. If you are logged into Facebook, Instagram and X at that point, then your visit to our pages, as well as all of your interactions in connection with social plugins (for example, clicking on “Like” buttons, commenting, etc.), can be attributed to your profile and stored by those social networks. To prevent those social media networks from collecting data from your visit to our online content, log out prior to visiting our page. Even if you do not have a profile, it is still possible that they are storing your IP address.

The Staatsoper Stuttgart and the Stuttgarter Ballett operate WhatsApp channels in order to provide information regarding the performance schedule or ticket availability. There is no direct communication with individual users. We particularly cannot see a telephone number or profile name. We have no influence on data processing that takes place while using WhatsApp. You alone are responsible for choosing to use the service in the form it is offered. The WhatsApp messenger service is offered and operated by WhatsApp Ireland Limited, Merrion Road, Dublin 4, D04 X2K5, Ireland. Responsibility for data protection lies with this company alone. The company is owned by Meta Platforms, Inc., 1601 Willow Road, 94025 Menlo Park, USA. Please refer to the provider‘s data privacy statement. You have the option to customize your data processing when using WhatsApp. To do so, use the privacy preferences within the app.

Additionally our site may link to or embed YouTube videos. We would like to point out that data is transmitted to YouTube when a video is started and that as a website provider we receive no information on the content of transmitted data or its usage by YouTube. The provider of youtube is Google Ireland Limited. But personal data could also be transferred to the US parent company Google LLC.

We have included an interactive Google map of our location on our Service page. We would like to point out that data is transmitted to Google when you view the page and that as a website provider we receive no information about the content of transmitted data or its use by Google. To obtain further information, we refer you to the data privacy statement of Google.

Note regarding the processing of personal data in the USA:
The European Commission’s latest adequacy decision for the USA on 10 July 2023 permits transfer to self-certified US organizations currently listed on a US Department of Commerce registry. This list can be accessed at https://www.dataprivacyframework.gov/s/. Meta Platforms as well as X Corp. and Google LLC are included on this list.
5. Measures for Protecting Your Data
We take technical and organizational precautions to protect your data as thoroughly as possible. In addition to an obligation on the part of our employees to comply with data protection and a meticulous selection process for service providers, we have also appropriately secured our operating environment. We have the security of our web presence and our sales program reviewed by external experts.   

We utilize an encryption process to protect against unwanted access. This is mainly valid for when you transmit payment data for ticket purchasing. Your information is transmitted over the internet using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption. You’ll recognize this by noticing that the lock symbol on your browser’s status bar is locked and the address bar begins with “https://www.”. Your browser will automatically recognize our security certificate.

We would like to point out that it is not possible to completely protect data from access by third parties in communication via email. We therefore recommend that you use a password to protect files with sensitive personal or confidential data.
6. Your Rights
In accordance with Art. 15 GDPR, you have the right, via written request, to receive information on stored data pertaining to you, and if applicable to request its rectification pursuant to Art. 16 GDPR, its erasure pursuant to Art. 17 GDPR or a restriction of processing pursuant to Art. 18 GDPR. However, erasure shall be excluded if legal retention periods exist. In accordance with Art. 20 GDPR, you have the right to data portability.

In accordance with Art. 21(3) GDPR, you have the right to object to data processing for customer service/direct marketing purposes. You can direct your objection via informal notice at any time to: tickets@staatstheater-stuttgart.de or Staatstheater Stuttgart, Verkauf und Abonnement, Postfach 10 43 45, 70038 Stuttgart. The processing of your personal data required for contract performance purposes and the resulting retention periods under commercial law cannot be validly objected.

Please direct inquiries related to data protection to our Data Protection Officer, Frau Michaela Klapka, at the following email address: datenschutz@staatstheater-stuttgart.de or at Württembergische Staatstheater Stuttgart, Frau Michaela Klapka, Oberer Schloßgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart.

Pursuant to Article 77 GDPR, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the appropriate supervisory authority and to claim the rights specified in Articles 78 GDPR and 79 GDPR.

Exercising your rights as listed above is free of charge to you.
7. Contact Information
We reserve the right to modify our data protection and security measures should this become necessary for legal requirements or technical developments. In such cases we will also appropriately adjust our notes on data protection. You should regularly visit this website to stay updated on the current state of the Data Privacy Statement.
Effective: April 22, 2024