OPERA2DAY

SOCIÉTÉ DES CLAQUEURS

Become an ‘unconditional friend’ of OPERA2DAY

In the heyday of French opera theatre took place not only on the stage, but also in the hall, as happened with the performances in The Hague. Groups of audience members who fuelled the applause (so-called claqueurs) sat in the hall, and incited the audience to laughter (rieurs), to crying (pleureurs, mostly women with handkerchiefs), and were directed by the chefs de claque (leaders of the applause). With such enthusiastic supporters, the success of the productions was of course ensured.  

Tongue in cheek, the association of the friends of OPERA2DAY salutes this tradition. By becoming a member of the Société des Claqueurs you prove your unconditional support for the company and its projects. 

The Société des Claqueurs is made up of:

Supporters
They support OPERA2DAY with an amount of their choice, for which we are very grateful.
Donate

 

Claqueur € 100 a year
The ‘claqueurs’ were the people who fuelled the applause during the performances. As an OPERA2DAY claqueur you warmly support our company. Therefore we wish to closely involve you in our activities. To thank you for your support you will receive:
- our special Société news letter, in which we inform you of our productions and projects before everyone else
- special promotions for friends
- as well as a badge – to make you recognisable among the audience :-)
Register

Rieur et Pleureur € 250 a year
The ‘rieurs’ laughed loudest at the jokes in the generally comic operas, whereas the ‘pleureurs’, as true actors among the audience, wiped away a tear during the beautiful arias. As an OPERA2DAY Rieur et Pleureur you stay with our company through thick and thin. Therefore we wish to closely involve you in our activities. To thank you for your support you will receive:
- our special Société news letter, in which we inform you of our productions and projects before everyone else
- special promotions for friends
- a look behind the scenes, an invitation to an open rehearsal or other special Société activity
- as well as a badge – to make you recognisable among the audience :-)
Register

Chef de Claque € 500 a year
The ‘Chef de Claque’ signalled the claqueurs when to clap. They were thus the ones who led the applause and knew the operas best. As a Chef de Claque of OPERA2DAYyou are a true pillar of support for the company. Therefore we wish to closely involve you in our activities. To thank you for your support you will receive:
- our special Société news letter, in which we inform you of our productions and projects before everyone else
- special promotions for friends
- a look behind the scenes, an invitation to an open rehearsal or other special Société activity
- as well as a badge – to make you recognisable among the audience :-)
Register

Commissaire € 1000 a year

Unbeknownst to the public, the entire netword of “involved” audience members was directed by the Commissaire. The commissaire knew the opera’s by heart, knowing exactly when the audience was supposed to cry or laugh. As a commissaire you are a true ambassador and close friend to our company. To thank you for your support you will receive
- six tickets for one of our productions
- an annual invitation to an exclusive introduction and drinks at one of our productions
- our special Société news letter, in which we inform you of our productions and projects before everyone else
- special promotions for friends
- a look behind the scenes, an invitation to an open rehearsal or other special Société activity
- as well as a badge – to make you recognisable among the audience :-)

 

ENCORE …!
A friend for five years: more for less

The Dutch government makes it attractive to donate to culture. Your donation plus 25% is tax-deductible. For once-only donations to so-called ANBI-foundations, however, there is a threshold, which means that many people do not experience this tax benefit. The threshold does not apply for donations over five years or more, they are always advantageous. For example, a gift of 100 may cost you just 35 a year.

OPERA2DAY is an Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling (ANBI). This implies that donations to our registered foundation are tax-deductible. It also means that OPERA2DAY does not have to pay tax on the donations it receives and that the total sum of the donation can go directly into opera productions themselves.
If you subscribe for one year (and afterwards renew your subscription annually) then a tax-deductible threshold of € 60 exists, or 1% of your total income if that is more. What you donate in addition to this is deductible. Your donations can be increased by 25%, so if you buy a claqueur membership for € 100, € 125 is tax-deductible. If you donate to several charities, check out the exact regulations a the belastingdienst website as there is also a maximum deduction for one-time donations.

If you immediately become a friend for five years or more and sign a commitment, the whole donation (without limit) is tax-deductible, raised by 25%. In an extreme case in the 52% tax bracket, this results in the following:

Claqueur: you pay € 100 per year. This is tax-deductible to the value of € 125. You receive up to € 65 back in your tax return. One donation costs you therefore € 35 per year.
Rieur et Pleureur: you pay € 250 per year. This is tax-deductible to the value of € 312,50. You receive up to € 162,50 back in your tax return. Your donation costs you therefore € 159 per year.
Chef de Claque: you pay € 1.000 per year for two people. This is tax-deductible to the value of € 1.250. You receive up to € 650 back in your tax return. Your donation costs you therefore € 350 per year.

It is thus attractive to join in a higher category since it does not actually cost you much more. If you donate a lot to charities, then this five-year donation is also of interest since there is no maximum threshold for your total tax-deduction.
Therefore: sign up for five years. It will cost you less in the long run but gives OPERA2DAY a structurally more stable foundation. OPERA2DAY has foundation status and is therefore not required to pay tax on donations, so your gift goes fully into the opera productions themselves.

Answers to your questions and a sample contract can be obtained by sending an email to relaties@opera2day.nl.

Register for the Société des Claqueurs


Illustration of a scene by Couperus’ Eline Vere. During a performance of Carmen, a fight started in the audience between the claqueurs en pleureurs who supported the tenor who sang Don José, and the subscribers who considered the singer playing Escamillo to be the real star. In the end, the two singers fought not only for Carmen and the beauty who sang this role, but also went to arms against each other with ‘Spanish daggers’.

 
On Thursday 6 September 1838, a performance of the opera La Juive by Halévy had to be cancelled. Star-tenor Raguenot refused to perform anymore, in protest against the audience claquers who were in support of one of the female singers. The performance was cancelled at the very last minute: audience and musicians stand in turmoil outside the Schouwburg.

 

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    OPERA2DAY’s production is a triumph of the imagination over limited resources

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