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Legal stuff about street theatre performing

The pitches Leidseplein and Dam Square

The 'unwritten rules'

For busking street musicians

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1. Amsterdam City Council
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Documents

Gedoogbrief voice amplification
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Map forbidden streets
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The 'unwritten rules' of the shared pitches

Some have asked, but it is impossible to write down the 'unwritten rules' and how things are done practically on the shared performing pitches. But below we have tried to write some of it.

Lining up

In Amsterdam, two main pitches for street theatre are shared between performers: Leidseplein and Dam Square. Besides possibly needing a license, our own internal organization regulates how things are done practically, for as much as possible equal and fair mutual benefit, and best possible circumstancs for the shows. All performers playing the same spot respect eachother and this way of organization.

The 'unwritten rules'

First of all: we don't care if some street theatre performer is EU citizen or not, with or without a license. We simply do not agree with the distinction between EU and non-EU performers as the politicians created.

We do care about the following though, things you might want to know before:
We do a lotery to set the order of all the shows. Each performer picks a number from the hat, those numbers represent the order of the shows. Note this is an order, setting the sequence of the shows, it is NOT a specific time frame. This means, for example, if one performer bails or leaves before playing, performing times move up earlier.
This order stays also for a possible second round of the line-up.
If you want, you can swap numbers with someone else, but you keep that number also for the second round. Make sure the others know about it.
Lotery is done at 13:00 for the daytime performing, and 18:00 for the evening shows. If nobody 'new' shows up for the lotery of 18:00, we just keep the order of the 13:00 lotery. On 'high' days lotery might be already at 12:00. Be on time for the lotery; arriving after the lotery means you are at the end of the line-up.
If you perform before the lotery, make sure you are done and off the pitch before the lotery.
Bring your performing gear with you when you come for the lotery. If you pick number one in the lotery, you should play straightaway.
Leave your performing gear on the pitch untill you have performed. This will keep things clear for other performers. You should not perform anywhere else when lined up - if you can, why line up? Of course you can leave for the bathroom, something to eat, or a walk in the parc. Yes, we are human.
Be ready for the show when it is your turn. Keep in mind that other performers before could bail or decide to leave, so your times comes earlier. If you are not present when it is your turn, whenever that may be, you loose your turn, and you will move to the end of the line-up.
When it's your turn, keep your show within 45 minutes for on-and-off pitch. Everybody knows when cicumstances are difficult and one needs longer. When it's 'easy', please don't waste time. You can perform your show one time only, also if your show takes only 20 minutes.
If you bail, your turn is over and you move to the end of the line-up. Exception may be a heavy rain-out one minute after you started. After a bail, the next show should perform.
Please, have a show and an audience... These shared pitches are generally difficult to play, and no place for a beginner.
Be nice to the other performers, your audience and the surroundings. Keeping the pitch friendly and clean works in everybody's benefit! Be safe!

Note: the 'lotery system' does not always apply. In fact, recently, generally there has only been a normal line-up system, since the number of performers is far from excessive. If the pitch gets more crowdy, the lotery system might get in effect. This will be agreed with the current performers.

Further and mostly

These 'rules' are just a main outline. Things might change, to adapt to circumstances. On overcrowded or just 'good' days, things are sharper than when sharing between just two or three performers. Ask around how things are done, when you are on the pitch.

Keep in mind the intention of all this is to make things easy, clear and fair for all performers, to keep the pitch a pleasant place to perform. If you share this intention, you are totally welcome. Together we can make the pitch happening.


 

 
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straattheater, amsterdam, street theater, holland, street performing, the netherlands, busking, performing, license, vergunning, permit, ontheffing, sas, show, straatartiesten, streettheater, street artist, mime, clown, juggler, magician, living statue, unicyclist, acrobat, straatartiest, jongleur, levend standbeeld, acrobaat, performance, fire