Purpose of policy

Oxford Playhouse is committed to being transparent about the information we hold on our audiences and users and making sure it is safe.

Using personal information allows us to develop a better understanding of our audiences and in turn to provide you with relevant and timely information about the work that we do. As a charity, it also helps us to engage with potential donors and supporters.

The purpose of this policy is to give you a clear explanation about how we collect and use your information. We do so in accordance with all applicable laws concerning the protection of personal information. This policy explains:

• What information we may collect about you
• How we may use that information
• In what situations we may disclose your details to third parties
• Our use of cookies to improve your use of our website
• Information about how we keep your personal information secure, how we maintain it and your rights to be able to access it.

The policy has been written with reference to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law, 2016, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation (PECR), 2003.

 Who we are

Oxford Playhouse’s official name is The Oxford Playhouse Trust. We are a charity, funded by Arts Council England, Oxford City Council and the University of Oxford. We also receive donations and grants from individuals, trusts, foundations and local businesses. The majority of our income (typically 70-80%) is earned through ticket sales, our bar and café, hires of our space and our local ticketing service, Tickets Oxford. We also earn income through our membership programmes for individuals and institutions, through sponsorship and through some of the learning and participation work we deliver.

Our registered charity number is 900039 and our registered company number is 2397373.

 How we collect your information

We collect information from you in several ways:

Information you give us

When you first register on our websites (Oxford Playhouse and Tickets Oxford), we ask you to give us relevant personal information such as your name, email address, postal address and telephone number. We then ask for information on the types of shows that you like and for your consent to be contacted. All this information is held on our secure box office system.

We also store information when you sign up to our mailing lists, buy tickets, reserve a place on a workshop, hire us for a function or make a donation.

You might freely provide us with specific information that is relevant to your future interactions with the Playhouse (such as any specific access needs you may have). We hold this information on your personal record on our box office system.

If you apply for a job with the Playhouse, we ask you to provide personal information, such as name, email address, postal address, telephone number, employment history and a reference.

Information about your interactions with us

When you visit our websites, we may collect information about how you interact with our content. We sometimes keep a record of communications we have sent you and, in the case of emails, we keep a record of which ones you have opened, and which links you have clicked on.

Information that is publicly available about you

We sometimes refer to publicly available information about individuals, particularly those who we think may be interested in donating to or supporting the Playhouse. We look at information which is freely available on websites including (but not limited to): newspaper sites, the charity commission and companies house websites, and the websites of other charities to which the individual has donated.

We seek this information to make sure that we are only making relevant, considered and respectful approaches to potential donors and asking for donations that are proportionate to their ability to give.

Information we receive about you from third parties

We sometimes receive information about you from third parties. For example, a visiting company may share information you have provided to them that is relevant to us. We always check with the company that it has gained your explicit consent before we receive your information.

Financial information

If you use your credit or debit card to purchase from us or to make a donation, our box office system and payment system ensures that this is carried out securely and in accordance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). We optionally allow you to store your card details for use in a future transaction. This is carried out in compliance with PCI-DSS and none of our staff members can see your full card number. We never store your 3 or 4 digit security code.

 If you send us your bank details to set up a regular payment, we do keep that information only for as long as necessary and we keep it securely, either in a locked room or password protected file.

Sensitive personal data

Data Protection law recognises that certain categories of personal information are more sensitive such as health information, race, religious beliefs and political opinions. We do not usually collect this type of information unless there is a clear reason for doing so, such as during recruitment (see chapter

How we use your information

We use your information to:

As a member of our audience

• Carry out our core service of providing you with a high-quality programme of theatre and performance. We look at attendance at the Playhouse to make sure we are continuing to offer work on our stages that appeals to our audience and reaches their expectations.
• Tell you about the programme that we have, highlighting those shows we think will particularly appeal to you.
• Provide you with excellent customer service that is relevant to your needs and preferences.
• Honour our contract with you when you buy a ticket from the Playhouse i.e. make sure as much as we can that you are able to attend and enjoy the show.
• Segment our audience into groups based on booking, attendance and donation patterns, this enables us to send relevant messages to you.
• Measure your responses to our various marketing methods so that we can ensure we are communicating effectively and efficiently.
• Make sure that we can cater to your individual needs, such as access requirements, and keep you safe whilst at the Playhouse.

As a current or potential user of other services that we provide (e.g. individual membership of the Playhouse, our room hire and catering service, our programme of workshops for children and adults etc)

• Ascertain whether you will find it relevant and useful to know about these services
• Keep you informed of these services, including special offers etc.
• Make sure we can honour the contract if you do decide to take up one of our services.

As a current or potential donor or supporter of the Playhouse

• Make considered and appropriate approaches to you around donating or supporting the Playhouse, based on your previous interactions with us.
• Keep you updated on the projects to which you have donated.
• Inform you about important developments at the Playhouse, for example, updates on fundraising campaigns, future productions etc.

As a current or potential employee or volunteer

• If you are applying to work at the Playhouse, your personal information helps us with the recruitment process and to assess whether you are the right candidate for the role.
• If you work or volunteer for the Playhouse, your personal information helps us to honour the terms of the contract we have with you.

As part of our recruitment process, we ask all candidates to fill in an equal opportunity monitoring form, giving information on age, ethnicity, gender etc. These forms help us to make sure we are an equal opportunities employer. The information they contain is kept anonymous.

As a Tickets Oxford customer

• Honour our contract with you and our Tickets Oxford client when you buy a ticket for their performances.
• Pass on your information to the Tickets Oxford client so that they have the information they need to honour their contract with you.
• Tell you about our client’s events, highlighting those we think will particularly appeal to you.

When we seek your consent

We require your explicit and clear consent for some of the ways in which we use your information. This chapter sets out where:

• we seek your consent before we use your information; or
• we have a good reason to use your information and consent is not required; or
• we have a legal obligation to use your information and should not seek your consent.

Where we seek your consent:

• For emailing you with marketing information about our upcoming theatre programme or other services that the Playhouse offer.
• For emailing you with marketing information about Tickets Oxford events.
• For sharing your data with other arts organisations so that they send you marketing information (see chapter 6).
• For emailing you to request a donation or with any information on fundraising.

Where we have good reason and consent is not required

• For posting you information about performances or services that are similar to those you have seen/used in the past.
• For looking at the information you provide so we can understand your interests, needs and preferences and give you a good customer service.
• For looking at publicly available information about you where we are considering whether it is appropriate to approach you for a donation.
• For sharing your information with Tickets Oxford clients so that they can honour their contract with you and, through analysis of all the data we provide, gain a better understanding of their audience (see chapter 6).
• For writing to you with information on fundraising campaigns, or to request a donation, having ascertained that it is appropriate to approach you.

Where we have a legal obligation:

• In the honouring of any contract we make with you- be that as an employee, service user or audience member.
• To keep you safe and healthy when you are at the Playhouse.

When we share your information

There are a few circumstances in which we may share your personal information with third parties. They are:

• To any organisations that we contract to hold and process data on our behalf (i.e. our box office system providers). In these cases, we make sure that the organisation complies with our instructions and with data protection law.
• If ever we are legally obliged to share information (for example to law enforcement agencies).
• If you book through Tickets Oxford, we will share your data with our client so that they can honour their contract with you (i.e. ensure you get to and enjoy the performance for which you have bought a ticket). They can also use your data to gain a better understanding of their audiences overall, through analysis, but they cannot keep your data for any longer than is strictly necessary to fulfil these aims. They cannot use your data for any other purposes and can only send you marketing information if you have given explicit consent. Our clients are responsible for ensuring they comply with data protection when handling and storing your personal information.
• We sometimes share anonymised data with funders if required for monitoring purposes. For example, we may share the number of people from a certain post-code who attended a certain performance etc.

Where we store your information and how we keep it safe

We store our audience’s personal information electronically on our box office system. We also hold personal information on our staff, donors, members and participants electronically on our internal shared drive and physically within our offices. To keep your information safe, we:

• Have carefully selected a reputable service provider for our box office system who have a robust system for protecting personal data and recognise their responsibility for doing so.
• Created password protected folders on our internal shared drive so that only the members of staff who need to are able to access your information.
• Put all physical information held on you in locked cabinets or rooms.

How we maintain your information and the rights you have to it.

We store box office information about our audiences indefinitely so that we can link all your interactions with us to your single, unique record. We try to keep your information as accurate as possible and will periodically contact you to check it is correct. We review the information we store on you every year to check that it is necessary for us to continue keeping it and that it is stored securely. Every 2-3 years we will also ask you to update your consent preferences.

You have the right to control what information we hold about you and how we use it. This includes the right to request a copy of the information we hold on you, or to ask that the information is permanently erased, as long as your request does not go against any legal duties we have.

You can request to see, or erase your information, in writing to: Paddy Chatterton, Data Protection Office, Oxford Playhouse, 11-12 Beaumont Street, OX1 2LW, or email paddy.chatterton@oxfordplayhouse.com. It will take us up to 30 days to respond to your request and we may ask you to bring in proof of ID so that we can verify you.  

If you have created a user account with the Playhouse, you can log in and check/make changes to your personal information and to the consent you have given us at any time.

Holding information on young people or vulnerable adults.

When working with children, young people and vulnerable adults we make sure the information we hold on them complies with our Safeguarding Policy

• Personal information on children under 16 and vulnerable adults is only obtained and stored with consent from parent/guardian.
• Personal information is stored electronically in our box office system or in password protected folders, physical information is kept in locked cabinets.
• Physical copies of personal information are destroyed safely no more than two years after an activity or performance has taken place. Electronic records such as registers and participation forms are deleted no more than five years after an activity or performances has taken place.
• Information is used to track the progression of participants through activities and to share relevant information regarding similar participatory opportunities.

Photography

We occasionally take photographs of performances, audiences and participants for monitoring and marketing purposes.

We ask for explicit consent before taking and using photographs when:

• It is for an activity that participants have specifically enrolled for, such as a holiday workshop or course. We ask for consent as part of the enrolment process
• Where vulnerable children or adults are involved.
• Where school children are involved, with permission being sought via the school.

When we wish to take photographs of audiences, be that watching a performance or mingling in our theatre, we make them aware of the fact by displaying visible notices. If an individual does not wish to be photographed they are encouraged to tell the photographer or a member of staff.

Cookies

A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes a unique identifier that is sent to your computer browser from a website's computer and is stored on your computer's hard drive. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a website to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.

We use cookies throughout the booking process on our website and also to enhance your use of our website. We check with all new users that they are happy for us to use cookies.

 How to get in touch

If you have any questions or concerns arising from this policy and relating to the way in which we are managing your information then please contact Paddy Chatterton, Development Director, paddy.chatterton@oxfordplayhouse.com / 01865 305314.

If you want to change the information held on your account, simply log in at home or contact box office on 01865 305305.