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| Dutch Performing Arts Employers (NBB) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dutch Performing Arts Employers (NBB) |
| Native name | Nederlandse Toneel- en Danswerkgeversbond |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Headquarters | Amsterdam |
| Location | Netherlands |
| Membership | theatre companies, dance companies, orchestras, festivals |
| Leader title | Director |
Dutch Performing Arts Employers (NBB) is a Netherlands-based employers' association representing professional performing arts institutions including theatre, dance, music and festivals. It operates at the intersection of labor relations, cultural policy and arts management, engaging with trade unions, municipalities and national ministries to shape working conditions and sectoral frameworks. The NBB liaises with major performing arts organizations, cultural funds and European networks to negotiate collective agreements and advise on sectoral funding and governance.
The NBB traces roots to interwar and postwar employer associations that interacted with unions such as Algemene Kunstenaarsbond and later with unions like FNV and Vakbond CNV; early counterparts included entities associated with Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam, Nationaal Ballet, Rotterdamse Schouwburg, Nederlands Dans Theater and Het Muziektheater. During the 1960s and 1970s the association engaged with cultural policy debates involving the Ministerie van Koninkrijksrelaties and later the Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, aligning with reforms linked to institutions including Rijksmuseum, Concertgebouw, Koninklijk Theater Carré and festivals such as Lowlands and Noorderslag. In the 1980s and 1990s the NBB negotiated collective agreements while interacting with European counterparts like European Theatre Convention and International Federation of Musicians, and with funding bodies including Fonds Podiumkunsten, Mondriaan Fund and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. Into the 21st century the association adapted to crises that involved stakeholders such as Gemeente Amsterdam, Gemeente Rotterdam, VNO-NCW and supranational frameworks like European Commission cultural directives.
The NBB is structured as a members’ association with a board and executive staff; governance models resemble those of Rijksuniversiteit Groningen boards and foundations like Stichting Lijn5 and Stichting DOEN. Committees mirror sectoral divisions found at Nederlands Dans Theater, Nationale Opera & Ballet, DeLaMar Theater and Internationaal Theater Amsterdam and consult legal teams experienced in laws such as the Wet werk en zekerheid and regulations administered by the Belastingdienst. Administrative offices liaise with municipal cultural departments in Utrecht, Eindhoven, Haarlem and national agencies including Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland and collaborate with trade bodies like Vereniging van Nederlandse Podiumkunsten and international partners such as Union of European Theatres.
Members include repertory companies, touring ensembles and producers from institutions like Schouwburg De Lawei, Tuschinski, Caprera, Frascati Producties, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Het Nationale Ballet, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Philharmonie Zuidnederland, Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, and promoters from festivals such as Grachtenfestival, Holland Festival, Oerol Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Grachtenfestival and Terschelling Oerol. Affiliate relationships extend to conservatories and schools including Conservatorium van Amsterdam, Codarts Rotterdam, HKU University of the Arts Utrecht and cultural venues like TivoliVredenburg, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, De Doelen, Paard van Troje and Meervaart. The NBB also partners with unions such as FNV KIEM and organizations like Kunstenbond, Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands and international networks including ISPA and European Festivals Association.
The NBB negotiates collective agreements with unions such as FNV, CNV, VCP and Vakbond voor Muziek en Podiumkunst covering pay, pensions, working hours and freelance contracts used by ensembles like Metropole Orkest and companies including Het Filharmonisch Orkest. Bargaining involves standards applied in venues like Vredenburg Leidsche Rijn and touring schedules that touch producers like ITG and presenters including Theater aan het Vrijthof. The NBB has engaged with social insurance institutions such as UWV and pension funds similar to ABP and regulatory frameworks emerging from the European Court of Justice rulings on employment status, while consulting legal practice at firms advising Producer Endemol-adjacent arts enterprises.
The NBB advises members on funding streams from national bodies like Fonds Podiumkunsten, regional funds such as Fonds 21 and municipal subsidies from cities including Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. It monitors procurement and tendering trends affecting venues such as Stadsgehoorzaal, and coordinates with philanthropies like Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, corporate sponsors including ING Group and broadcasters such as Nederlandse Publieke Omroep and NTR. The association provides guidance on VAT regimes influenced by rulings involving Europese Commissie taxation policies and collaborates with financial institutions including Rabobank and ABN AMRO for cashflow solutions and guarantee funds.
The NBB advocates policy positions before ministries like Ministerie van OCW and parliamentary committees in the Tweede Kamer der Staten-Generaal, engages with municipal cultural counsellors in Gemeente Amsterdam and Gemeente Rotterdam, and contributes to sector studies alongside CPB, NIDI and research institutes such as SCP and PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency when assessing cultural impact. It participates in campaigns alongside organizations like Buma/Stemra, Kunsten ´92 and Vereniging Nederlandse Poppodia en -Festivals to influence media regulation with broadcasters AVROTROS and VPRO, intellectual property frameworks referenced to Auteursrecht, and international cultural diplomacy efforts with embassies and consulates coordinating tours to venues such as Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Théâtre du Châtelet.
Notable disputes mediated or influenced by the NBB include sector strikes and negotiations involving ensembles affiliated with Toneelgroep Maastricht, musicians from Nederlands Philharmonisch Orkest, dancers from Nederlands Dans Theater and staff at institutions like Het Muziektheater; agreements have been reached on freelance tariffs, touring allowances and pension contributions analogous to settlements in the theatre strike of 2000s and later industrial actions involving FNV-led coalitions. The NBB has brokered accords on remuneration frameworks that affected festivals such as Lowlands and orchestral residencies at halls like Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and engaged in arbitration with municipal authorities over subsidy conditions for productions by producers like Huub Stapel-associated companies and independent producers connected to Liesbeth Coltof-era initiatives.
Category:Performing arts organizations in the Netherlands