Field Trip Policies & Procedures

Season for Young People performances are for school groups. Tickets to these events are not open to the public or sold at TPAC’s box offices. All reservations must be made by the school, including students, school faculty (including bus drivers), and parent chaperones. Groups are asked to purchase a minimum of 10 tickets.

Regular student admission prices for performances are $10 each unless otherwise noted. All adult reservations (including teachers and parent chaperones) must be made by one reservation contact person, as part of a reservation for students. One school faculty member may attend free of charge for every 10 students. Additional staff members may be added for $10 each. (See also “Discounted Tickets”.)

Cost should never be a barrier for anyone to experience the arts. Please contact us if you have questions or requests concerning ticket prices. Ticket subsidies are available to schools in need of funding assistance when requested in writing before the payment deadline. For more information on how to qualify for subsidies, contact the Education Reservations Line at 615-687-4288.

One school faculty member may attend free of charge for every 10 students. Additional staff members may be added for $10 each. (See also “Discounted Tickets”.)
All adults with the school should wear a school badge to enter the theater. Faculty are expected to sit amongst the students to monitor behavior, with at least one faculty member seated on an aisle in case TPAC Staff needs to find them. Students must always be accompanied by a chaperone, including trips to the restroom.

All adult reservations (including all teachers and parent chaperones) must be made by one reservation contact person, as part of a reservation for students. All adults with the school must wear a school badge (preferred) or a TPAC provided chaperone badge to enter the theater.

For schools traveling by bus – Up to 10 parent chaperone tickets can be included in a reservation at $10 a ticket if they are traveling to the theater on the bus with students. If your school has a concern about this policy, please contact us to make alternate arrangements. Parents who contact TPAC directly or arrive separately from the school group will not be allowed to enter the theater or permitted to purchase tickets.

For schools traveling by car or van – If your group is arriving in cars/vans, the reservation contact person is asked to submit a list including all attending adult names at least 1 week prior to the performance dates. Faculty will be provided with badges for the reserved number of chaperones disperse among non-Faculty adults. Groups will not be seated until all members have arrived.

TPAC will follow all health policies and mandates put in place for Davidson County and by the touring companies presenting our Season for Young People performances. These policies may change on a show-by-show basis and will be communicated to you as soon as possible.

TPAC also offers a few Virtual Performances during the school year for those who cannot travel to our building. Virtual performances are free and available for a range of dates, usually 2-3 weeks, and are accessible with an online link. Reserving these performances allows you to use the performance link at any time during the provided date range. Please note that virtual performances are contracted for the specific provided date range, and these dates cannot be extended or changed.

Bus drivers should prepare to follow the directions of TPAC Security and State Troopers who will assist in parking buses around TPAC.  Bus Greeters will approach each parked bus to provide instructions for drivers and teachers. All teachers and students should remain on the bus until instructed to exit by the TPAC Bus Greeter. Bus Drivers will need to remain on the bus during the entire performance in case of an emergency. If a teacher (who is included in the reservation) is operating the bus, please inform our Bus Greeter immediately to receive alternate instructions. 

Bus Drivers should remain on the bus during the entire performance in case of an emergency. If the bus driver is included in the reservation and plans to watch the performance, please inform your Bus Greeter to receive alternate instructions.

To ensure ease and safety for all guests, all school groups must exit from TPAC after the performance and return to their bus to depart the area. Buses are not permitted to remain parked following the performance for an extended visit.

Personal vehicle parking is not provided by TPAC. Cars and vans are not permitted to park around the building in the bus parking zones. Please plan to park personal vehicles in one of the surrounding parking facilities. A downtown parking guide is available on our website. Availability and rates are not regulated by TPAC and may change. Please arrive early to allow time for parking. Guests that arrive after the school group is seated may not be seated with the group.

Bus groups will be directed by bus greeters to the 6th avenue entrance. Groups arriving by car or van will enter from 6th Avenue and check in at the Jackson Lobby Box Office. A volunteer will greet all groups at their entrance with a School ID sign. This sign should be held up by the first person in line, over their head as they make their way to the theater.

Security screening may take place at any time. All bags (including purses and backpacks) should be left in your vehicle when possible. Faculty members and chaperones may carry necessary bags which are subject to possible screening or bag checks at any time.

Any adult attending the performance that is not traveling on the bus with the school will need to check in on arrival at the Jackson Lobby Box Office to wait for the rest of their group to arrive. Adults will not be permitted to enter the theater without a school badge or TPAC Chaperone badge. TPAC badges will be given to a school Faculty member to disperse among their adult attendees as needed.

All seating is pre-arranged by sections. Seating assignments are based on several factors, including the date full payment is received, special needs, age of students, size of group, and arrival time. You will be seated as a group when everyone in your group has arrived. Guests that arrive after the school group is seated will not be seated with your group.

Teachers are expected to inform students of appropriate behavior prior to arrival at TPAC.
Theatre etiquette guidelines can be found on TPAC’s website in the “Field Trips to TPAC” section of Education and Community. If students are disruptive, TPAC staff reserves the right to prevent them from entering the theater or to remove them from the theater. Teachers and chaperones should sit among students to monitor behavior during the performance. (See also “Babies and Young Children”)

Season for Young People performances are intended for school-age children. We strongly discourage bringing children ages 3 and under. If a child becomes disruptive, please be considerate of others and exit the theater promptly. We reserve the right to ensure that all patrons have an enjoyable experience.          

Invoices are emailed automatically when your reservation request is processed, as well as the week before the payment deadline. Upon receipt of your confirmation and invoice, Reservation Contacts are expected to submit all paperwork to their school bookkeeper, transportation office, and administration as needed for approval. Updates and additional invoice requests are welcome until the payment deadline. Reservation numbers and invoice amount due will not be changed after your provided deadline.

The deadline for payment, final attendance count, and cancellation are 6 weeks prior to the show opening. Deadlines will be clearly stated on confirmations and invoices sent to schools. Reservation numbers and payment due will not be changed after this deadline.

6 weeks prior to the performance opening you must submit the final attendance count and remit payment in full. Reservation numbers and payment amount due will not be changed after the deadline. Refunds are not issued due to illness, absence, transfer, or dissatisfaction of a performance. Mail checks with a copy of your invoice to TPAC Education, PO Box 190660, Nashville, TN 37219. Credit cards are accepted by phone at 615-687-4288. Do not e-mail credit card information.

If your school policy does not allow you to submit full payment 6 weeks in advance, you will still need to submit your final attendance count and a PDF copy of your Purchase Order for the full amount due by the deadline. Reservation numbers and payment due will not be changed after this point.

Deadlines for reservations made after the 6-week deadline will be determined at the time of reservation confirmation and will be clearly stated on confirmations and invoices sent to schools.

All cancellations must be made in writing on or before the deadline (6 weeks prior to the performance opening). Failure to cancel by this deadline will result in a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the payment due. Reservations which consist of fully subsidized tickets are required to submit a final attendance count 6 weeks prior to the performance opening. Fully subsidized reservations dropping more than 20 tickets or canceling all tickets after the deadline will result in a $200 ticketing fee.

If you need to increase the number of seats after the 6-week deadline, please request the additional seats in writing to Education@TPAC.ORG. Seats will be added to the reservation based on availability. Additional seats must be paid for no later than the day of the performance.

If you need to decrease the number of seats in your reservation, you must do so BEFORE the deadline listed on your confirmation email and invoice. Attendance counts cannot be lowered after this time. Fully subsidized reservations dropping more than 20 tickets or canceling all tickets after the deadline will result in a $200 ticketing fee.

Any school may apply for assistance with their travel costs by filling out our Travel Grant Application. Travel Grants reimburse 50% of your travel costs and will be distributed after required documentation has been submitted to TPAC. Travel Grant forms and receipts are due in May of any given school year.

TalkBacks are 10–15-minute Q&A sessions between students and performers after the performance. Staying for show Talkbacks will add about 30 minutes to your trip time.

Performance availability is constantly changing. For updated availability, call the Education Reservations Line at 615-687-4288. If there is no availability for a requested show, you be placed on a waiting list and contacted if seats become available.

TPAC can provide special assistance to enter the building, accessible seating, audio description, hearing devices, or sign language interpretation with advanced notice. Please advise us of any accommodation that would benefit your students by noting them on your reservation request, or by contacting the Education Reservations Line at 615-687-4288 at least 14 days in advance of your visit. Weighted blankets, noise-reducing headphones, fidgets and other helpful items are available at all TPAC performances.

Season for Young People performances are selected with the classroom curriculum in mind and connect to curriculum standards. Suggested curriculum connections for each show can be found on TPAC’s website in the “Field Trips to TPAC” section of Education and Community.

TPAC staff carefully considers grade level recommendations to ensure the best experience for everyone. If you would like to reserve seats for a group outside of these recommendations, please call the Education Reservations Line at 615-687-4288 to discuss the performance content.

In the event of inclement weather or other school closings, the show will go on - even if only one school is able to attend. If your school is closed, TPAC will attempt to offer available make-up days. If that is not possible, TPAC will offer a refund or apply the funds to another upcoming Season for Young People production. (This applies for any official school closings – flooding, snow, illness, etc.)

TPAC will follow all health policies and mandates put in place for Davidson County and by the touring companies presenting our Season for Young People performances. These policies may change on a show-by-show basis and will be communicated to you as soon as possible.