Field Trips -Frequently Asked Questions
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How do we pay for our field trip?
When is payment due?
Do you accept purchase orders?
What if we need to change the number of people attending our field trip?
Why do we have to pay for students who are absent?
Do you offer grants or reduced prices for Title I schools?
When should we arrive for our scheduled performance?
What is the address of the theater?
Where should we park?
What will happen when we arrive at the theater?
Where will we be seated?
What is the climate inside the theater?
What age are Childsplay productions appropriate for?
Can we bring snacks or water into the theater?
Where can we take photographs?
Can family members purchase individual tickets to attend field trip performances?
Can we eat lunch at the theater?

How do we pay for our field trip?

• Childsplay accepts checks, money orders, credit card payments or purchase orders.
• Each field trip should be paid for in a single payment (unless the school or district requires that chaperones be paid for in a separate check). We do not accept payment for individual seats.
• All checks need to be sent to Childsplay’s mailing address. Credit card payments may be made by phone. Payments are not accepted at the theater.
• All sales are final and there are no refunds or credits after payment has been made.

When is payment due?
Payment or a purchase order is due four weeks before the date of your field trip unless other arrangements have been made with Childsplay.
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Do you accept purchase orders?
Childsplay does accept purchase orders. A copy of the purchase order should be mailed or faxed to our office no later than four weeks before the date of your field trip.
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What if we need to change the number of people attending our field trip?
All changes in group size need to be made no later than four weeks before the date of your field trip by the contact person who made the initial reservation. After this date you are responsible for payment for all seats reserved. Be aware that many shows sell out and there may not be additional seats available after the time of your initial booking.
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Why do we have to pay for students who are absent?
Once you have made a booking for a certain numbers of seats, those seats are reserved for your group and cannot be sold to anyone else. In order to continue to present our quality productions at the highly-discounted rate, we need to be able to sell every seat in the theater.
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Do you offer grants or reduced prices for Title I schools?
Childsplay is a nonprofit organization and we rely heavily on grants and donations to present our full-scale, professional productions at a highly-discounted rate to schools. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer further discounts from our regular $8 per person rate for schools.
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When should we arrive for our scheduled performance?
We ask that groups arrive no later than 20 minutes prior to show time. It takes several minutes for groups to get off the bus and get seated in the theater. With two shows per day, we are unable to delay the start of the show for groups who arrive late. Please note that seating generally begins 20-30 minutes before show time.
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What is the address of the theater?
The Tempe Center for the Arts is located at 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe, 85281. The theater is located just off the Loop 202. Exit the freeway at Priest Road, and proceed south. Take a left at the first light, which is Rio Salado Parkway. The theater is on the left.
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Where should we park?
After dropping off students, bus drivers will be given instructions about where to park for the duration of the play. Vans and private vehicles will park in the Tempe Center for the Arts parking lot, just to the west of the theater. Parking is free of charge.
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What will happen when we arrive at the theater?
If you arrive by bus, your bus will be greeted by a staff member or volunteer from the theater. They will give instructions to the group as to where they should line up, and they will also provide parking information to the bus driver. Once your group has lined up, the House Manger will greet you and assign an usher(s) to take you to your seats. The ushers are volunteers who donate their time to make it possible for Childsplay to be available to school audiences. The ushers will instruct your group to fill in every seat in your designated area. If your group is traveling by private vehicle, you will park in the lot designated on the map you received in your field trip packet and then proceed to the theater where you will be greeted by a staff member and told where to line up.
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Where will we be seated?
The House Manager at each theater will create a seating plan to provide all groups the best view possible, taking into account the group size, age of the students, special needs in the group, and the adult-to-student ratio. Seating plans are made the day of the show, so neither Childsplay nor the theater can tell a group where they’ll be seated prior to arrival.
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What is the climate inside the theater?
Theaters are often heavily air-conditioned to compensate for hot stage lights. Please encourage students and chaperones to dress appropriately.
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What age are Childsplay productions appropriate for?
The Childsplay Web site and brochure offer age guidelines for each of our shows. Children must be 3 or older to be allowed in the theater. Parents who bring babies or toddlers will be asked to remain in the lobby throughout the show.
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Can we bring snacks or water into the theater?
Food, gum and beverages, including water, are not allowed inside the theater, so please leave all consumables at school or on your bus. Each theater has a drinking fountain available.
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Where can we take photographs?
There is no photography or videotaping allowed in the theater, so please save your pictures for the lobby or outside the theater.
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Can family members purchase individual tickets to attend field trip performances?
There are no individual ticket sales for field trip shows. Anyone attending must be part of a group that has made advance reservations. Only the designated contact person who made the original reservation may make changes to the number attending.
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Can we eat lunch at the theater?
The theater is within walking distance of Tempe Beach Park. This 25-acre park has restrooms, picnic benches and grassy, shaded areas. Groups are also welcome to eat lunch on the grounds of the Tempe Center for the Arts.
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