Applause Performance Reservation and Payment Guidelines

Admission

School performances occur during the school day and are open to public, private and home educating school groups. All seats for performances on the Applause Series are $1.00; pricing may vary for school performances presented by other community organizations.

Tickets to school performances require advance registration through the Des Moines Performing Arts education department and are not available to the general public or through the Ticket Office. All parent/chaperone tickets must be arranged through the reserving teacher or school administrator. Parents who contact Des Moines Performing Arts will be directed to the school's reservation contact.

Recommended grade levels

Recommendations regarding appropriate grade levels for each performance are made by the performance companies in conjunction with Des Moines Performing Arts education staff. If you wish to bring students outside the recommended grade levels, please contact us at 515-246-2355 to discuss the performance content.

Infants and young children

School performances are intended for school-age audiences. For this reason, children and infants under the age of three will not be permitted in the theater. In keeping with the grade level recommendations, some performances may not be appropriate for very young children.

Curriculum Supports

Professionally-written support materials are available for all shows in the Applause Series. All school groups with reservations for an Applause Series show will receive an email notification when the materials are posted on Des Moines Performing Arts' website, approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the performance day.

Support materials will vary for any school performances presented by community partners that are not on the Applause Series.

Photography and Video Disclaimer

Photos and/or video taken of attendees during school performances may be used for documentation and future promotional and fundraising purposes.

Reservations and Confirmation

Educators may order tickets to school performances through the Des Moines Performing Arts website. Groups are welcome to contact the education department via phone (515-246-2355) to ask questions relating to the ordering process or the shows on the current season, but all ticket orders must be made online. You will be prompted to register for a new account if you do not already have an account. Please note that the email address used when placing the order online will be the email that all related performance communications will go to. Ticket orders submitted via email and/or phone will not be accepted.

When ordering tickets for your group, be sure to include all the students and adults that will be in your group. Adults include teachers, aides, chaperones, and bus drivers who will watch the performance with your group. (We typically recommend at least one adult for every ten students.) You may want to estimate high for your total ticket numbers, as it is not always possible to add a ticket if a show sells out. Everyone who plans to watch the performance inside the theater must be included in the reservation. If an adult accompanies the group but chooses to sit in the lobby during the performance, they do not need to be included in the total ticket number.

Your ticket order will be processed in real time (immediately) online. You will receive an invoice via email within five business days of placing your ticket order. The invoice serves not only as your payment notice, but also as confirmation of your group’s tickets. Physical tickets for school performances are not issued. We encourage you to bring a copy of your invoice with you on the performance day to serve as your group’s “ticket”, should we need to reference it.

Wait Lists

Once a performance is listed as “sold out” on the website, you may submit a wait list request online. Groups will be added to the wait list in the order in which they submit a request and will be sent a wait list confirmation via email. 

If seats should open up for a sold-out performance, groups on the wait list will be notified. Requests will be filled in the order in which they were received. There is no guarantee if or when availability may become available. Once you receive notice regarding availability for your group, you will have three business days (unless otherwise noted) to confirm that you wish to book the tickets for your group. After that, the seats will be released and offered to the next group on the wait list. We will not book tickets or process any payments until we have confirmed that you are able to take the open seats.  

Seating and Other Accommodations

If you require special seating or other accommodations (including wheelchair, difficulty with stairs, and sight impairment), please select the type of accommodation needed when placing your ticket order online. If you become aware of special needs seating or other accommodations after placing your order, please notify education staff by phone or email as soon as possible. If additional information is necessary for us to accommodate your group properly, please call 515-246-2355 with specific information so that we can ensure the best experience for you and your student(s).

Hearing Devices and ASL Interpretation

With our induction loop technology, guests at the Civic Center with hearing devices containing a T-Coil or telecoil can have sound transmitted directly to their hearing aid or cochlear implant. If your hearing device does not have t-coil technology or you do not have hearing aids but would like to experience the amplified sound provided by the induction loop system, visit the Guest Services Counter located in both lobbies for an assisted listening device.

Professional ASL interpretation is provided for school performances upon request. Please note, requested ASL interpretation typically requires at least five weeks advance notice for us to arrange.

Communication, Medical or Other Devices

If you have a student or guest in your group that uses a tablet, phone or similar-looking device as an adaptive communication tool, for a medical need, etc. you may wish to disclose to education staff or the usher closest to your seats. Many live shows prohibit audience members from taking photos or videos of the performance. Advance notice will help our front of house team know that the device is for a needed accommodation and avoid any confusion about it being used as a camera or recording device.

Visual Assistance
Professional audio description is provided for school performances upon request. Please note, requested audio description typically requires at least five weeks advance notice for us to arrange.

Sensory-Friendly Items
A limited number of weighted lap pad, noise-dampening headphones and fidgets are available. Reserve in advance or inquire about availability on arrival.

Many schools also like to bring their own sensory-friendly items, such as noise dampening headphones.

Quiet Room 
A dedicated “Quiet Room” is available on all Civic Center school show days for any students in need of a place to take a break from the action. The room is equipped with books, coloring pages, and fidgets.

Tours

We are generally not able to provide tours on school show days due to limited staff capacity and building availability. Private tours may be available upon request for students in Grades 3 and above on non-performance days at the Des Moines Civic Center location. Please contact Eeducation@dmpa.org to request such a tour and we will consider possible dates.

Lunch Space

At this time, Des Moines Performing Arts is not able to provide lunch space for school groups. Please contact 515-246-2355 or email education@dmpa.org with questions or for recommendations for alternative spaces nearby the theater. 

Refunds (applicable to all groups)Once a group order is paid, a refund will not be issued for seats unused due to scheduling conflicts, individual student or adult absence or transfer, or for dislike of a performance. 

In the event your group is no longer be able to attend due to an illness outbreak, we have a variety of flexible options available to you including exchanges and refunds. Please contact us prior to the performance and our team will gladly walk you through your options.

See also Inclement Weather.

Inclement Weather (applicable to all groups)

If your school is officially closed or delayed on the day of the performance, you may exchange your tickets for another school performance within the same season. An official request for an exchange must be made by the reservation contact on the first day that the school is back in session by emailing education@DMPA.org. If your group is unable to be accommodated at an appropriate school performance within the same season, a refund will be issued.

Note: If the school district in which a home school group is located is closed or delayed due to inclement weather on the performance day, the group is entitled to the same exchange or refund options described above.

In the rare circumstance that we must cancel a school performance due to inclement weather or other reason, all groups will have the option to exchange for another school performance within the same season or receive a refund.

Deadlines and payment methods
Payment is due four weeks prior to the day of the performance. Acceptable payment methods include credit card (single charge), personal or business check. Credit cards can not be processed online after an order has already been submitted. Instead, please call 515.246.2355 to pay via credit card for tickets placed online at a previous time. All payments sent via mail must include a copy of the invoice. Checks should be made payable to Des Moines Performing Arts and can be sent to the following address:

Des Moines Performing Arts
c/o Applause Series Ticketing
221 Walnut St.
Des Moines, IA 50309

Purchase orders are accepted as promise of payment for groups of 20 or more. Purchase orders must be faxed (515.246.2305) or emailed to the education@DMPA.org at least four weeks prior to the day of the performance. It is the reservation contact’s responsibility to provide a copy of the invoice to the school business office and to then ensure that the purchase order is paid by the school business office no later than 10 business days after the performance.

Adjusting a ticket order
For groups of 20 or more, adjustments to group size can be made up to the payment due date, four weeks prior to the performance. Please call 515.246.2355 if you need to add tickets to your order. If there is no availability, additional seats may be placed on the waitlist.

The number of tickets ordered can be decreased up to the payment due date by calling 515.246.2355.

Please note that on the payment due date, four weeks prior to the day of the performance, the number of seats included in the ticket order is final, as is the amount due on the invoice. The cost for seats unused on the day of the performance due to individual student or adult absence or transfer cannot be refunded or subtracted from the total balance due after the payment due date (as shown on the invoice). See also Refunds.

Note: If a new student joins your group after the payment due date or if additional chaperone(s) would like to attend, please contact us as soon as possible. A seat may be added to the reservation based on availability. Payment for the additional seat will be due at the time it is ordered.

Last-minute ticket orders
Payment deadlines for ticket orders made between four weeks and one week prior to the performance will be determined on a case-by-case basis. If it is less than one week prior to the performance, please call 515.246.2355 to ensure your group can be accommodated and to make payment arrangements.

Cancellations
Cancellation of tickets must be submitted in writing no later than six weeks prior to the performance. Any cancellation after this deadline will be subject to a cancellation fee equal to 50% of the total for the group order, if the invoice is unpaid. If the invoice has already been paid, the cancellation fee will be waived. See Refunds, for policies on refund-eligible and refund-ineligible cancellations.

Des Moines Performing Arts reserves the right to cancel unpaid orders after the payment due date. In the event that an order is cancelled, the group will be notified and the cancellation fee outlined above will be due.

If a school does not show up for a performance and fails to notify Des Moines Performing Arts at education@DMPA.org prior to the performance, the group will be held responsible for the full dollar amount shown on the invoice as the seats were reserved and no notice of cancellation was given. 

Note: If a school employee places an order on the school's behalf during employment, the school will still be held responsible for the total cost of the tickets should they go unused. This includes, but is not limited to, cases where the employee is no longer working at the school, does not communicate the ticket order or performance details with necessary school officials/administrators, does not get transportation reserved, or does not cancel within the 6 week deadline prior to the show. 

Refunds (applicable to all groups)

Once a group order is paid, a refund will not be issued for seats unused due to scheduling conflicts, individual student or adult absence or transfer, or for dislike of a performance. 

In the event your group is no longer be able to attend due to an illness outbreak, we have a variety of flexible options available to you including exchanges and refunds. Please contact us prior to the performance and our team will gladly walk you through your options.

See also Inclement Weather.

Inclement Weather (applicable to all groups)

If your school is officially closed or delayed on the day of the performance, you may exchange your tickets for another school performance within the same season. An official request for an exchange must be made by the reservation contact on the first day that the school is back in session by emailing education@DMPA.org. If your group is unable to be accommodated at an appropriate school performance within the same season, a refund will be issued.

Note: If the school district in which a home school group is located is closed or delayed due to inclement weather on the performance day, the group is entitled to the same exchange or refund options described above.

In the rare circumstance that we must cancel a school performance due to inclement weather or other reason, all groups will have the option to exchange for another school performance within the same season or receive a refund.

Deadlines and Payment Methods
In order to ensure efficiency and best serve all of our guests, payment for groups under 20 people is due at the time of order. Payment can be made online with a credit card. Purchase orders are not accepted for groups under 20 people.

Adjusting a ticket order
For groups under 20 people, seats can be added based on availability up to one week before the performance. If there is no availability, additional seats may be placed on the waitlist. Payment for additional seats is due at the time they are ordered.

The ticket order number cannot be decreased for groups under 20 people. The cost for seats unused on the day of the performance due to individual student or adult absence or transfer cannot be refunded. See also Refunds.