Standby

Education Arts Canada – Standby Seating Program

At Education Arts Canada, our mission is to make high-quality theatrical experiences accessible to all students. While all of our programs operate on a non-profit, cost-recovery basis, we recognize that the cost of bussing and other logistical challenges can still make attending our shows difficult for some schools.

To help address this, we are pleased to offer Standby Seating for our in-theatre field trips. Here’s how it works:

  • PRICE: Standby seats are offered at a reduced rate—typically around 30% off our standard pricing. Please contact us for exact pricing details.
  • TIMING: Reserve your standby seats as early as possible. Available seats are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • DEPOSIT: A 25% deposit is required to reserve standby seating. If we are unable to provide you with seats, your deposit will be fully refunded.
  • BUS: We recommend booking your transportation early. Be sure to review your bussing provider’s cancellation policy in case we’re unable to confirm your seats.
  • CONFIRMATION: Approximately 40 days before the show date, we will either confirm your seats or return your deposit. If we cannot provide the seats, you’ll receive a 100% refund. If we can provide the seats but you will not attend, the deposit is non-refundable.

Any questions? Interested in booking? Reach out to your EAC Program Consultant or CONTACT US.

FAQs

How can we get an earlier guarantee that we will have the seats?
You can get an early guarantee that you will have the seats by booking our standard seating. Standby seating is priced lower because the seats are not guaranteed until about 40 days before the performance. This allows us to fill the theatres with schools who can meet the full costs of the program, while filling up any remaining seats with schools that might not have the full costs in their budgets.

Why don’t we get our deposit back if we change our minds?
This policy helps ensure that the Standby Seating program is used by schools that are serious about attending. Also, Education Arts Canada is a registered and fully-audited not-for-profit, but we still must cover all of our operating costs. It takes staff time and resources to work with a school to book standby seating. If we can’t provide the seats in the end, we will have to lose these costs by refunding 100% of your deposit. But we cannot afford to lose these costs because you have changed your mind — or for other factors, even beyond your control.

What if the Standby Seating price is still not in our budget?
We are working on finding outside funding to help make our programming more accessible. Stay tuned for more information about these programs. Meanwhile, we always want to try to help. Feel free to CONTACT US and let us know your situation. For example, we can sometimes offer deeply-subsidized in-school programs for schools in our area that are willing to host a dress rehearsal.