Home | Information | Reserve
Learning Guides
Learning guides are provided for each Global Arts performance. These guides are designed to help you better understand the unique value of each experience and to help you generate ways to use your visit to the Fine Arts Center to supplement classroom instruction. Guides also include background information, critical thinking questions, and connections to state and national frameworks.
Ballet Hispánico
Soweto Gospel Choir
Cirque Flip Fabrique Blizzard
Mystical Arts of Tibet
Resources to Fund Your Field Trip
The following funding and grant opportunities are available to support your field trip to the Fine Arts Center.
Massachusetts Cultural Council: Local Cultural Councils
The Massachusetts Cultural Council offers funding for field trips and transportation through grants from each municipality’s local cultural council. Application deadlines typically fall in mid-October.
Most councils make decisions by early January.
To find your local cultural council and to apply, please visit the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Find Your Local Cultural Council page.
Massachusetts Cultural Council: Creative Experiences
Schools may also apply for funding for field trips and transportation through the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Creative Experiences. Through this grant program, schools can apply for funding between $2,500 and $5,000.
Applications for this grant open in early March. Applications are due at the end of April. And notification of awards takes place in the fall.
To learn more about this opportunity and apply for funding, please visit the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Creative Experiences page.
Parent Teacher Organization
Parent teacher organizations can help fund field trips by organizing fundraising events and activities, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to participate in enriching educational experiences outside the classroom.
Please contact your local parent teacher organization to inquire about available funding opportunities.
Donors Choose
DonorsChoose.org is a crowdfunding platform through which teachers can create project requests, such as field trips, and connect with donors who are eager to fund educational experiences for students.
To learn more about Donors Choose or to make a request, visit donorschoose.org.
National Education Association Foundation
Student Success Grants of up to $5,000 are available to public school educators, specialized instructional support personnel, and education support professionals who are current members of the National Education Association and interested in enhancing students’ learning experiences.
The application period for this grant typically is open from March 1 through May 1. To learn more about this opportunity and to apply for funding, please visit the National Education Association’s Student Success Grants page.
Audience Information
Target Audience
Global Arts performances are designed for K–12 classes and home school groups. All children, regardless of age, must have a paid seat. Please refer to the grade level guidelines on each event page to help determine the appropriateness of a performance for your group.
Home School Groups
Performances are also offered to home school families and groups. Seats must be paid for at time of booking. Children should be of school age unless a program is advertised for pre-school audiences. Every child, regardless of age, must have a paid seat.
Ticket Prices
Admission fee is per person. Ticket prices for students and adults are $10. (Special pricing for Mystical Arts of Tibet: $3 per person, up to a maximum of $60 per group.) Everyone must have a paid seat regardless of age. For schools, the Fine Arts Center recommends a one to ten (one to five for pre-schools) chaperone-to-student ratio. Special needs student groups (designated Chapter 766 schools) are offered one complimentary chaperone admission for every five paid students.
Reservation Information
Reservations
Since space is limited, we recommend booking as far in advance as possible. For school and home school reservations, please call (413) 545-2511. Your reservations will be confirmed in writing within two business days.
We understand that class size is often approximate at the time of reservation. Your reservation confirmation includes a deadline by which we must be informed of any changes in reservation numbers. After that deadline, your school is committed to purchasing the number of seats indicated on your reservation confirmation. We are unable to resell reserved seats after that time.
When calling to place your order please be prepared to provide the following information:
1. Name, address and phone number of the school
2. Teacher contact and billing information
3. Number of students
4. Number of adults (includes teachers and chaperones)
5. Grade level(s) of students
6. Any accessibility services required
7. Number of buses that will be used
A deadline date for changes can be found in your reservation confirmation. To cancel or reduce seats you must call or email us before the deadline. After the deadline passes, your school is committed to purchasing the number of seats indicated on your reservation confirmation and invoice. Schools that do not honor their commitment will be required to pay a non-refundable fifty percent deposit on all future orders.
Payments
Payment is nonrefundable and may be made by check (one per reservation), Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or purchase order. We cannot process online credit card payments at this time, but we are able to take credit card payments over the phone. We do not accept third party payments.
All payments or copies of purchase orders must be received two weeks prior to the performance and made payable to the University of Massachusetts.
Refunds
Refunds will be honored only if a performance is canceled by the Fine Arts Center.
Should a performance cancellation occur, a staff person will contact you on the next school day to inform you of alternate plans. No refunds will be issued for unused seats on the day of performance or for a reduction or cancellation of your reservation after the listed deadline. Please see "Reservations" above for information regarding making changes to your reservation.
We are contractually obligated to pay the artists if they are able to perform. Therefore, we are unable to issue refunds or exchanges for weather-related cancellations when the University remains open.
Theater Information
Location
Performances take place in the Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall, located in the Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts, or Bowker Auditorium, located in Stockbridge Hall, at UMass Amherst.
Arrival Time
Please plan to arrive thirty minutes prior to the performance. This will allow our ushers to seat everyone and for you and your students to visit the restrooms and get settled. It is important that we begin our performances on time so that all schools can meet their lunch and/or school dismissal times. Unless otherwise noted, performances begin at 10 a.m. and run for approximately one hour.
Seating
There are no printed tickets for these performances. Upon your arrival please identify your group to an usher or the house manager in the lobby. An usher will lead your group to its assigned seats according to the seating chart. If you would like to know where your seats are located you may call the Box Office at (413) 545-2511 two days prior to performance. We cannot guarantee your seat location based solely upon your reservation date. It is our priority to provide services for students with special needs.
Should a performance cancellation occur, a staff person will contact you on the next school day to inform you of alternate plans. No refunds will be issued for unused seats on the day of performance or for a reduction, or cancellation of your reservation after the listed deadline. Please see "Reservations" above for information regarding making changes to your reservation.
We are contractually obligated to pay the artists if they are able to perform. Therefore, we are unable to issue refunds or exchanges for weather-related cancellations when the University remains open.
Food and Beverages
No gum, food, beverages, recording devices, or portable music players are allowed in the auditoriums. With the large number of students and the restrictions of the lobby area, we are not able to accommodate boxes of student lunches or any other gear. For the comfort of all concerned, we ask that backpacks, lunches and other items remain on the bus.
Patron Accessibility
Both performance halls are wheelchair accessible and equipped with an Infrared Listening System to assist with sound amplification and clarity. Please let us know of your accessibility needs when making your reservations.
There is an elevator located on the south side of the Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall near the main entrance. An accessible parking lot is located in the Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts plaza directly in front of the elevator entrance.
Bowker Auditorium may be accessed by a wheelchair ramp located on the south side of the building. Limited parking is available at the end of the ramp, in the garage, or in Lot 65.
Directions
From the North:
I-91 south to Route 116. Follow signs on 116 "To the University of Massachusetts." Exit ramp leads to Massachusetts Avenue. Turn left (east) on to Massachusetts Avenue toward the campus. For Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall: continue through one light and watch for Lot 34 by the Visitors Center on your right and the entrance to Haigis Mall on your left.
For Bowker Auditorium: turn left at first light on to Commonwealth Avenue. Follow signs for the Parking Garage.
From the South:
I-91 north to Route 9. East on Route 9 over the Coolidge Bridge and through Hadley. Left at Route 116 heading north toward campus. Right at first exit at "University of Massachusetts" bear right onto Massachusetts Avenue toward campus. For the Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall, continue through two lights (the first one is flashing) and watch for Lot 34 by the Visitors Center on your right and the entrance to Haigis Mall on your left.
For Bowker Auditorium: turn left at second light (the first one is flashing) onto Commonwealth Avenue. Follow signs for the Parking Garage.
For Bowker Auditorium: turn left at second light (the first one is flashing) onto Commonwealth Avenue. Follow signs for the Parking Garage.
From the West:
Route 9 east through Northampton and over Coolidge Bridge. Follow remaining directions from "From the South" above.
From the East:
North on Routes 21, 181 or 202 to Route 9 into Amherst. Right on to North Pleasant Street (main downtown intersection), north through center of town. Turn left at Triangle Street, rejoining North Pleasant Street. For the Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall: to reach Lot 34 and Haigis Mall continue on main road which becomes Massachusetts Avenue. Haigis Mall will be on your right, Lot 34 on your left.
For Bowker Auditorium: continue on Massachusetts Avenue down the hill. Turn right at the next light on to Commonwealth Avenue. Follow signs for the Campus Center Parking Garage.
Parking Information
School Buses
Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall: students should be dropped off at Haigis Mall off of Massachusetts Avenue.
Bowker Auditorium: students should be dropped off at the circle in front of Stockbridge Hall which is accessed via the road to the Campus Center Parking Garage off of Commonwealth Avenue.
University Security will direct buses to an appropriate parking lot during the performance (typically by the Mullins Center). Your bus(es) will most likely be directed to Lot 14 on Stadium Dr. or Lot 12 on Forestry Way.
PLEASE BE SURE YOUR BUS DRIVER HAS THE PERFORMANCE RUN-TIME (Typically one hour unless otherwise noted). THEY SHOULD RETURN 5 MINUTES BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED END TIME.
If drivers are not with their buses, they may miss the radio call from security asking them to return for pick up resulting in unnecessary delays returning to your school.
Cars
Campus Map
Frederick C. Tillis Performance Hall: If necessary, individuals may drop-off students with a chaperone at Haigis Mall (you will be directed by security to the mid-point turn of Haigis Mall prior to parking). Parking is available at meters behind the Robsham Visitors Center on Massachusetts Avenue or in the Parking Garage located off of Commonwealth Avenue.
Bowker Auditorium: Please park in the garage which is located next to Stockbridge Hall and Bowker Auditorium.
Parking meters are enforced Monday - Friday, 7AM - 7PM. Please visit the UMass Parking Services website for the latest information on meter parking rates and meter locations.
Parking Garage - near Campus Center, across from the Mullins Center off Commonwealth Avenue. (For Tillis Hall and Bowker performances)
Haigis Mall - 2 hour maximum on meters (For Tillis Hall performances)
Lot 62 - Adjacent to Studio Arts Building with 3 hour maximum on meters (For Tillis Hall performances)
Lot 65 - On north side of Stockbridge Hall (Handicap parking ONLY for Bowker performances)
Additional Questions?
Please call (413) 545-2511
