Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 25 , 2026

Stages Chicago (“Stages,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) cares about your privacy and recognizes the importance of protecting your personal information. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) describes the kind of information we may collect when you visit our website, contact us, request a trial class, register for a program, purchase tickets, or otherwise interact with us offline or online. Please read our Policy carefully to get a clear understanding of how Stages collects, uses, protects, or otherwise handles your Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) in accordance with our website and programs.

*For Chicago Public Schools Residencies, please see CPS Privacy Addendum.

1. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1a. Information You Provide Directly. You may provide information to Stages Chicago such as:

Name of Caregiver(s)
Name of Child(ren)
Telephone number
Mailing Address
Email address
Student’s age, birth date, or grade level
Class, camp, production or program interests
Registration and enrollment information
Emergency contact information
Messages or questions submitted through website forms or email inquiries
Payment or transaction information
Any other information you voluntarily provide

1b. Information Collected Automatically. When you visit our website, we and our website service providers may automatically collect limited technical information, which may be used to operate the website, understand how visitors use it, troubleshoot problems, improve performance, and protect the website from misuse. This data may include:

Internet Protocol (IP) address
Browser and device type
Operation system
Referring and exit pages (what links you may have clicked to arrive at our site, what links you may follow off of our site)
Session duration and timing information
Cookie and similar technology information

2. HOW WE USE INFORMATION

Stages Chicago may use collected information to:

Respond to inquiries and requests
Schedule or manage trial classes
Process registrations, enrollments, and scholarship applications
Communicate about classes, rehearsals, productions, camps, auditions, schedules, and logistical site updates
Ensure study safety, including by sharing relevant health disclosures with program staff who need that information to perform their responsibilities
Process transactions or direct you to a third-party registration, payment, or ticketing provider
Maintain student and caregiver records
Provide customer service
Send promotional communications when permitted
Improve our website, programs, and services
Protect the security and integrity of our website and operations
Meet legal, regulatory, insurance, or record-keeping requirements

3. REGISTRATION, PAYMENTS, AND TICKETING

Stages Chicago may use third-party platforms to manage registrations, parent and guardian accounts, tuition payments, ticket purchases, and related services. When you follow a link to one of these platforms, the information you provide may be collected and processed directly by that provider under its own privacy policy and terms. Stages does not receive or store your complete payment-card information. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of third-party services before submitting personal or payment information.

4. COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

Stages Chicago’s website and its service providers may use cookies, pixels, local storage, or similar technologies to:

Keep the website functioning properly
Remember preferences
Measure website traffic and performance
Understand how visitors navigate the website
Protect against fraud and misuse
Support embedded media or third-party website features

You can usually control cookies through your browser settings, though disabling certain cookies may affect the availability or functionality of parts of the website. When required, we may provide additional cookie controls or request consent before using certain technologies.

5. HOW WE DISCLOSE INFORMATION

5a. Stages Chicago will never sell, rent, lease, or trade student information under any circumstances.

5b. Stages Chicago does not disclose personal information merely for a third party’s independent use, without authorization, except as permitted by law.

5c. Stages Chicago may disclose personal information to:

Website hosting, analytics, communications, registration, scheduling, payment, and ticketing providers
Instructors and staff members who need the information to perform their responsibilities
When required by law, government authorities or other parties
Other parties when you direct us or give us permission

6. CHILDREN’S PRIVACY

6a. Stages Chicago offers programs for minors, but the website, its contact forms, and its registration tools are intended to be used by parents, legal guardians, and other adults. Children under 13 should not submit personal information through the website without the involvement and authorization of a parent or legal guardian. If we learn that we have inadvertently received personal information submitted directly by a child under age 13 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete that information promptly. If you believe your child has submitted personal information directly, please contact Alex Speight at info@stageschicago.com.

6b. Information that a parent or guardian provides as part of a student’s enrollment may be retained and used as reasonably necessary to administer the student’s participation, maintain business and safety records, and comply with legal obligations.

6c. By registering in any Stages Chicago program, parent or guardian provides consent to Stages’ collection and use of their child’s personal information as described in this Privacy Policy.

6d. If your child is under 13, you have the right to:

Review the personal information we have collected about your child
Correct inaccurate information we hold about your child
Request deletion of your child’s PII from our records

6e. Stages Chicago will never condition a child’s participation in any project, class, program, or performance on providing more personal information than is reasonably necessary.

7. PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEO, AND STUDENT MEDIA

ADD HERE STAGES’ POLICY, NON-CPS, FOR PHOTO SHARING

8. MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

Stages Chicago may send class announcements, program news, registration reminders, and promotional communications, for Stages’ programs only, using the contact information you provide.

IS THIS TRUE? DO WE HAVE OPT IN/OUT FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF EMAILS: You may unsubscribe from promotional emails by using the unsubscribe instructions included in the message or by contacting us. You may still receive non-promotional communications related to registrations, payments, schedules, safety, or services you requested.

9. DATA RETENTION

Stages Chicago retains Personally Identifiable Information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide services and administer enrollments; maintain transaction, attendance, safety, and business records; resolve disputes; enforce agreements; meet legal, tax, accounting, insurance, and regulatory obligations.

Retention periods may differ depending on the type of information and why it was collected. PII will not be retained indefinitely.

10. DATA SECURITY

Stages Chicago uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures designed to protect personal information, including use of compliant third-party processing software (including but not limited to Connect, Google Workspace, and Quickbooks). However, no website, electronic transmission, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should use care when submitting information online and protect your login credentials associated with any registration account.

11. YOUR CHOICES AND PRIVACY RIGHTS

***CHECK THIS***

You may have the right to request that Stages: confirm whether we maintain PII about you or your child(ren); provide access to certain PII; correct inaccurate information; delete certain information; explain the categories of information we collect and how it is used or disclosed; and honor applicable choices concerning certain uses or disclosures of information. These rights may be subject to exceptions. We may need to retain PII necessary to complete a transaction, maintain required records, protect safety, prevent fraud, or comply with the law.

12. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITE, VENDORS, AND EMBEDDED CONTENT

Stages Chicago’s website and registrations may link to or display content from third-party websites and services, including registration systems, ticketing providers, maps, social networks, and video platforms. We do not control the privacy or security practices of those third parties, though we do commit to choosing only high-quality vendors. Visiting or interacting with any third party service is subject to that provider’s own policies.

13. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

Stages Chicago may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our website, services, technology, or legal obligations, including for new unanticipated uses not previously disclosed by our Policy. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Policy. Material changes may also be communicated through the website or another appropriate method.

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS (“CPS”)

This addendum is made to Stages Chicago’s Privacy Policy, as applicable to Residencies and other Services provided by Stages to Chicago Public Schools.

Stages Chicago will never use CPS student data to engage in targeted advertising or to build student profiles for commercial purposes.
Stages Chicago handles the following data points of CPS students solely for the purposes of providing its contracted Services:
1. List things!
Stages Chicago will maintain all records related to its contracts with CPS for the life of the contract and through any transition period. A complete record of communications between CPS students and Stages Chicago’s employees and agents will be retained. Logs will be maintained for 365 days post-termination of any contract.
After the CPS required retention period ends, Stages Chicago will delete or permanently de-identify student PII within a reasonable period of time, or upon explicit request from CPS, except as legally required.
In case of a data breach of our systems that include CPS student personal information, Stages Chicago will notify CPS as soon as reasonably possible; and Stages will hold CPS harmless for costs associated with notifying impacted parents and guardians.
Parents and Guardians retain the right to inspect, review, and request corrections or deletions of any student information maintained by Stages Chicago, other than as required by law.
Stages Chicago will not take any photographs, videos, or voice recordings, unless explicitly consented to by parents or guardians through a media opt-in form.
Stages Chicago uses third-party software and cloud databases, such as Google Workspace and Dropbox, which adhere to all applicable data privacy regulations.