CANADIAN THEATRE TOUR
Niagara-on-the-Lake / Stratford
September 29- October 3, 2009
Sponsored by TDF




The superb quality of Canadian theatre is on display with four enduring and endearing plays, two productions at the Shaw Festival in the storybook village of Niagara-on-the-Lake and two more productions at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in lovely Stratford. 



Our tenth Canadian Theatre tour is, as always, a theatre lover’s dream.   With two of North America’s first-tier repertory theatres performing in close proximity, Ontario has become a place of yearly pilgrimage for discerning audiences.   We stay in the heart of Stratford and see Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night”s Dream, and Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. In Niagara-on-the-Lake we spend two nights at a deluxe resort, and see the classic comedy Born Yesterday, and a Shaw favorite, the Devil’s Disciple.   We have a balance of free time and planned activities. As we arrive and depart via the Buffalo airport, we have the opportunity to visit the acclaimed Albright-Knox Art Gallery.  The tour is limited to 24 persons.    
This trip was originated with the Theatre Development Fund, a travel partner with Carew Travel for over 20 years.  






1.  Tuesday, September 29     
Depart from LaGuardia in the morning on a nonstop flight to Buffalo. Upon arrival, travel directly, via private motor coach, to the lively town of Stratford for lunch and to check into the beautiful Arden Park Hotel, in the center of town. The hotel’s facilities include an indoor pool, hot tub, and restaurant. Tonight, enjoy a welcome dinner before our first performance at the oldest Shakespeare Festival in North America, which is widely reputed to perform the finest Shakespeare on this side of the Atlantic. The grounds surrounding the Festival Theater include an art gallery and flower gardens, as well as a beautiful lake, which is surrounded by walking paths. After our welcome dinner we have tickets for Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. In an enchanted forest, a quartet of mismatched lovers and a gang of hapless actors cross paths with the king and queen of the fairies, resulting in a night of moonlit mirth. Love triumphs at dawn – but not before trickster Puck has had his way with all. This brilliantly orchestrated comedy of confusion and desire probes the very nature of love. (lunch/dinner)  



2.  Wednesday, September 30     
This morning we tour the Festival’s Costume Warehouse, where thousands of costumes and hundreds of props from many years of theater are catalogued and stored. You’ll marvel at the talent of the Festival’s world-class designers, scenic and wardrobe staff, and prop makers.  The afternoon is free. Why not see another show or spend time exploring the town. Tonight following dinner, see Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest. Dashing men-about-town John Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff pursue fair ladies Gwendolen Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. Matters are complicated by the imaginary characters invented by both men to cover their on-the-sly activities – not to mention the disapproval of Gwendolen’s mother, the formidable Lady Bracknell.  One of the funniest comedies in the English language – and a critique of love, sex and social hypocrisy that remains stingingly pertinent even today. (breakfast/dinner)  



3.  Thursday, October 1     
After breakfast, travel to the storybook village of Niagara-on-the-Lake, a beautiful town full of lush parks and gardens and some of Canada’s finest Victorian architecture. Niagara-on-the-Lake recently won an award as the “Prettiest Town in Canada.” En route, visit a local winery and enjoy lunch before checking into the Queens Landing Hotel in the center of town,  with stately Georgian-style elegance and gracious service in a spectacular waterfront setting.  We plan dinner before an evening performance of Garson Kanin’s Born Yesterday. When a nouveau riche garbage king arrives in Washington, he decides his very blonde girlfriend needs an education. But he gets more than he bargained for as she and her tutor prove that knowledge is power, not to mention very attractive! A classic comedy,  HYPERLINK "http://www.shawfest.com/Home/Playbill/Born-Yesterday/Tell-Me-More" \o "Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin" Born Yesterday, opened on Broadway in 1946 and still holds the record for the longest run at the Lyceum Theatre. Few plays have been able to combine delicious romance with sharp political comment as successfully as this, while also creating one of theatre’s most enduring and endearing characters – the indefatigable Billie Dawn. (breakfast/lunch/dinner)



4.  Friday, October 2     
This morning we have a specially arranged talk with cast members from Born Yesterday. Afterwards enjoy a free afternoon. We have dinner, followed by a performance of  Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple.  It’s the height of the American Revolution and Dick Dudgeon – the black sheep son – is known as the  HYPERLINK "http://www.shawfest.com/Home/Playbill/The-Devils-Disciple/Tell-Me-More" \o "The Devil’s Disciple by Bernard Shaw" Devil’s Disciple. When he is mistaken for a crusading minister and imprisoned by English forces, the question becomes, who is really the saint and who is the sinner? A comedy, an adventure and a love story, its first production in 1897 was so successful that  HYPERLINK "http://www.shawfest.com/Home/About-The-Shaw/History" \o "More about Bernard Shaw" Bernard Shaw was able to quit his day job as a critic. Polish director Tadeusz Bradecki always brings a new and surprising point of view to classic American stories – his recent productions for the Shaw Festival of The Crucible and Happy End being fine examples. (breakfast/dinner)  



5.  Saturday, October 3     
After checking out of the hotel this morning, travel to Buffalo and visit the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, a world-known center of modern art, which is rich in post-war, American, and European art. The museum is noted for its collections of contemporary painting and sculpture, including American and European art of the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. The gallery has a permanent collection of art from many centuries, including paintings by French Impressionists. Enjoy lunch, before heading home. The nonstop flight to New York leaves Buffalo in the late afternoon.  
(breakfast/lunch)  





This engaging experience includes:

  • Round trip non-stop airfare and air taxes on US Airways
  • 4 nights accommodations:
  • 2 nights at the White Oaks Resort in Niagara-On-The-Lake 2 nights at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford
  • 2 nights at the White Oaks Resort in Niagara-On-The-Lake 2 nights at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford
  • Four theatre performances:
  • 2 at the Shaw Festival
  • 2 at the Stratford Festival
  • Breakfast daily, 4 dinners, 3 lunches
  • Stratford costume warehouse tour
  • Shaw Festival private cast talk
  • Knox Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY
  • Private motor coach as required throughout tour
  • Porterage of one piece of luggage
  • Carew Travel tour escort throughout
PROGRAM PRICES  
Per person (double occupancy) from New York: $1999  
Single Supplement: $425  
Land only-deduct $150  
$50 discount if registered by July 29.  
Final payment due August 15.