| WESTON
PLAYHOUSE THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS THE
7th ANNUAL
LONDON THEATRE TOUR • May 15 - 24, 2007
PROPOSED
ITINERARY
Note: All events subject to change, owing
to performance schedules and availability of guest speakers.
Tuesday
15 May
| AM |
We will recommend
a Tuesday morning flight from Boston Logan Airport,
coinciding with a comparable flight from NY JFK.
Steve Stettler will be on this flight. Tour members
arriving at other times and from other airports
must arrange their own transportation to the hotel.
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| PM
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Arrive
at London Airport. Welcome by Tour Director Giles
Ramsay. Transfer by private coach to The
Washington Mayfair Hotel, a four-star luxury
hotel in the heart of elegant Mayfair, just across
from Shepherd Market and a block from Green Park
and Piccadilly. All rooms will be available for
speedy check-in
upon arrival. |
Wednesday
16 May
| AM |
Briefing
on all aspects of the tour including optional performances,
exhibitions and recommended restaurants. Get acquainted
and review welcome packets. Following the briefing,
our guides will lead a short walking
tour of the neighborhood, pointing out the
nearest banks/ATM’s, post office, shops and
restaurants. |
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| PM
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Performance
One: Perhaps a West
End Play, a leading hit at one of London’s
historic theatres such as The Haymarket or The Duke
of York’s. Possibilities may include: Tom
Stoppard’s latest play, Rock ‘N’
Roll, recently transferred to the West End;
Peter Shaffer’s Equus starring Daniel
Radcliffe (Harry Potter) and Richard Griffiths
(The History Boys); or Dame Maggie Smith
in Edward Albee’s Lady From Dubuque. |
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| EVE |
We will travel by
coach to south London for an informal Welcome
Dinner at Le
QuecumBar, a Parisian-style wine bar that
features Latin/Gypsy jazz. We’ve booked the
entire bar so we can get to know one another over
a superb brasserie meal followed by live music from
a guitar duo backed by double bass. |
Thursday 17 May
| AM |
The
State We Are In. A discussion with a leading
Journalist or Political
Commentator on major issues of the day: Government,
Europe, UK/US relations.
AFTERNOON FREE – a good time to explore
the neighborhood or write those postcards. |
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| EVE |
Performance
Two: Either a production at the Donmar
Warehouse in Covent Garden or the Almeida
Theatre in its smartly renovated home in
Islington. Under artistic directors Michael Grandage
and Michael Attenborough, these companies are attracting
major artists and a hip, vibrant audience to their
intimate spaces and offbeat locations.
Optional post-performance
drinks and informal discussion at the hotel.
Compare notes with your tour mates and guides over
your favorite late-night libation. |
Friday
18 May
| |
MORNING AND
AFTERNOON FREE. By special request, we have freed
up the better part of a day for those who would
like to take a day trip (perhaps a Thames Cruise
to Hampton Court or Windsor) or enjoy extended free
time in London. |
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|
| EVE |
Performance
Three: Perhaps a production at one of London’s
up-and-coming fringe companies, such as the Menier
Chocolate Factory, a reclaimed 19th century
factory near London Bridge where the acclaimed
West End revival of Sondheim’s Sunday
in the Park with George originated, or the
70-seat Gate Theatre in Notting Hall, where director
Stephen Daldry (Billy Eliot) got his
start.
Post-performance
discussion, perhaps with the company’s
Artistic Director
to discuss the challenges (and advantages) of
producing top-drawer theatre in a small space. |
Saturday 19 May
| AM |
Discussion
Session with Steve Stettler. A chance to
talk with members of the group about the first three
productions we have seen. Sharpen your critical
skills and compare opinions in a friendly and stimulating
atmosphere. |
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| EVE |
Performance
Four: Perhaps at the Royal
National Theatre, experiencing a renaissance
under the directorship of Nicholas Hytner. Based
on London’s South Bank, the National offers
an unrivalled range of classics, musicals and new
plays. With three active stages, several cafes and
a fine bookstore, the RNT remains the flagship for
British Theatre.
EVENING FREE – perhaps to catch a play
of your choice or enjoy a special dinner. |
Sunday 20 May
| AM |
We board our coach,
joined by an Art Expert
who will lead us on a private tour of London’s
East End Galleries.
Meet the next generation of contemporary artists
whose works will soon fill the Tate Modern and the
Saatchi Gallery. View their latest work in the studios
where it is being created, while exploring the suddenly
fashionable East End.
AFTERNOON FREE – perhaps to enjoy further
time at the galleries or a Sunday stroll along the
South Bank or in one of London’s many parks,
now in full bloom. |
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| EVE |
Optional
Event: Attend a Classical
Concert at one of London’s leading
musical venues or Choral Evensong at an historic
London church. (Details/cost to be announced.) |
Monday 21 May
| AM |
A private visit
to the Royal Academy
of Dramatic Art where Olivier, Gielgud, Branah
and McKellen were trained, where we will have the
rare opportunity to attend a Master
Class. Recently refurbished, RADA is one
of the finest drama schools in the world.
AFTERNOON FREE – a good time to visit
the nearby British Museum or British Library. |
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| EVE |
Performance
Five: Perhaps to see Robert Lindsay (Me
and My Girl, A&E’s Horatio Hornblower)
in John Osborne’s The Entertainer
at The Old Vic, revitalized under actor Kevin Spacey’s
committed artistic direction. One of London’s
oldest theatres, The
Old Vic has seen such immortal productions
as Peter O’Toole’s Hamlet,
Laurence Olivier’s Othello, and Spacey’s
own The Iceman Cometh. |
Tuesday 22 May
| |
MORNING FREE
– a chance to sleep late and enjoy breakfast
in your room! |
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|
| PM |
Celebrity
Tea. We’ll travel around the block
to Dartmouth House, the English Speaking Union’s
stunningly renovated 16th century townhouse, where
we’ll enjoy traditional British high tea and
a freewheeling discussion with a special theatre
guest – perhaps a director, actor or
playwright whose work we have seen earlier in the
tour. |
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| EVE |
Performance
Six: Perhaps a Shakespeare
performance, either at the reconstructed Shakespeare’s
Globe on Bankside or at the Royal
Shakespeare Company’s London home.
Enjoy a classic by our greatest playwright performed
by one of the top Shakespeare ensembles in the world.
|
Wednesday
23 May
| AM |
Discussion
Session with Steve Stettler. A chance to
discuss the last three plays we’ve seen, followed
by the ever-popular Critical
Round-Up, where you can compare your views
with one of London’s leading critics, perhaps
Charles Spencer
of the Daily Telegraph or Kate
Bassett of The Sunday Independent.
AFTERNOON FREE – a last chance to shop,
take in an early matinee, or begin to pack. |
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| EVE |
Farewell
Dinner. We travel by coach to the heart of
Covent Garden for a final evening of food and fellowship
in a private room at The
Ivy. Where better to reminisce about a memorable
time with friends new and old, than in the wood-panel
and stained glass warmth of London’s top theatre
restaurant? (Jacket and tie recommended.) |
Thursday 24 May
| AM |
Departure
for US (coaching provided only to coincide
with the recommended group flight). Luggage
outside rooms for porter pick-up and an early breakfast
precede departure by coach for the airport, with
check-in assistance from Giles and Steve. |
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NOTE TO GARDENERS: The Royal
Horticultural Society’s famed Chelsea Flower Show
opens to the public on 24 May. Extend your stay in London
and enjoy the work of top floral designers from around
the world!
ABOUT OUR TOUR GUIDE
Our professional tour guides will again be Giles
Ramsay. A former director of London Arts Discovery
Tours, Giles runs independent cultural tours for North
American non-profit theatres and for the U.S.-based
Elderhostel, including lectures on the Queen Mary 2
as it sails from New York to London. Previously Director
of Studies for Summer Schools in Drama at the University
of Edinburgh, Giles was educated at the universities
of London, Cambridge, Durham, and at RADA. The founder
of Developing Artists, he is currently working in Mexico,
Zimbabwe and Cape Verde. He recently co-wrote and directed
a new play which premiered at the National Gallery of
Zimbabwe during the Harare International Festival of
the Arts, subsequently touring to Edinburgh and London.
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>>
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE
LONDON TOUR ITINERARY
>>
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LONDON
TOUR SUMMARY
>>
CLICK HERE TO VIEW TERMS
& CONDITIONS
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