The Shaw Festival

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
September 7-10, 2012

 

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The University of Wisconsin-Madison invites you to experience what New York Magazine calls “North America’s premier repertory company,” in what is surely one of the continent’s most delightful towns: Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

The Shaw Festival is one of our most popular destinations for quality theater, and the lineup for 2012 is as strong and vibrant as always! This year’s meal with the cast is going to be a Sunday night dinner in addition to all of the great plays, so it’s going to be another wonderful weekend of outstanding theater for you and your friends.

Description:

A weekend full of theater and local history, this year the entire group will attend the comedies French Without Tears by Terence Rattigan, Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw, and Noël Coward’s Present Laughter. For the rest of the weekend we are letting you select the other plays that you wish to see. As always, this year’s options are outstanding! On Saturday night you may choose either John Guare’s brilliant His Girl Friday, or Henrik Ibens’ classic Hedda Gabler; and on Sunday night you have a choice between attending G.B. Shaw’s The Millionairess, or the play based on the book by E.L. Doctorow, the Tony Award-winning musical Ragtime.  

No matter which plays you choose you really can’t go wrong, but you don’t need to worry about it now. After you register for the trip we’ll follow up with you to ask which plays you want to see! And, of course, you may also choose to add the optional lunchtime one-act play to your itinerary if you want an extra dose of theater. This season’s production is Leonard Bernstein’s one-act opera on love and longing in 1950’s America, Trouble in Tahiti, at 11:30 am on Sunday morning.

Your weekend package also includes our popular educational seminar and a special Sunday night dinner with members of the Shaw’s Repertory Company! You get three nights lodging at the luxurious The Prince of Wales Hotel, and coach transfers to and from the airport with our traditional lunch stop at Niagara Falls on the way to the festival, so all you really have to do this weekend is enjoy yourself! 

Five plays, two of your own choosing, with an option for a sixth, all in one of Canada’s most picturesque towns! It really doesn’t get much better than this.

Your itinerary for the Shaw Festival 2012 includes:

Friday, September 7

Morning
Fly to Buffalo, NY, and transfer by private coach to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Along the way you’ll stop for lunch and a chance to enjoy the awesome spectacle of Niagara Falls!

Afternoon
Arrive and settle into your room at the elegant The Prince of Wales Hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to relax or explore the beautiful village of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Evening
Tonight the whole group will attend French Without Tears, Terence Rattigan’s romantic comedy about love, language, and life on the west coast of France.

Saturday, September 8

Morning
This morning you join the group for coffee, snacks, and our popular educational seminar. Always informative, this is an opportunity to gain insights into the plays you will attend and the inner workings of the festival itself, while spending a little time getting to know your fellow travelers.

Afternoon
At 2:00 pm the whole group will attend George Bernard Shaw’s Misalliance, his comedy of a bored heiress to an underwear fortune trapped in an unhappy engagement, and the sudden change of fortune that, literally, falls out of the sky. 

Evening
Tonight you may choose to see John Guare’s glorious screwball comedy His Girl Friday; or Henrik Ibsen’s complex and brilliant Hedda Gabler

Sunday, September 9

Morning
Your morning is unscheduled so you can discover the offerings of this delightful village on Lake Ontario at its most quiet time. Stroll the flower-filled streets and shops, attend church, visit Fort George on the banks of the Niagara River, play a round of golf at North America’s oldest course, or relax at the lakeshore park.

Lunchtime
This year’s optional lunchtime play is at 11:30 am on Sunday morning, Leonard Bernstein’s one-act operatic look at the 1950’s American Dream, Trouble in Tahiti.

Afternoon
At 2:00 pm the group will enjoy Noël Coward's Present Laughter, his affectionate take on his own life as a celebrity.

Evening
This year we are including a Sunday dinner in your program and you’ll be joined at your table by members of the Shaw’s acting company! This is a truly delightful opportunity to spend some genuine, personal time with the actors who you’ve been watching all weekend long. After dinner you will attend your final play of the weekend. Your choice is between Shaw’s madcap comedy The Millionairess, about the richest woman in England who falls for an Egyptian doctor; or you may conclude your weekend of theater with the epic musical masterpiece Ragtime.

Monday, September 12

This morning the coach will transfer you back to Buffalo for your flight home. 

Traveler comments

“This was our tenth year of traveling to Shaw with the UW since 1995.  The acting company is world class.  It is a very relaxing experience as well as educational and entertaining.  I look forward to many more trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake.”

“I loved both the seminar and the lunch.  Understanding what goes into these productions to make them so good is enriching.  They are also chances to interact more with other tour members.”

"There was just the right balance of entertainment and information.”

“An economical, convenient, enriching, and seamless experience. I like the perfect blend of structure and freedom.”

“It was so easy – a true vacation!”

“So pleased with the whole experience. I didn’t have to concern myself with the details so it was a wonderful mini-vacation.”

 

General Information

Costs: $1549. Price includes premier seating at all performances, lodging, educational seminar, dinner with members of the Shaw Acting Company, transfers, and staff services.

We will request your customized play choices upon receipt of your registration.

Airfare is not included in this package price. The registration confirmation will include a suggested itinerary for travelers leaving from Madison, as well as instructions for those with alternate travel plans. If you plan to make your own air arrangements, please contact us first to confirm your space/ground arrangements.

Lodging – You’ll enjoy luxury accommodations at the beautiful The Prince of Wales Hotel in charming Niagara-on-the-Lake. www.vintage-hotels.com/niagara-on-the-lake/hotels/prince-of-wales.php

For more performance information visit the Shaw Festival website at: www.shawfest.com

Your travel director

Doug Whittle is the director of educational travel for UW-Madison Continuing Studies. He served for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire and has traveled independently in Asia, Africa, Europe, and throughout Central and North America. He has led trips on five continents for UW-Madison.

How to register

Please mail your completed registration form and deposit to:
Kim Seymour
21 N. Park St., 7th fl.
UW-Madison Educational Travel Program
Madison, WI 53715.

If you have any questions, please contact Kim Seymour at 608-262-3731 or kseymour@dcs.wisc.edu.

Contact:

For further information contact Doug Whittle at 608-263-7787, or dwhittle@dcs.wisc.edu.