Shakespeare and Christopher Plummer Plus Gardens and Architecture September 8 – 11, 2010

		An outstanding, exciting tour arranged for The Volunteers' Circle of The National Gallery of Canada
	Your Executive Worldwide Travel Tour Itinerary
	“It is a great privilege to work with such a gifted, skillful and inspiring group,” said Artistic Director Des McAnuff. “The true depth of our troupe is shown by the number of wonderful actors who will be playing supporting roles in addition to their principal parts. If we were a baseball team, I’d be able to say we have tremendous bench strength!” General Director Antoni Cimolino added: “We look forward to welcoming old friends and new as they join us to create a sensational season of theatre.” With four Stratford performances, one starring Christopher Plummer, sightseeing tours to St. Marys, the Homer Watson House and Gallery and the Stratford Gardens, as well as lunch at Verses and dinner at Rundles, this tour promises to be a truly exciting experience. Please join us – we always have a wonderful time at Stratford!

	WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 – Early morning departure for Stratford from the National Gallery of Canada on Sussex Drive. Enroute, a delicious box lunch. Afternoon arrival at the lovely Arden Park Hotel, located on the main street, a short walk from the Festival Theatre. The Arden Park is the newest hotel in Stratford and boasts many excellent facilities including an indoor swimming pool. Welcome dinner before the evening performance of “Kiss Me, Kate,” with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. “As backstage bickering between the co-stars of a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew threatens to sabotage opening night, along come a couple of gangsters with a gambling debt to collect. The result is hilarity on and off the stage – all punctuated by Cole Porter’s unforgettable melodies and wickedly witty lyrics.”     LD

		THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 – Breakfast at the hotel before a sightseeing tour of picturesque and historic St. Marys, renowned for its stunning limestone architecture. Popularly known as Stonetown, St. Marys has many 19th century buildings built with locally quarried limestone including the Opera House built in 1880, the Town Hall built in 1891, and the Public Library built in 1904. Return to Stratford. Lunch on your own. Transfer to the Tom Patterson Theatre for the matinee performance of Shakespeare‘s “The Winter’s Tale.” “Obsessed by suspicions of infidelity, King Leontes puts his pregnant wife, Hermione, on trial for her life – coming to his senses only when his actions have cost him both wife and children. But true love can work miracles, and anguish in one generation can unexpectedly lead to happiness in the next.”
	Transfer back to the hotel for dinner on your own before departing for the Festival Theatre and this evening’s performance of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” with Christopher Plummer as Prospero. “Marooned on a distant island with his daughter Miranda, Prospero has spent twelve years perfecting his magic arts. Now, with the help of the spirit Ariel, he raises a storm at sea, bringing within his grasp the enemies who robbed him of his dukedom. But what vengeance does he propose to take?”      B

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 – Breakfast at the hotel before a guided tour of the beautifully landscaped grounds of the Festival Theatre, including Arthur Meighen Garden, a fragrant, romantic tumble of perennials, designed to be in bloom as the curtain rises in May, and still have something in flower for November’s final curtain call. Lunch on your own before transferring to the Festival Theatre for a matinee performance of “Dangerous Liasons,” by Christopher Hampton. “In pre-Revolutionary France, the Marquise de Merteuil and her sometime lover the Vicomte de Valmont amuse themselves by plotting the seduction of two women of virtue. But as their cynical game proceeds, the players’ motives grow deeper – and more deadly.” Transfer back to the hotel with free time before departing for our Farewell Dinner at the highly-regarded Rundles Restaurant. BD

		SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 After breakfast, check out and depart for the Homer Watson House and Gallery, the former home, studio and gallery of the Canadian landscape painter, for a guided tour. Lunch at Verses, an outstanding restaurant located in the former new Apostolic Church in Kitchener before departing for Ottawa. BL

	Coordinators: Mary Udd Sally Hutchison Travel Agency: Executive Worldwide Travel Agent: Jean Sheikh, C.T.C. (613) 236-5555 Or 1-800-267-5552 Registration No.: 1892605	Performance photos courtesy of Stratford Shakespeare Festival. For more details on this tour or to request a brochure, please feel free to contact us at 613-236-5555 or email Jean Sheikh at jsheikh@executive-trvl.com.
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