England: Performing Arts

Depart Home for London, UK

• Arrive in London, England
• Airport Transfer
• Orientation Walking Tour – The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc.
• Welcome Dinner – The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a variety of menu options to cater all diets.

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Historic Theatre District Walking Tour – Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column, The National Gallery, St. James’s Palace, Buckingham Palace, Victoria Memorial , Big Ben, Westminster Abbey , Houses of Parliament. 
• Lunch Break
• Victoria & Albert Museum – The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects.

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• The Globe Theater – Shakespeare’s company erected the storied Globe Theatre circa 1599 in London’s Bankside district. It was one of four major theatres in the area, along with the Swan, the Rose, and the Hope.
• Tate Modern – The Tate Modern is a modern art gallery that holds the national collection of British art from 1900 to the present day and international modern and contemporary art.
• Shakespeare Walking Tour – Southwark was Shakespeare’s parish and he worshipped at the cathedral when he lived near the Globe Theatre.
• Shakespeer Performance at The Globe – TBD

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Charles Dickens Walking Tour – Step back into the 19th century in this Charles Dickens Walking Tour of London. You will visit both locations that influenced Dickens the man and places that feature in his literary works.
• Lunch Break
• Backstage Tour of National Theatre – The National Theatre creates over 20 new productions every year. Join a tour and see preparation for the shows, including set-building and props-making in the workshops.
• Workshop at National Theatre

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Royal Academy of Dramatic Art – ACT 1 Workshop – The Royal Academy of Arts was founded through a personal act of King George III on 10 December 1768 with a mission to promote the arts of design in Britain through education and exhibition.
• West End Performance – To be determined

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Travel to Stratford (approx. 2.5 hours)
• Anne Hathaway’s Cottage Shakespeare’s Birthplace and Center – Explore the house where Shakespeare was born and grew up. Hear tales of Shakespeare’s family life, enjoy live theatre on demand and get up close to rare artefacts from the Trust’s world class collections as you discover how the extraordinary William Shakespeare continues to shape our lives today.  
• Holy Trinity Church – Holy Trinity, Stratford, on the banks of the River Avon, is probably England’s most visited Parish Church and home to the grave of William Shakespeare. RSC Workshop – Student workshops take place in The Clore Learning Centre in Stratford-upon-Avon and can provide students with either a first introduction to or a deeper study of a chosen play’s language, characters and themes.
• Royal Shakespeare Company Performance – TBD

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Kensington Palace – Explore the palace that once housed Queen Victoria and is now home to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
• Lunch Break
• Tower of London – The unmissable Tower of London (actually a castle of 22 towers) offers a window into a gruesome and compelling history.
• Crown Jewels Exhibit – The Jewel House is a vault housing the British Crown Jewels in the Waterloo Block at the Tower of London. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and refurbished in 2012.
• Farewell Dinner – The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a variety of menu options to cater all diets.

• Breakfast & Day Briefing
• Airport Transfer
• Depart from London, England for Home