Sample Eight Day Tour - Theatre Studies (London)
Day 1
Travel to London, where the group will be met by the Tour Director who will remain with the party throughout their visit. The group will then head to Windsor where the afternoon will be spent looking around the historic town, with its seventeenth century Guildhall and superb Victorian Railway Station. Evening meal about 200 yards from the Castle walls!!
Day 2
After a hot breakfast, the group will leave the hotel to visit Buckingham Palace for the colourful Changing of the Guard ceremony (should this not be taking place, a visit to Horse Guards Parade will be substituted). The party will then walk through St James' Park, and on to Westminster Abbey. Begun in 1050, this world-famous abbey is the resting place of Britain's monarchs and scene of coronations and other great state occasions. Please note however that it is not always possible to enter Westminster Abbey as it is a religious building used for various services. From here, the group will transfer by coach to the National Theatre, one of the most technologically advanced theatres in the world, for a backstage tour. Before heading back to the hotel, to change, there will be an opportunity for a flight on the London Eye.
Evening meal and a West End Show
Day 3
Hot breakfast and transfer to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden for a backstage tour. This is the home of the Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera. The group can then choose to have lunch in one of the numerous Covent Garden Cafes, before regrouping at Covent Garden'sTheatre Museum for a look at the history of the theatre and, in particular, London's West End. As well as the general exhibits, there will be practical costume and make-up demonstrations. Time to explore Covent Garden itself and do a bit of serious shopping. The group will have a traditional fish and chip supper this evening, at the famous Rock and Sole Plaice! If desired, the group may transfer back to the hotel to change for supper and an optional evening at the Royal Opera House.
Day 4
After a hot breakfast at the hotel, the group will begin the day with a guided walk. Starting at Westminster Bridge, they will cross the River Thames to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. From here they will walk up Whitehall, past 10 Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister, and on to Trafalgar Square, where the 50m-high column commemorating Admiral Lord Nelson, Landseer's four huge stone lions, spectacular fountains, and a multitude of pigeons provide some wonderful photo opportunities! The group will then meet a specialist guide for a London Theatreland Walk. There will be tales of ghosts, facts about theatres and the personalities that have starred in them. An opportunity to visit London's most famous shop, Harrods, to do some shopping will be followed by an evening meal. Finally, the group will see a West End Show.
Day 5
After a hot breakfast at the hotel, the group will arrive at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, a reconstruction of the original theatre which stood there in Elizabethan times. They will explore the unique performance conditions of the playhouse in a practical and tailor made workshop, before being taken on a guided tour of the Theatre itself. After lunch, the group will cross the River Thames by the new Millennium Bridge, to visit St Paul's Cathedral with its spectacular dome, built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. Here, the Stone Gallery offers wonderful views over London and visitors can try out the unusual acoustics in the Whispering Gallery.
Transfer back to the hotel to dress. Evening meal followed by a West End Show.
Day 6
After a hot breakfast at the hotel, the group will leave the city and transfer to Salisbury Plain to visit Stonehenge, one of Britain's most ancient and mysterious monuments. From here they will head to Bath where they will have lunch and then visit The Roman Baths and The Jane Austen Centre. In the evening the group will transfer to Stratford-upon-Avon where they will book into their Hotel and then go out for a traditional meal. Opportunity to see an evening performance by the R.S.C., at the Royal Shakespeare Theare.
Day 7
After breakfast, the group will visit Shakespeare's Birthplace and spend the morning exploring this beautiful riverside town. After lunch they will transfer to the historic university town of Oxford where they will learn about the City in the Oxford Story before exploring the town.They will then head to Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral home of George Washington, a beautiful Tudor manor house, where they will be given a tour of the house - before sitting down to an banquet, prepared, served and eaten in the Elizabethan style. Traditional entertainment will make it an evening to be remembered!.
Day 8
Breakfast and transfer to school.