GET YOUR PASSPORTS IN ORDER
And Join Us for
HG’S Thirteenth Annual Theatre Excursion
to Canada’s
Stratford Festival
October 19-21, 2012
42nd STREET
Cynthia Dale as Dorothy Brock
Cynthia Dale returns for her 11th season with the Stratford Festival. HG Stratford Festival veterans will remember her in leading roles in The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific, Man of La Mancha, Camelot and Anything Goes. Now she stars in a tap-dancing spectacle that has enjoyed many revivals, both as a play and as a movie. High hopes are riding on director Julian Marsh’s new show, Pretty Lady. But Julian has doubts about his star, Dorothy Brock, whose wealthy admirer is also the show’s backer. Events take an unexpected turn, however, when newcomer Peggy Sawyer wins a place in the chorus—and in Julian’s heart. The 1980 Broadway production, based on the 1933 film musical, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit.
The MATCHMAKER From left: Mike Shara as Cornelius, Laura Condlin as Irene Malloy,
Seana McKenna as Dolly Levi, Tom McCamus as Horace Vandergelder
Thornton Wilder’s brilliant comedy, the basis for the musical Hello, Dolly, tells the story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a widow who brokers marriages and other transactions in Yonkers, New York, at the turn of the 20th Century. She sets her sights on local merchant Horace Vandergelder, who has hired her to find him a wife. With his eye ever fixed on the bottom line, the wealthy merchant can’t see the value of love—even as he searches for a wife. His matchmaker, Dolly Levi, however, is making her own plans for him, while his clerks pursue their hearts’ desires in the big city. After a series of slapstick situations involving mistaken identities, secret rendezvous behind carefully placed screens, separated lovers, and a trip to night court, everyone finds themselves paired with a perfect match.
Of interest to HG’s Stratford regulars, Tom McCamus played Jim Casey, the preacher, in last year’s Grapes of Wrath. In 2010, he played Captain Hook in Peter Pan, as well as the depraved male lead in Dangerous Liaisons; Seana McKenna played his equally immoral partner.
YOU'RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN From left: Ken James Stewart as Charlie Brown, Stephen Patterson as Snoopy,
Erica Peck as Lucy, Andrew Broderick as Schroeder, Kevin Yee as Linus, Amy Wallis as Sally
Based on the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz, this timeless family musical is directed and choreographed by Donna Feore, who has put her mark on Stratford musicals for 18 years. As staged at the Avon Theatre, it’s a typically challenging day in the life of Charlie Brown, from trying to get his kite to fly to trying to find the nerve to talk to that cute little red-headed girl. Meanwhile, Charlie’s friends – and even his dog, Snoopy – face challenges of their own in their pursuit of that fleeting thing called happiness. This production features some outstanding visuals, such as larger-than-life set pieces to make adult actors looks smaller.
THE BASICS:
The Dates: October 19-21, 2012
The Plays:
(Package “A”): 42nd Street & The Matchmaker
(Package “B”): 42nd Street; The Matchmaker; and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
The Transportation: Benedict's Bus Service
The Accommodations: Albert Street Inn
The Cost:
- Package “A” (bus, hotel, & 2 plays)
$385 per person, double or triple occupancy
$510 per person, single occupancy
- Package “”B” (bus, hotel, & all 3 plays)
$470 per person, double or triple occupancy
$595 per person, single occupancy
Hearing Devices (optional) may be rented for a total of $8 for all plays in package.
Deposit: $125 per person (DUE IMMEDIATELY; fully refundable if trip is cancelled)
MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO “HAMILTON-GIBSON PRODUCTIONS” AND MAIL TO:
LARRY BIDDISON
27 NICHOLS STREET
WELLSBORO, PA 16901
Deadline for Payment in Full: August 15, 2012 (PLEASE WAIT FOR NOTIFICATION IN JULY!)
TENTATIVE ITINERARY:
Friday, October 19
- 5:30 am Bus departs Whitneyville (Begin boarding 5 a.m.)
- 5:40 am Bus departs Mansfield
- 5:50 am Bus departs Lindley, NY
- 6:20 am Bus departs Painted Post
- 9:00 am Rest stop near Batavia
- 12:00 pm Arrive Stratford; check in Albert Street Inn
- 2:00 pm [Optional: Much Ado About Nothing (Festival) or Pirates of Penzance (Avon). Buy own tickets in advance.]
- 8:00 pm 42nd Street (ride bus to Festival Theatre)
Saturday, October 20
- 2:00 pm The Matchmaker (ride bus to Festival Theatre)
- 8:00 pm Charlie Brown (walk to Avon Theatre)
Sunday, October 21
- 9:00 am Bus departs hotel
- 12:00 pm Fast food lunch in USA
- 4:00 pm Bus arrives Whitneyville
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- PASSPORTS/PASSPORT CARDS. U.S. citizens entering the U.S. from Canada must have a U.S. PASSPORT (Adult $110; Minor $80) or PASSPORT CARD ($30; $15). (The Passport Card is designed for folks who don’t intend travel by air or beyond Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean.) If you’re considering this trip and don’t have a current passport, be sure you apply for one soon! Start at the Prothonotary’s office at the Court House in Wellsboro (724-9281). Estimated turn-around time: 4-6 weeks.
- For more INFORMATION ABOUT STRATFORD’S 2012 SEASON, check the official website: www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com.
- For more INFORMATION ABOUT THE OCTOBER TRIP, contract Larry Biddison at 570-724-4586 or biddison@epix.net.
Click the link below to download the 2012 Stratford Deposit Form:
Download 2012 Stratford Deposit Form
H-G’s Shaw Festival Day Trip Offers Choice of Plays:
The Musical Adaptation of Doctorow’s RAGTIME and
Shaw’s Mischievous Comedy, MISALLIANCE
Saturday, May 5, 2012
The one-day theatre trip to the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario on May 5th is part of Hamilton-Gibson’s ongoing educational and cultural outreach mission. The announcement of the theatre excursion came from HG board member Larry Biddison, who has conducted the Shaw Festival day trip since 2005 and the three-day fall trip to the Stratford Festival since 2000. According to Biddison, “A one-day theatre outing seems the perfect way to get acquainted with this prestigious repertory theatre company that is practically in our back yard. And it’s not too soon to reserve your seat on the bus.” Transportation for Hamilton-Gibson’s Saturday theatrical outing will be provided by Benedict’s Bus Service, departing from the terminal in Whitneyville at 7:30 a.m. and returning before 10 p.m. (Other boarding sites are available en route to Canada.)
Participants in 2012 will have a choice of two plays, RAGTIME or MISALLIANCE, both scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
At the Festival Theatre is the lavish musical production, RAGTIME, set in America in the early 1900’s. This sweeping saga paints a powerful portrait of an era of innovation and unrest that is set to the rhythms of ragtime. Three major groups are introduced: upper-class suburban WASPs (Father, Mother, Mother's Younger Brother, Edgar, and Grandfather), African-Americans (Coalhouse Walker, a piano player, and his lover, Sarah), and Eastern European immigrants (Tateh and his daughter, Little Girl). America is seen through the eyes of these three very different families, based on novelist E.L. Doctorow’s kaleidoscopic fusion of suburban New Rochelle, Harlem and New York City’s Lower East Side, with surprise appearances from the likes of Houdini, Emma Goldman and J.P. Morgan. A heady tale of love lost and won, lives lost and saved and a country struggling to define itself.
At the Royal George Theatre is MISALLIANCE, set in England, also at the turn of the century. Considered one of George Bernard Shaw’s “thoughtful” comedies, the play is a continuation of some of the ideas on marriage that he expressed in 1908 in his play, GETTING MARRIED, which the H-G group saw in 2008. Both plays portray women intent on escaping Victorian standards of helplessness, passivity, stuffy propriety, and non-involvement in politics or general affairs. Shaw’s central character is Hypatia, a bored heiress to an underwear fortune, trapped in an unhappy engagement. But then a plane crashes into the conservatory, bringing a handsome man, a female daredevil and all kinds of new ideas to shake up the quiet weekend in the country. Who will wind up with whom? And which alliance will be a hit—or a miss?
Spending a Saturday afternoon with Hamilton-Gibson in the “loveliest town in Ontario” may be the perfect way for Twin Tiers residents to begin “thinking spring.” Besides seeing a stunning professional theatrical production, visitors to Niagara-on-the-Lake can enjoy other features of this historic Canadian village. Situated at the mouth of the Niagara River, the town is known for its floral parks and walkways, period homes, and fine shops and restaurants. The region also attracts International visitors interested in golfing, sailing, and discovering the many wineries.
The trip is also an opportunity to benefit from Hamilton-Gibson’s commitment to education about the performing arts. “By taking advantage of group rates, we are able to keep the cost reasonably low and at the same time support our educational and cultural programs,” said Biddison. The cost of the trip is $125 per person. This price includes hearing devices for those who request them. Meals are not included. Biddison stressed that all participants must carry valid passports.
The Shaw Festival Day Trip is open to adults and to students accompanied by adults. Space is limited to 40 persons. Reservations ($50 deposit per person) are now being accepted on a first-come basis, with payment in full due by March 20, 2012. If fewer than 20 persons sign up, full refunds will be made. To learn more about the Shaw Festival, visit www.shawfest.com.
For more information about the H-G trip or to receive reservation forms, contact Larry Biddison at 570-724-4586 or <biddison@epix.net>.
