Afternoon: ARRIVAL & CHECK-IN: Arrivals to Bayfield in the afternoon. Check-in after 3:00 pm. ORIENTATION: Reception and information session in the Front Parlour at 6:00 p.m.

Dinner: Dinner in the Old Dining Room. Arctic Char Lox Tartlette, Gourmet Leaves, Saffron Mayo Pan Roasted Chicken Supreme, Spring Pea Polenta, Pan Jus Local Peach Tart Tatin, Caramel, Vanilla Ice Cream

Lodging: Little Inn of Bayfield

Meals Included: Dinner

Meet Your Instructor/Story of the Stratford Festival/Bayfield Historic Walk

Breakfast: Breakfast consist of a cold buffet with assorted cereals, fresh fruits in season, assorted juices, yogurts, croissants and muffins, you may order a hot cereal if you wish. Due to the elaborate lunches and dinners served, we will not be offering a hot breakfast.

Morning: LECTURE: The Roots of Theatre. Meet your Instructor: Jim Schaefer, Art Director Jim Schaefer has been conducting the academic portion of our program for the last 13 years. His possesses a unique understanding of the theatrical arts and shares his vast knowledge on the subjects of this program. Established in the frame work of an interactive learning activity, even the many participants who return every year do not get bored, nor do they feel that it is a repeat experience from previous programs. You will spend three hours every morning with our well versed theatrical art director where you will extensively explore each play from various points of view: from the writer, the director, the actors, theatre critics and class participants. In this our first session, we will look at the roots of theatre and how it evolved to its present form. We will trace the history of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival from its beginnings in 1953 when Stratford’s city council gave the nod to a local man, Tom Patterson, and his dream of starting something new and exhilarating down by the Avon River. We will see how that led to the famous Tyrone Guthrie and his desire to find a new way to stage Shakespearean plays. This led to Alec Guiness, star of stage and screen the world over, uttering the first lines of the first play, “Now is the winter of our discontent".

Lunch: Lunch at the Inn. Exeter Vine Tomato Tart, Local Goat Cheese, Crispy Ham Foraged Mushroom Risotto, Reggiano, Red Sorrel Chocolate Fudge Cake, Cherry Ice Cream, Cherries

Afternoon: FIELD TRIP: History & Development of Bayfield. Explore Bayfield on a guided walk with Tyler Hessel - with a discussion of the history of the development of Bayfield and the famous four corners with and some historical gossip to spice it up. The Village of Bayfield, Ontario has a storied history starting with a wealthy Dutch Nobleman’s vision of a settlement with the perfect natural harbour. As a result of the natural harbour, the village expanded quickly however, the railroad bypassed Bayfield and the little village began to prosper as a getaway for cottagers, tourists and the adventurous. The same spirit remains today. Many visitors are daytrippers, Inn-to-Inn hoppers or boaters putting in for a visit when heading northward. Bayfield’s largest draw is its heritage main street which, along with Clan Gregor Square Park, was designated a Heritage Conservation District in 1982. It’s time travel at its most authentic.

Dinner: Dinner in the Old Dining Room. Spring Pea Veloute, Metzgers Ham Hock, Creme Fraiche, Coleman Farm Black Angus Faux Filet, Heirloom Carrot, Sauce Perigueux, White Chocolate Creme Caramel

Evening: LECTURE: The Blyth Festival Theatre. Our guest speaker is Deb Sholdice, General Manager of Blyth Festival Theatre (www.blythfestival.com). The Blyth Festival Theatre was started by James Roy, playwright Anne Chislett and local newspaper editor Keith Roulston in 1975. Its primary mandate is to produce and develop local Canadian plays. In 1975, few scripts that fit the festival's mandate were being written so the team jumped into the creation of new work. At that time, the festival was the only summer theatre producing original Canadian plays, and one of the very few, if not the only "500-seat" theatre in Canada producing Canadian plays exclusively. In 36 years, the Blyth Festival Theatre has staged 120 original productions. Deb will then join the group for dinner for further discussion and to answer any questions in a more informal environment.

Lodging: Little Inn of Bayfield

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Pre-Show Chat/Matinee Performance - The Merchant of Venice/Canadian Authors

Breakfast: Consists of a cold buffet with assorted cereals, fresh fruits in season, assorted juices, yogurts, croissants and muffins, you may order a hot cereal if you wish

Morning: LECTURE: Preview of Matinee Peformance. The group will get ready for today's presentation at the Stratford Festival. Morning class followed by a matinee theatre performance.

Lunch: Lunch at the Inn. Heirloom Carrot Salad, Baby Cucumber, Aged Balsamic Vinaigrette Local Beef Goulash, Egg Noodles, Smoked Paprika Crème Fraiche Flight of Little Inn Ice Creams, Brown Sugar Cookie

Afternoon: PERFORMANCE: Depart from the Inn at 12:30 for a Matinee Performance of The Merchant of Venice at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival - curtain time is 2:00 p.m. When the merchant Antonio seeks a loan from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender whom he has always treated with the utmost contempt, Shylock proposes a startling collateral: a pound of the merchant’s flesh. When Antonio defaults on the loan, Shylock prepares to take his revenge – only to find that the law is a knife that can cut both ways.

Dinner: Dinner in the Old Dining Room. Exeter Tomato Gazpacho, Ham Powder, EVOO Lake Huron Pickerel, Fregola Sarda, Asparagus, Red Wine Jus Berry Shortcake, Blueberry Sorbet, Orange Custard

Evening: LECTURE: Canadian Authors and Literature. Our guest speaker tonight is Mary Brown, owner of The Village Bookshop (www.thevillagebookshop.com) to discuss Canadian authors and literature. The Village Bookshop is truly one of the gems of Bayfield. Since 2001, over 92 authors have been hosted and shared their latest work – either at a “Books and Brunch” event at The Little Inn, at the Bookshop’s annual “Bayfield Writer’s Festival” or as part of their “Midsummer Night’s Reading Series”. Mary will then join the group for dinner for further discussion and to answer any questions in a more informal environment.

Lodging: Little Inn of Bayfield

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Performance Review/Pre-Show Chat/Backstage at the Festival/Matinee Performance - The Three Musketeers

Breakfast: Consists of a cold buffet with assorted cereals, fresh fruits in season, assorted juices, yogurts, croissants and muffins, you may order a hot cereal if you wish. Due to the elaborate lunches and dinners served we will not be offering hot breakfast.

Morning: LECTURE: Performance Review/Theatre Styles. We will share our reactions to yesterday's production and get ready for today's presentation. Examine the plot and characters and discuss the theatre styles and methods. FIELD TRIP: Costume & Props Warehouse. We depart for Stratford for an exploration of the Costume and Props Warehouse. Thousands of costumes and hundreds of props are catalogued and stored at one of the largest costume warehouses in North America. These one-hour tours deliver a close-up look at the work of the Festival's world-class designers, wardrobe staff and prop-makers. Don't forget your camera!

Lunch: Enjoy a picnic lunch along the Avon River in Stratford. Each participant will be given cards to make their menu selections a few days prior to the picnic. Each lunch will be individually packed by The Little Inn Chef and his team. Lunches will include a salad entrée, gourmet sandwich and dessert. Coffee/tea, water, soft drinks will be provided on site.

Afternoon: PERFORMANCE: Curtain time is 2:00 p.m for our second matinee performance at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival - The Three Musketeers. Vowing eternal comradeship – “All for one, one for all!” – the cadet D’Artagnan and his new friends Athos, Porthos and Aramis, members of the King’s Musketeers, risk their lives to protect Louis XIII from the machinations of the villainous Cardinal Richelieu and his accomplice Milady de Winter, a wily adventuress as dangerous as she is beautiful.

Dinner: Dinner in the Old Dining Room.Ramp Veloute, Air Dried Bacon, Goat Cheese Cloud, Charred Diver Scallops, Mushy Peas, Sauce Gribiche, Flourless Chocolate Cake

Lodging: Little Inn of Bayfield

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Consists of a cold buffet with assorted cereals, fresh fruits in season, assorted juices, yogurts, croissants and muffins, you may order a hot cereal if you wish

Morning: LECTURE: Performance Review/Critique. We will compare and contrast our views of the two productions we have seen. We will look at the story and characters and examine the available press clippings.

Lunch: Lunch at the Inn. Soiled Reputations Gourmet Leaves, Green Apple, Maple Vinaigrette, Roasted Chicken Garganelli, Ramps, Truffle Sauce, Egg Custard Tartlettes

Afternoon: FREE AFTERNOON: Enjoy a free afternoon to relax or explore on your own.

Dinner: Five-course wine tasting dinner with our Innkeeper, featuring his current favourite wine selections, paired with a menu created by Chef using fresh, local and seasonal produce.

Lodging: Little Inn of Bayfield

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Consists of a cold buffet with assorted cereals, fresh fruits in season, assorted juices, yogurts, croissants and muffins, you may order a hot cereal if you wish.

Morning: LECTURE: Acting Exercises/Directing. We will try some acting exercises to experience how actors learn to create characters and distinguish them one from the other when performing in a repertory setting like the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. We will look at directing and discover how much influence the artistic team has on the productions we have seen. We will share our personal artistic journeys with each other as we answer the question, “What is your next artistic experience?”

Lunch: Farewell Lunch. Grilled Asparagus, Wild Arugula, Wasabi Bearnaise Local BBQ Pork Confit Sandwich, Chef’s Slaw, Blue Cheese Aioli, Flight of House-made Sorbets

Afternoon: INDEPENDENT DEPARTURES: Independent Departures after lunch.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch