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Behind the Scenes At the Edinburgh Festival and the Military Tattoo

Program Number: 12252RJ
Start and End Dates:
8/6/2012 - 8/14/2012;
Duration: 8 nights
Location: Scotland, UK:Scotland
Price starting at: $2,952.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city
Program Type: Music Festivals
Meals: 13; 7 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 4 Dinners    
Meal Options: Low Fat; Vegetarian; Low Salt    

First-class performances by illustrious artists and distinguished speakers immerse you in the living culture of this historic city where music, dance and theater command international acclaim. Free time and excluded meals allow you to explore the Festival and Fringe at your own pace.




Highlights

• Get a peak behind the scenes when you meet a theater professional.
• Attend five performances including the world-famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle.
• Whisky tasting and discussion about “The Water of Life.”



Activity Particulars

Edinburgh Military Tattoo attendance requires climbing steep incline to Edinburgh Castle esplanade and many stairs to high, tiered seats. Information about specific performances provided four weeks prior to program commencement.



Itinerary Summary

Arrival Edinburgh, 7 nights; departure.



Overnight flight from the U.S.A.
1 night
Arrival Edinburgh
7 nights
Departure

In one of Europe’s most dramatically beautiful cities, special guests, such as an Edinburgh International Festival director, share intimate insights into the making of the festival and Scotland’s cultural legacy. One of Scotland’s leading drama critics shares inside tips on getting the most out of the festival, while an arts impresario provides professional perspective on the festival’s place in European culture. A background lecture provides an overview of the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and its traditions of massed pipes and drums, military bands and Highland dancers set against the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle. On excursions into the majestic countryside of the Borders, enjoy 12th-century Melrose Abbey and Traquair House.




Scotland

The lochs and highlands of Scotland have long been a source of inspiration for folklore, poetry and song — influencing movements from the Romanticism of Robert Burns to the Kailyard school of J.M. Barrie. Through the years, Scotland has maintained a strong pride in the arts and boasts notable museums, theaters and events including the Edinburgh International Festival, an annual celebration of arts from around the world.
Accommodations
Edinburgh: Four-star hotel with views of Edinburgh Zoo.
Meals and Lodgings
   Holiday Inn Edinburgh
  Edinburgh, UK:Scotland 7 nights
 Holiday Inn Edinburgh
Type: Four-Star Hotel
  Description: Modern Hotel located 3 miles from Edinburgh's centre on the main bus routes. 15 minute ride. Rooms have views across Edinburgh Zoo or the Pentland Hills
  Contact info: 132 Corstophine Road
Edinburgh,  EH12 6UA UK:Scotland
phone: +44 8704009026
web: www.holidayinn/edinburgh
  Room amenities: Cable/Satellite TV. Direct Dial Telephone. Air conditioning. Tea & Coffee Making facilities. Trouser press.
  Facility amenities: Trader's Restaurant, Sampans Oriental Restaurant. Trader's Bar. Cafe Express, Gallery Bar. High Speed Internet Access (fee). Heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, spa.
  Smoking allowed: No
  Elevators available: Yes
  Additional nights prior: TBC in preparatory materials By form in preparatory materials or email to roadscholar@jactravel.co.uk
  Check in time: 2:00 PM
  Additional nights after: TBC in preparatory materials By form in preparatory materials or email to roadscholar@jactravel.co.uk
  Check out time: 11:00 AM


Travel Details
  Start of Program:
A light lunch is served in the hotel at 12:30pm. Welcome meeting 5:30pm in meeting room in the hotel. You will be staying at Holiday Inn Edinburgh that night.
  End of Program:
Some flights may require transfer before breakfast which ends at 10:00am. Check out is by 11:00am. You will be staying at Holiday Inn Edinburgh the night before.
  Required documents:
The Road Scholar Health & Safety Form is required.
  Parking availability:
No parking
Transportation (For Independent Travelers)
  Train or bus availability: Buses available.
To Start of Program
  Location:  Edinburgh
  Nearest city or town:  Edinburgh.
  Nearest airport:  Edinburgh.
  Transportation to site: Take Airline 100 or Airbus Express from the airport. A taxi direct from the airport to the hotel will cost around GBP13. A taxi from Waverley Train station is approx. GBP5 (3 miles).
  From End of Program
  Location: Edinburgh
  Transportation from site: As above but in reverse.
    (Additional transportation information same as above)
The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.


Daily Schedule

Day 1:
(Monday, August 6)
   
 Depart From: Depart from N. America for overnight flights to UK.

Day 2: Transfer to Edinburgh./Welcome meeting and introduction.
(Tuesday, August 7)
   
 Arrive To: Edinburgh Airport. Transfers by coach to hotel.
 Lunch: Lunch in the hotel dining room for those arriving in time for lunch.
 Afternoon: Free time.
 Dinner: In the hotel.
 Evening: Welcome meeting with your Course Director and programme introduction at approx. 7:30pm.
   
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Edinburgh
Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Why go to the theatre? Edinburgh Old Town walk./Whisky Heritage Centre/Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
(Wednesday, August 8)

Note: Stairs at Tattoo. Steep walk to Castle.
   
 Breakfast: Full Scottish breakfast in the hotel.
 Morning: Giles Ramsay discusses How we go to the theatre and why we bother! Lecture 2: What's Hot, What's not with a well known Scottish journalist.
 Lunch: Excluded--participant's own choice to explore local restaurants.
 Afternoon: The coach takes you nto the city centre at 12:30pm At 1:30pm assimilate the cultural layers that comprise Scotland's capital city as you walk Old Town and the Royal Mile followed by free time.
 Dinner: Excluded. You should eat before the Whisky Heritage Centre tasting and field trip at 6:00pm.
 Evening: Field trip to the Whisky Heritage Centre tour at 6:00pm with a tasting at 7:00pm. Performance--Military Tattoo. 9:00pm. From its early days, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has been an international favourite. Performers from over 40 countries have presented here, and around 35 per cent of the 217,000 audience each year are from overseas. In addition, the Tattoo has been televised in 30 countries. An annual television audience of 100 million watches the coverage worldwide. The international flavour of the Tattoo has been deliberately developed as a key element in its capacity to entertain a huge, cosmopolitan audience.
   
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Edinburgh
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 4: Fringe Performance.
(Thursday, August 9)
   
 Breakfast: Full Scottish breakfast.
 Morning: Performance at the Fringe at 10:00am. Letter of Last Resort/Good with People at the Traverse Theatre Written by David Greig & David Harrower. From Helensburgh to Downing Street and back again. Two gripping stories trace the paths of personal and political destruction. An exhilarating double bill of short plays from two of Scotland's greatest playwrights, David Greig and David Harrower. The Letter of Last Resort by David Greig Director Nicolas Kent Cast Simon Chandler and Belinda Lang London, after the next election. In Whitehall the newly elected Prime Minister struggles to write a letter to be opened only if Britain is devastated by a Nuclear strike. But, in an unimaginable future where the only safe place on the planet is under the sea in a submarine, what should her orders be? The Letter of Last Resort was a highlight of the Tricycle Theatre's acclaimed production THE BOMB - a partial history, staged earlier this year. Good With People by David Harrower Director George Perrin With Blythe Duff I always felt stupid saying something intelligent here. Evan returns to Helensburgh, west Scotland; home to the nation's Nuclear defence programme and once a thriving holiday resort. A place he's been trying to avoid. Haunted by his past and afraid of his future, he finds Helen working at the Seaview Hotel. From the same place, but worlds apart, their evening fizzes and fuses. Will there be fallout? Good With People started life at Ňran Mór and Paines Plough's 2010 season of a Play, a Pie and a Pint. Space: Traverse One Running Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
 Lunch: Excluded.
 Afternoon: Free afternoon.
 Dinner: Excluded.
 Evening: At leisure.
   
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Edinburgh
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 5: The Borders.
(Friday, August 10)
   
 Breakfast: Full Scottish breakfast.
 Morning: Venture into the magestic countryside of the Borders and Traquair House, the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland dating back to 1107. Traquair was originally a hunting lodge for the kings and queens of Scotland. Later a refuge for Catholic priests in times of terror the Stuarts of Traquair supported Mary Queen of Scots and the Jacobite cause without counting the cost. Everywhere are portraits, old prints and maps which refer to the history of the house. The entrance leads on to the main stone spiral staircase which goes up to the High Drawing Room, bedrooms, Library and Museum. The ground floor gives access to vaulted cellars and the Still Room which has a fine collection of blue and white china.
 Lunch: Excluded.
 Afternoon: The excursion continues to 12th century Melrose Abbey, founded by Cistercian monks. Melrose Abbey is a magnificent ruin on a grand scale with lavishly decorated masonry. The Abbey is thought to be the burial place of Robert the Bruce’s heart, marked with a commemorative carved stone plaque within the grounds.
 Dinner: Excluded
 Evening: At leisure.
   
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Edinburgh
Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 6: Performance. Macbeth.
(Saturday, August 11)
   
 Breakfast: Full Scottish breakfast.
 Morning: Meet a theatre professional.
 Lunch: Excluded-participant's own choice.
 Afternoon: Free afternoon for you to explore the Festival on your own.
 Dinner: Dinner out.
 Evening: Performance. Macbeth at Lowland Hall, the Royal Highland Centre. An enormous three-story construction with multimedia screens is the set for 2008: Macbeth. With spectacular pyrotecnics, immersive video effects and an extraordinary layered soundscape that plays tricks on the ear, Shakespeare's web of politics is transformed into contemporary filmic theatre. Military commander Macbeth unleashes a nightmare of carnage and destruction. A war on terror that is a war of terror. Set in a contemporary and brutal Middle Eastern conflict, 2008: Macbeth is unflinching in its depiction of the machine of violence that, once set in motion, works faster and ever more efficiently. If killing in a war is justified, so is killing in the privacy of one's home. If you can kill men, why not also women and children? With spectacular pyrotechnics, immersive video effects and an extraordinary, layered soundscape that plays tricks on the ear, Shakespeare's web of politics, ambition and the supernatural is transformed into a contemporary, and highly physical, theatrical film. Acclaimed director Grzegorz Jarzyna "I am in blood Stepp'd in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o'er' Macbeth Act lll Scene lV Performed in Polish with English supertitles.
   
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Edinburgh
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7: Lecture./Performance. Waiting for Orestes.
(Sunday, August 12)
   
 Breakfast: Full Scottish breakfast.
 Morning: Lecture: Tudor Theatre: Background to Shakespeare.
 Lunch: Lunch in the hotel.
 Afternoon: Free time.
 Dinner: Dinner out.
 Evening: Performance at the King's Theatre. Electra's father is murdered by her mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, leaving Electra hysterical with grief, and with an obsessional desire for revenge, as she is made a prisoner in her mother's house. Her only hope is that her exiled brother Orestes will return and make her dark fantasy of murdering her mother come true. In Suzuki's staging of the Greek myth, the characters' interior world is deepened by setting the tragedy in a psychiatric hospital, one in which all of humanity is irredeemably trapped. One of the most enduringly influential directors and theatre makers alive, Tadashi Suzuki is also renowned for his writings and the Suzuki Acting Method. Here he combines Euripides's terrifying perception of human frailty with the operatic force of Hofmannsthal, Richard Strauss?s librettist. "Deprived of all familial ties, the heroine of my play lives in solitude, totally speechless, in a hospital. All she aspires for is revenge on the one who is the cause of this, her mother who abandoned her." Tadashi Suzuki Performed in Japanese and Korean with English supertitles
   
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Edinburgh
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Course Round Up./Performance Tatyana/Farewell meeting
(Monday, August 13)
   
 Breakfast: Full Scottish breakfast.
 Morning: Course Round Up with course director Giles Ramsay.
 Lunch: Excluded-participant's own choice.
 Afternoon: Free afternoon. Pre-dinner Farewell meeting.
 Dinner: In the hotel.
 Evening: Performance. Straight from the heart of Rio de Janeiro, Deborah Colker Dance Company transports Aleksandr Puskin's classic tale, Onegin, from 19th-century Russia to contemporary, sultry Brazil. Typically explosive energy and choreography packed full of Brazilian colour and flair combine with compelling storytelling with a wonderfully inventive set to poignantly capture the intense emotional rollercoaster - from joyous elation to bitter disappointment.
   
Accommodations: Holiday Inn Edinburgh
Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 9:
(Tuesday, August 14)
   
 Breakfast: Full Scottish breakfast depending on transfer times.
 Morning: Coach transfers to Edinburgh Airport for flights to N America.
   
Meals Included: Breakfast
Important information about your itinerary: Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date. The prices listed for commercial services and facilities that are not included in the program cost, such as airport shuttles or extra nights lodging, are subject to change without notice. Since Road Scholar cannot guarantee the accuracy of these prices, we strongly suggest contacting the companies directly for the most up-to-date information.

Suggested Reading List


A History of the Theatre


Author: Glynne Wickham


Description: A fully illustrated survey of 3000 years of theatrical history, including opera, ballet and spectacle.



Being an Actor


Author: Simon Callow


Description: Few actors are more eloquent, honest or entertaining about their life and their profession than Simon Callow. Being an Actor traces his stage journey from the letter he wrote to Laurence Olivier that led him to his first job, to his triumph as Mozart in the original production of Amadeus. This new edition continues to tell the story of his past two decades onstage. Callow discusses his occasionally ambivalent yet always passionate feelings about both film and theatre, conflicting sentiments partially resolved by his acclaimed return to the stage with his solo performances in The Importance of Being Oscar and The Mystery of Charles Dickens, seen in the West End.



The Literary Companion to Edinburgh


Author: Andrew Lownie


Description: Traces Edinburgh's history from the Castle to the Royal Mile to the New Town and surrounding villages and charts the city's literary past and present.



The Year of the King


Author: Anthony Sher


Description: "'One of the finest books I have ever read on the process of acting' Time Out; 'This is a most wonderfully authentic account of the experience of creating a performance' Sunday Times; 'A brilliant compulsive account' Michael Billington, Guardian





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