The Lights of Broadway Shine on Private Groups with Road Scholar

Pat finds it difficult to choose her favorite Road Scholar program. “Each has been spectacular, and they are all so different,” says Pat. “Cuba was immersive and out of our comfort zone — we learned a lot. We went everywhere together, so it was a great bonding experience for our group,” she says. 

This past June, Pat and her private group of 20 participants from the LLI at Virginia Tech traveled to New York City for The Best of Theater in New York for a second time. The group attended Road Scholar private group programs to Cuba in 2017, New Orleans in 2018, Costa Rica in 2019, New York City in 2019, and the Florida Keys before the pandemic.

For their most recent adventure, the group selected a Road Scholar New York theater program exclusively for its members. “I reserved a date in June 2024 with Frania and Road Scholar did all the work,” says Pat.  She began signing up participants a year in advance, filling all available slots with a waiting list. “We understand that life happens for this age group; we ended up with 20 for New York,” she says. “Half of the group had been on our 2019 theater program in New York City,” says Pat. “As soon as we announced it, they signed up and brought their friends.”

Led by the same group leader they had in 2019, Stephen Cole, plus the academic expertise of Daniel Egan, they had a fantastic five days in “The City that Never Sleeps.”

Pat describes Stephen, a performance artist, as an extrovert with a capital E. “He has story after story,” she says. “He’s a Broadway nerd and his love for all-things-Broadway pours out of him. He lights up and performs for us — singing and storytelling as we walk with him.” In addition to leading Road Scholar programs, Stephen writes musicals and books. He just completed a book, “Mary & Ethel and Mikey Who?” about his friendships with Ethel Merman and Mary Martin.  

During their June adventure in the city, Pat’s group attended three shows: All of Me off-Broadway, The Notebook a musical, and the drama Appropriate, both on Broadway. After each show, Daniel led the debrief for the theater-goers. Many group members chose to see a fourth show during a free evening. Apparently, the Road Scholar experts enjoyed the Blacksburg, Virginia-based group too, since they reported that they were one of the best groups they had hosted, eager to discuss what they had seen and ask questions.

“We were able to meet and talk with Laura Winters, the writer of All of Me and hear about her life as an early-career playwright,” says Pat. “We learned about her experience working with the two lead actors who used text-to-speech technology to connect with each other and the world around them; both were on scooters.” Pat explains that a behind-the-scenes opportunity like this wouldn’t be possible for someone planning this type of theater experience themselves.

The group also met Andrea Burns, currently appearing in The Notebook. “We asked Andrea how she finds balance in her life doing eight shows a week,” says Pat. “We learned how hard it is — she can’t talk much or stay up late at night on performance days — and we got to hear what life is like for someone who chooses this as their livelihood over 30 years.” “We learned about the toll some roles take on actors’ bodies and their commitment to the roles they inhabit,” says Pat. “We also learned what the pandemic was like for the actors and how fragile and vulnerable they were when they all lost their jobs,” she says. 

Every Detail Taken Care Of

The group of 20 walked everywhere. “We stayed at a hotel on 41st street, very close to Times Square,” says Pat. “One day, I walked four miles, with stops in between. Stephen and Daniel worked out all the timing and meals, including a lunch at Sardi’s before a matinee performance,” she says.

“The Road Scholar staff are wonderful,” says Pat. “They took care of everything, from making sure we knew how to use our hearing devices to always having one group leader in the front and one in the back of the group, so no one was lost.

Planning Ahead

Pat looks forward to her next LLI group adventure in November when they explore Chincoteague with Road Scholar. “Beyond that, I’ll talk to Frania and see what we might like to do east of the Mississippi next year,” says Pat. “She’ll send us a few ideas.” 

Learn more about private group initiative programs with Road Scholar by contacting Frania Monarski, Road Scholar’s Private Group expert, at (877) 209-4634 or by email at groups@roadscholar.org.