THE TOUR INCLUDES: - Premium Top Category seats for 10 performances as listed - 9 nights deluxe accommodations at the premier hotels in each city, all within walking distance of venues (Toronto: Royal York; Niagara: Prince of Wales; Stratford: Olde English Parlour) - Full breakfast daily, 4 dinners, High Tea, 1 lunch and 1 Farewell Reception - 4 custom (private) tours (Art Gallery of Ontario, McMichael Gallery, Niagara tour and backstage tour at the Festival Theatre in Stratford) - private Airport-Hotel transfers - tour direction by an Aria Tours director - a comprehensive tour handbook containing travel info, performance synopses and a detailed daily itinerary Cost: $4975 US Single Supplement: $1050 US Deposit: $2500 Balance due: July 3, 2008

OPTIONS FLIGHTS We will be happy to make any flight arrangements, including reward travel with your preferred carrier, for $75 per person. Inbound flight should be booked to arrive Toronto or Buffalo early afternoon on October 3; the outbound flight should depart from Toronto or Buffalo early afternoon or later on October 12. AIRPORT-HOTEL TRANSFERS We include airport-hotel transfers (group) on the published tour dates. Transfers are not included for early arrivals or extended stays, although we can easily make these arrangements for you. TOUR ADDITIONS The itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and desires. Please call us to discuss any changes or amendments you wish to make. INSURANCE We strongly recommend that all tour members purchase cancellation insurance upon registration. We can assist you with this, though you are welcome to purchase a policy at your own discretion. If you would like information on the policies offered by our supplier, please contact us for details, or click HERE for an insurance brochure and application.

One of our most popular itineraries in 2007, this tour brings you to two of the most charming towns in North America, as well as to Canada's cultural heart. Along the way, you will stay at the finest hotels in each city, enjoy exquisite meals in five of Ontario's top restaurants, and witness performances at the best opera and theatre venues in the country— from the very best seats in each house.

Toronto, on the north shore of Lake Ontario, is the largest of Canada's vibrant urban centres. It is the hub of the nation's commercial, financial, industrial, and cultural life, and is the capital of the Province of Ontario. People have lived here since shortly after the last ice age, although the urban community only dates to 1793 when British colonial officials founded the 'Town of York' on what then was the Upper Canadian frontier. That backwoods village grew to become the 'City of Toronto' in 1834, and through its subsequent evolution and expansion Toronto has emerged as one of the most liveable and multicultural urban places in the world today. And of course, it is home to the Canadian Opera Company, the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America. The company enjoys an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation, and now has a new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Niagara-on-the-Lake, often called the loveliest town in Ontario, has a long and distinguished history. Site of the old Neutral Indian village of Onghiara, it was settled at the close of the American Revolution by loyalists coming to Upper Canada. In 1792, Newark - as it was named by Governor Simcoe, became the first capital of the newly-created colony of Upper Canada. American forces all but destroyed the town by fire during the war of 1812, but it was soon rebuilt and became an active commercial centre, with a busy shipping and ship-building industry, as well as many shops and warehouses. Today, over two hundred years after its founding, Niagara-on-the-Lake hums with a different kind of traffic. Its many attractions include historic sites - Fort George and the Historical Society Museum, the marina, a lovely heritage business district, golf courses, parks and beautiful farmland, agricultural markets and world famous Niagara wineries. And of course, the Shaw Festival with its three theatres is based here.

The Shaw Festival was founded in 1962 by Niagara-area lawyer and playwright Brian Doherty. During the summer, Mr. Doherty organized eight weekend performances of Don Juan in Hell and Candida by Bernard Shaw under the title “Salute to Shaw”. For this event, the Assembly Room in the historic Court House on Queen Street was converted into a small theatre. Today the Festival produces 10 to 12 plays each season, with over 800 performances in 3 theatres, to audiences totalling about 300,000 people.

That Stratford is the home of the largest classical repertory theatre in North America is ultimately attributable to the dream of one man, Stratford-born journalist Tom Patterson. In the early 1950s, seeing the economy of his home town endangered by the withdrawal of the railway industry that had sustained it for nearly 80 years, Patterson conceived the idea of a theatre festival devoted to the works of William Shakespeare. On October 31, 1952, work began on a concrete amphitheatre at the centre of which was to be a revolutionary thrust stage created by internationally renowned theatrical designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch. From that stage, on the night of July 13, 1953, actor Alec Guinness spoke the opening lines of Richard III: "Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious summer by this son of York." Those words marked the triumphant end of what had sometimes seemed a hopeless struggle against the odds to turn Patterson's dream into a reality and the beginning of an astonishing new chapter in Canadian theatre history. As celebrated novelist Robertson Davies opined, the founding of the Stratford Festival was an achievement of historic importance not only in Canada but wherever theatre is taken seriously, that is to say, in every civilized country in the world.

THE ITINERARY

Friday, October 3...Departures for Toronto, transfers to Niagara-on-the-Lake
Departures for Toronto (be certain to schedule your inbound flight so that you arrive late morning/early afternoon; if you wish to arrive in advance of this date, the cost will be $360 per night). Upon arrival at Pearson International Airport, you will be met and transferred by private shuttle to our deluxe hotel in Niagara-on-the-Lake, The Prince of Wales (transfer time: 70 minutes). Note: If you prefer to arrive in Buffalo, we will include the transfer and make all arrangements. Upon arrival, we check in to our elegant rooms and enjoy the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, we gather and enjoy a Welcome Dinner at the historic Charles Inn, close to the hotel and overlooking the oldest golf course in North America.

Saturday, October 4...Niagara-on-the-Lake
Following breakfast, included daily at each hotel, the morning is at leisure. In the afternoon, we gather and make the short walk to the matinée performance of J.B. Priestly's classic thriller An Inspector Calls at the Festival Theatre. Optionally, you may choose to attend Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, directed by Morris Panych, at the Court House Theatre (please request upon registration). After dinner at leisure, we meet at the Court House Theatre for the evening performance of Githa Sowerby's The Stepmother, directed by the Festival's Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell.

Sunday, October 5...Niagara-on-the-Lake
Enjoy the morning at leisure. In the afternoon, we attend a matinée performance of Mrs. Warren's Profession, one of Shaw's best, at the Festival Theatre. Afterward, we take High Tea at the Prince of Wales before returning to the Festival Theatre for the Leonard Bernstein-scored Wonderful Town.

Monday, October 6...Niagara-on-the-Lake — Stratford
After check out, we enjoy a private guided tour of historic Niagara-on-the-Lake and Niagara Falls, stopping for an unforgettable lunch at Inn on the Twenty, consistently rated as one of the top restaurants in Canada. Following lunch, we continue to Stratford and check in at the Olde English Parlour Hotel, a charming property close to the Avon Theatre. Once settled in to our spacious rooms, the evening in Stratford is at leisure.

Tuesday, October 7...Stratford
Following a morning at leisure, we transfer by private shuttle for our matinée performance of Shakespeare's peerless Hamlet at the Festival Theatre. We dine between performances at the award-winning The Old Prune, and then return to the Festival Theatre for Bernard Shaw's Caeser and Cleopatra, starring Christopher Plummer. Private shuttle to the hotel following the performance.

Wednesday, October 8...Stratford
This morning we offer an optional backstage tour (1 hour) at the Festival Theatre. In the afternoon, we make the five minute walk to the Avon Theatre for a matinée performance of one of the most popular musicals of all time, Cabaret. We then enjoy a spectacular dinner at the Church Restaurant before returning to the Avon for our final performance in Stratford , Meredith Willson's gloriously tuneful The Music Man.

Thursday, October 9...Stratford — Toronto
Following breakfast, check out of our hotel and depart for Toronto, where we check in at the deluxe Fairmont Royal York, four blocks from the opera house. This grand landmark is located in the heart of Canada's largest metropolis, amidst the city's most important cultural attractions. Enjoy the evening at leisure in Toronto.

Friday, October 10...Toronto
Following a morning at leisure, we meet in the afternoon for a guided tour of the permanent collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario (scheduled to re-open by our tour date). Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, the AGO is the eighth largest art museum in North America. The Gallery's collection comprises more than 36,000 works representing 1000 years of extraordinary art. The collection includes European Old Masters, Group of Seven, and Canadian and International contemporary works. The AGO also houses the world's largest public collection of works by renowned British sculptor Henry Moore. The gallery is currently undergoing a massive renovation by Frank Gehry. Following the tour we gather for an elegant lunch at the award-winning Epic restaurant in our hotel. In the early evening we transfer to R. Fraser Elliott Hall in the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for a performance of Prokofiev's War and Peace by the Canadian Opera Company (Andrei: Russell Braun, Natasha: Elena Semenova, Field Marshall Kutuzov: Mikhail Kit, Madame Akhrosimova: Judith Forst, Pierre: Mikhail Agafonov, Napoleon: Vassily Gerello, Hélène: Laryssa Kostiuk, Anatole: Oleg Balashov, Sonya: Lauren Segal, Madame Peronskaya: Jean Stilwell Balaga/German General/Yermalov: Gregory Dahl).

Saturday, October 11...Toronto
Enjoy the final day of the tour at leisure in Toronto. In the early evening, we meet for a Farewell Reception at the cozy Library Bar in our hotel. Afterward, we transfer once again to R. Fraser Elliott Hall for our final performance, Mozart's beloved Don Giovanni, conducted by William Lacey (Don Giovanni: Brett Polegato, Leporello: Robert Pomakov, Don Ottavio: Gordon Gietz, Donna Anna: Jessica Muirhead, Donna Elvira: Julie Makerov, Zerlina: Virginia Hatfield).

Sunday, October 12...Departures
Following breakfast, transfers to Pearson International Airport (35 minutes) or Buffalo Niagara International Airport (2 hours) are included. Be certain to schedule your outbound flight for early afternoon or later if possible.