OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION’S New York Theater Tour October 21-27, 2019

Hosted by Insider Cultural Tours Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

Something New This Year We are pleased to announce our annual Oxy NY theater tour has an exciting new twist this year.

Besides attending Broadway and Off-Broadway hits and rubbing shoulders with well-known actors, directors and theater professionals in private, intimate discussions, our tour will also feature Michael Billington, the esteemed drama critic of The Guardian. Mr. Billington will attend each show with us, and afterwards share his world-class commentary and British perspective about them, while on assignment for his newspaper.

While in London this year, Ben Brantley of the New York Times wrote that “Mr. Billington has been the drama critic for The Guardian since Michael Billington of The Guardian 1971 and is probably the most revered member of his profession in this country (United Kingdom).”

Don’t miss out on this original new component of a wildly popular tour, the legacy of the beloved Omar Paxon ’48 and now an annual journey for Oxy alumni, parents, and friends.

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5 Exceptional Shows + 1 Optional We’ll get the best seats available to the top shows – 4 Broadway and 1 Off Broadway. You’ll also have the choice of an optional Broadway show – a Wednesday matinee – if you’d like to see a total of 6 shows. In order to assure quality, we’ll finalize our roster about 100-90 days before departure. A partial list of shows we’ve seen on past Insider tours include: My Fair Lady, The Nap, Bernhardt/Hamlet, The Band’s Visit, I Was Most Alive With You, American Son, Dear Evan Hansen, The Last Match, Hamilton, Come from Away, Kinky Boots, The Color Purple, Anything Goes, Matilda, The Glass Menagerie, The Humans, Antlia Pneumatica, Fiddler on the Roof, The Father, The King and I, Trip to Bountiful, Mr. Burns, Julius Caesar, A Clockwork Orange, Junk, School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play, Describe the Night, M Butterfly, The Book of Mormon, Other Desert Cities, War Horse, Milk Like Sugar and 1984.

4 Discussions with Arts Professionals There will be 4 intimate discussions with New York arts professionals. You’ll rub shoulders with working actors, directors, artistic directors, critics, and playwrights, who will provide you with fresh perspectives on the craft, art, and commerce of the New York theater scene. As with our shows, our guest speakers are not confirmed until 90 days before the commencement of the tour.

A partial list of past participants of Insider Cultural Tours’ discussions includes: Roger Allam, Jon Robin Baitz, Frances Barber, Simon Russell Beale, Richard Bean, Michael Billington, Reed Birney, Celia Keenan- Bolger, Jenn Colella, Allan Corduner, David Cote, David Cromer, Carol Fishman, Hallie Foote, Adam Greenfield, Joel Grey, Richard Griffiths, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Hampton, Jessica Hecht, Sir Derek Jacobi, Chad Kimball, Steven Levenson, Leslie Marcus, Alfred Molina, Dessie Moynihan, Patrick Pacheco, Theresa Rebeck, Josie Rourke, Indu Rubasingham, Tim Sanford ’75, Bartlett Sher, Kevin Spacey, Tom Stoppard, Kristin Scott Thomas, John Tiffany, Gaye Taylor Upchurch, Eliza Ventura, Dame Harriet Walter, and Sir Arnold Wesker, among others.

5 Post-Performance Discussions They say the 3rd act of a play takes place in the bar. In that spirit, we’ll have a lively post-performance discussion for every show we see, moderated by Alan Freeman ’66 M ’67 at the hotel. Grab a cocktail from the Kimberly’s rooftop bar and join in!

Chelsea Galleries Tour Back by popular demand, we will have a private tour of 4-7 galleries, selected by Rafael Risemberg Ph.D., in the Manhattan neighborhood of Chelsea, which has over 350 spaces dedicated almost entirely to new contemporary art.

Private Coach or Cars We book deluxe buses for each event away from the hotel. We try to keep the walking to a minimum.

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Meals This tour includes a full gourmet breakfast each day. We’ll select one of New York’s top new restaurants for our Welcome Dinner, such as Fifty, last year’s hit selection. The Farewell Dinner will be coordinated with the proximity of our last show. And we’ll have a wine reception at the hotel on the first day of the tour, before the Welcome Dinner.

Gratuities We generously tip all service staff on your behalf – you’ll never have to worry about it.

Group Flight This is a land-only tour. However, provided we meet the required airline minimum, we’ll offer a round- trip group flight, which will be announced by late January.

Airfares are subject to applicable airline cancellation fees, which may be in addition to the cancellation fees below. Transfers to and from the airport will be included. Check in will be available online 24 hours prior to departure. Upgrades are accepted until 24 hours before departure and will need to be taken care of on an individual basis during the check in process. Additional charges must be made with an individual credit card.

Seating arrangements: The flight will include a section of seating that is blocked off for Insider Cultural Tours. The airline does not take special requests for seating arrangements, however, there is a possibility that, once seats have been assigned, requests can be made directly with the airline.

Points: Airline points cannot be used to pay for flight tickets, as Insider Cultural Tours is required to make one group payment for all group flight guests. Points, however, can be earned for your flight. Frequent Flyer numbers and other reward information can be entered during the check-in process or by calling the airline 24 hours prior to departure.

Cost The cost of this tour is $4,595, based upon double occupancy. A deposit of $1,200 is due by July 12, 2019. The final payment of $3,395 is due August 23, 2019. The single supplement is $1,132. This is a land package only and does not include airfare.

Alan Freeman, ’66 M’67, P’89, P’91 Tour Leader Alan Freeman is Emeritus Professor of Theater and a Member of the Board of Trustees at Occidental College. Freeman continues to work professionally as a director, writer, actor and producer. He has an MFA in Film Directing from the American Film Institute (AFI), A.B. and M.A. from Occidental College.

James Ryan, Insider Cultural Tours, Tour Host James Ryan is a playwright, screenwriter and film director. The former Chair of the Graduate Dramatic Writing Program at the Actors Studio/New School University, he teaches in the graduate dramatic writing program at Rutgers University. He is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York Foundation for the Arts, McKnight Foundation, and the Drama League Award.

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Monday, October 21 Arrive at the Kimberly Hotel in midtown Manhattan, recipient of the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Award – Top 100 Hotels Around the World. Your accommodation includes daily breakfast and stunning views from the Kimberly’s rooftop lounge. We’ll gather this evening for a wine reception at the Kimberly. Then we enjoy a bus journey with a certified New York City guide to a new, top-rated restaurant for our Welcome Dinner.

Tuesday, October 22 In the morning, we’ll kick off our round table discussion series with a leading New York theater critic, who will give us an insightful overview of the shows we’ll see this week. Tonight, we’ll see our first Broadway show.

Wednesday, October 23 Our discussion today might be with actors who are starring in a show we’ll be seeing. This afternoon may be free for you to explore the Big Apple on your own or take advantage of an optional show we’ll offer. In the evening, we’ll see another must-see critics’ pick on Broadway.

Thursday, October 24 Today’s discussion could be with an emerging playwright. This afternoon, we may take a private tour of several carefully curated galleries in Chelsea. Tonight, we might take in an outstanding Off-Broadway show at the Second Stage, Signature Theatre or Public Theater, among others.

Friday, October 25 Perhaps we’ll invite an award-winning director for our round table chat. Your afternoon is free and tonight we’ll see our third Broadway show.

Saturday, October 26 Our discussion this morning will give you a chance to weigh in and help to unleash fresh perspectives about all the shows we’ve seen on the tour. We’ll end our tour in style with a special Farewell Dinner before we see our fourth Broadway hit tonight.

Sunday, October 27 Individual and group departures. Bus will depart for the airport in the morning.

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