2027 Theater in London

Over the years, Theater in London has been one of the most popular Study Travel tours. Here’s what travelers have said:

• Tour leadership by Dona was superlative – her training and experience shown through, giving us insight into theatre we wouldn’t otherwise have. The central location of the hotel enabled exploration of London with ease. The tour of The National THEATRE was amazing. The broad range of productions and theatres was exceptional.
• I loved the location and I thought [it was] a great balance of free time and structured time. Dona was an excellent teacher. I can see why people go again when it becomes available.
• Get Dona to lead whenever possible. Her leadership in the discussion times was lovely – good background offered (but not too much) and a gracious invitation to participation. And the itinerary was not over-programmed. Space for newcomers to explore, and space for returning folks to go off the beaten path.
• The hotel location was great, close to many sights and the subway stations. It was nice not to have to change hotels during the duration of the trip. I was so impressed with Dona as the leader. She was so knowledgeable and facilitated great discussions. The length of time (7 shows in 7 days) was just right. There was a good balance of structured and free time.
• Instructor Dona was absolutely excellent; there were theater newbies and theater professionals in our group, and she integrated both so well into the discussions. There was no pressure on anyone.

Now it’s your turn to participate in this exceptional experience! Attend performances both classic and contemporary by The Royal Shakespeare Company and at the National Theatre, and in venues such as the Globe, Royal Court, or Old Vic. Tour backstage at the Globe or National Theatre, and have a discussion with one of London’s premier theater critics. We anticipate attending seven or eight performances and will look for a variety of plays. Final selections will depend on productions offered and timing of the performances.

Theater expresses multiple facets of human nature and helps us process how we think and act in our lives. It is mind expanding — a safe way to look into subjects we might otherwise shy away from. Theater can be entertaining, disturbing, thought-provoking, moving. The space can influence the story and performances, and vice versa. Live theater has an energy not duplicated in other mediums. In fact, the St. Olaf Magazine covered this facet in the Winter 2020 edition. See Reason for Optimism #3 in the article “Everything’s Going to be Okay,” by Erin Peterson.

London is a vibrant, diverse, cosmopolitan city, spattered with a large number of bucolic green spaces. You can return to the city again and again and always experience different things. Whatever your interest – art, parks, royal dwellings, cutting-edge culture – London has it all.

Registration will open soon … please check back!

This tour is based entirely in London, leaving the U.S. on April 9, and departing London on April 18. You can view — and download or print — the most up-to-date itinerary here.

Our intention with each tour is to provide an itinerary that introduces you to key elements related to your destination or the educational theme, while also providing some free time for you to pursue your own interests or have some down time. The balance can vary from day to day, and from tour to tour.

You’ll get the most out of study travel if you research what to do during your free time. This allows you to reap the benefits of group travel, while also customizing the tour to your interests and activity level. Read more about How to Be an Independent Group Traveler.

Dona Werner Freeman ’80 began calling St. Olaf home as a student in the autumn of 1976. After  graduating with a degree in speech & theater education, she earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota, where she was awarded the Bush/McKnight Fellowship in Acting to become a member of the Guthrie Theater acting company.

Over the succeeding years, Dona acted and taught at theaters around the country. She served on the University of Minnesota theater faculty for nearly a decade before returning to the Hill as Theater Artist in Residence, a vocation she cherished for over twenty years.

Besides her work at the Guthrie, Dona has acted locally for Actors’ Theatre of St. Paul, Frank Theatre, The New Classic Theatre, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, among others. She is proud to have performed for directors such as Garland Wright, Liviu Ciulei, Andre Serban, Charles Nolte, Wendy Knox, and Gary Gisselman.

Dona’s particular interest in Shakespeare led her to train with the British Academy of Dramatic Art at Oxford’s Balliol College and Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts. While at St. Olaf, she taught a variety of theater courses and directed over twenty productions, ranging from musicals to contemporary comedies to the classics, by playwrights such as Sarah Ruhl, Arthur Miller, Bertolt Brecht, Anton Chekhov and William Shakespeare.

Dona’s first Theater in London experience was as a student in January of 1979. A highlight of her years teaching at St. Olaf was leading that same course in 2017. She is especially enthusiastic about the ways Theater in London’s group discussions can expand our perceptions, and also build community. These days, Dona remains a frequent traveler to England where she happily visits not only a variety of theatres, but also her daughter Lynn, who makes her home in London.

Except for the day trip to Stratford, our schedule starts with breakfast and then a “class meeting” from 9-11 am for reviews and previews of each of our plays. Most afternoons will be free so that you can experience all that London has to offer on your own, relax before the evening’s performance or join fellow travelers to visit some of London’s cultural sites. We will attend mostly evening performances, plus one or two matinees. This schedule can be vigorous, depending on how you use your free time. There will be at least two or three group dinners provided as a way to socialize and relax together.

Accommodations are in standard rooms at the Club Quarters Hotel Trafalgar Square, a 4-star hotel ideally located in Central London, with easy access to our theaters and activities. The hotel is quiet, with sizable rooms, and amenities such as complimentary coffee, tea, and snacks in the Club Living Room, “Wine@5” from 5 to 6 pm every Monday through Thursday, free high speed internet, unlimited chilled bottled water at H2O To Go stations, and self-service laundry and traditional valet service.

London is best experienced on foot. Be prepared for lots of walking! Each traveler will be provided with a £30 Oyster card — to which you can add funds if you use it frequently — so that you can take the “Tube” (subway system) to and from matinee and evening performances, restaurants, and other sites around town. This can include walking several blocks to the Tube stop, walking down and up one or more flights of stairs in the subway station, and walking several blocks to the final destination. Some of the theaters are old and require walking up narrow stairs to our seats. Comfortable shoes override the latest fashion! Alternatively, you may take taxis (at your own expense), and Uber now provides an accessible and relatively economical cab alternative throughout London.

To fully participate in this tour, you should be able to walk up to five miles per day over possibly uneven terrain (e.g. cobblestones or aged sidewalks), climb stairs that may not have handrails, keep pace with an active group of travelers, deal with the emotional highs and lows that can occur when experiencing a different culture, and be a considerate member of the group (prompt, courteous and flexible). Taking a taxi or Uber at your own expense is always an option.

The tour price is PENDING.

Inclusions and exclusions vary from tour to tour. Please read the following information carefully.

Inclusions: discussions led by Dona Freeman, accommodations, theater tickets, breakfast daily and group meals as listed on the itinerary, admissions for group activities, complimentary high speed internet throughout the hotel, £30 Tube pass, roundtrip ground transportation Stratford–London, gratuities to group guides, drivers, and meal servers, and some limited travel insurance while overseas.

Exclusions: Airfare to and from London is not included. Participants are solely responsible for all expenses not specifically included in the tour fee. Examples of excluded expenses are: airfare between your home town and London, airport transfers, any passport or visa fees, any recommended immunizations or vaccinations, baggage insurance, trip cancellation insurance above $2,000 lifetime coverage, beverages at most group meals, laundry, dry cleaning, phone charges, room service or other items of a personal nature, expenses incurred during free time or non-group activities, lunch and dinner, unless specifically included on tour itinerary.

This schedule is based on payments St. Olaf College must make to tour vendors to guarantee group rates. Some limited travel insurance is included with your tour fee. We highly recommend that you purchase additional trip cancellation insurance at the time of registration to recover your payments should you need to withdraw from the tour. See our Travel Insurance page for included coverage and suggestions for researching additional trip cancellation coverage.

Deposit due:                          $500 upon registration
Refund if you cancel:          $475 until May 31, 2026. If the deposit is made after May 31, 2026 there is no refund.

Interim payment due:        $2,000 by June 1, 2026
Refund if you cancel:          $1,000 until June 30, 2026

Final payment due:             February 1, 2027
Refund if you cancel:         None, unless the tour is full and your place can be resold

Cancellations must be in writing.

Review these legal documents: Terms & Conditions and Release & Waiver.

Check the Travelers’ Health recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

Look at the International Travel section of the U.S. State Department, including Before You Go, Country Information, While Abroad, and Emergencies. U.S. passport holders will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter or transit through the United Kingdom. The ETA is the UK’s travel authorization and pre-departure security process for screening travelers from visa-exempt countries. More informatoin on applying for this ETA will be provided once the tour is called a go.

Take time to prepare for your adventure by checking out a variety of resources, including frequently asked questions, general health information, included travel insurance, safety overview, and more.

Hold the dates of April 9–18, 2027, but do not purchase non-refundable airfare until we can call the trip an official go. Meanwhile, see our tips for Booking Your Flights.