Road Scholar Programs

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Passport to Spain

Set out on a voyage of discovery to experience Spain without leaving the United States on a "virtual" journey to explore its history, culture, language and music. Spain is historically and culturally diverse, having been influenced by Romans, Celts, Germanic tribes, Catholics and Muslims. Look at Spanish history under the Moors, during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella and during the Spanish Civil War and General Francisco Franco. Discuss the classic novel "Don Quixote" by Cervantes. Delve into Spanish Nationalistic music and look at cubism and surrealism with Picasso and Dali. Wrap up with the Barcelona architecture of Gaudi. Learn a few words and phrases. Lectures are enhanced by evening performances and Spanish inspired cuisine.

Very limited walking and no field trips.

Program Dates:

March 4-8, 2012

Program Number:20219AU

Price Per Person: Double $569 / Single $729 / Commuter $369

Instructors: Greg Athnos, Dr. David Koeller, James Slauson, and others

Passport to Poland

Venture to teh Breadbasket of Central Europe to experience Poland without leaving the United States on a "virtual" journey to explore its history, culture, language and music. Talk about the reasons for the 1795 partiiton of the Poland-Lithuania state by Prussia, Russia and Austria, which effectively split up Europe's largest state. Discuss the theories of Copernicus, the father of modern astronomy. Listen to the piano sonatas and mazurkas of Chopin that borrowed heavily from traditional Polish folk music. Go back to 1989 and the Solidarity movement led by Lech Walesa that would herald the collapse of Communism. Learn and practice some simple words and phrases. Lectures are enhanced by evening performances and Polish inspired cuisine.

Very limited walking and no field trips.

Program Dates:

March 18-22, 2012

Program Number: 20218AU

Price Per Person: Double $569 / Single $729 / Commuter $369

Instructors: Greg Athnos, Dr. David Koeller, James Slauson, and others

A Dancing Man and Funny Ladies

Fred Astaire: The Song and Dance Man

Let's face the music and dance with Fred Astaire. Explore his early days in Vaudeville dancing with his sister Adele to his Hollywood films with Ginger Rogers and Eleanor Powell. Astaire's characters were elegant and refined, like the man himself.

Women Comedians We Love

Make way for the ladies! Explore the lives and comedy of Carol Burnett, Betty White and Tina Fey, the 2010 recipient the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Their endearing characters and sketches have become part of our popular culture.

Theater Behind the Curtain

Enter the world of musical theater and learn more about plot, character development.

Program includes a motor coach field trip on Wednesday, March 28th, to The Skylight Theater in Milwaukee for lunch and a matinee performance of the world premiere musical DADDY LONG LEGS. The Skylight Theater is proud to be a part of the world premiere of this charming musical love story. Jerusha Abbott's prayers seem answered when the generosity of an anonymous gentleman, known only to her as "Daddy Long Legs," enables her to move from orphanage to university. Through her grateful letters, Jerusha shares her life with her mysterious benefactor as she grows into an intelligent, independent New American Woman and discovers a budding romance with a wealthy young suitor. Yet there is one startling fact that Jerusha has yet to uncover -- one that will change her life forever. DADDY LONG LEGS is destined to be deeply adored and cherished by audiences of all ages for years to come.

Program Dates:

March 25-29, 2012

Program Number: 20328AU

Price Per Person: Double $659 / Single $809 / Commuter $459

Instructors: Linda Bachand, Greg Athnos and Chris Brookes

Passport to Russia

Explore the slightly exotic, east-meets-west culture of Russia without leaving the United States on a "virtual" journey to explore teh country's history, culture, language and music. Delve into the livesof the Tsars, Catherine th Great, the Russian Revolution, Lenin, Stalin, the Cold War, Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin. Reflect on the music of Glinka, Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsy, Prokofieff and Shostakovitch. Explore the poetry of Alexander Pushkin and the architecture of the Kremlin and the onion domes of Saint Basil's Cathedral. Learn a few words such as "Da" (yes), "Net" (no), "Spasibo" (please) ad "Do svidaniya" (goodbye) and practice your best Russian accent. Lectures are enhanced by evening performances and Russian inspired cuisine.

Very limited walking and no field trips.

Program Dates:

April 15-19, 2012

Program Number: 20007AU

Price Per Person: Double $569 / Single $729 / Commuter $369

Instructors: Dr. Nancy Heingartner, Greg Athnos, Dr. David Koeller, James Slauson, and others

Movies that Made it to Broadway; Mozart: Boy Genius; American Humor

Movies that Made it to Broadway

Examine hit Broadway musicals that started as movies. Through lecture, video and live performance, discuss which movies successfully translated from the screen to the stage. Look at shows such as "The Lion King," "The Wedding Singer" and "9 to 5 The Musical."

Mozart: Innovative and Neglected Boy Genius

He was a maddening figure! Too brilliant by far for those around him, he single-handedly altered the musical landscape. Study his innovations, genius and music. Develop strategies for listening, understanding and enjoying classical symphony.

American Humor: Twain, Bombeck and Newhart

Living in a family always brings laughs and fond memories. Discover the satire of family life through the works of social commentators and humorists. Review age-old advice on dealing with brothers and sisters, moms, dads and others.

Program includes a motor coach field trip on Wednesday, April 25th, to The Fireside Theater in nearby Fort Atkinson for lunch and a matinee performance of 9 to 5 - THE MUSICAL. Take a hit movie comedy. Add the wonderful music of the one and only Dolly Parton and you have a musical comedy to delight and thrill audiences of all ages. Direct from Broadway and the 1st National Tour, The Fireside Theater is proud to be the first professional theater in the state to produce the smash hit 9 to 5 - THE MUSICAL. It's a madcap tale of about three talented and resourceful women who declare war on their tyrannical boss. What ensues is a fast moving, hilarious romp filled with great songs, lively dances and nonstop fun.

Program Dates:

April 22-27, 2012

Program Number: 19713AU

Price Per Person: Double $798 / Single $1023 / Commuter $538

Instructors: Linda Bachand, Greg Athnos and Chris Brookes

Architectural Gems: Wright and Taliesin, Calatrava and MAM, Lunts and Ten Chimneys

Experience Wisconsin's extraordinary architecture.

Program Dates:

May 7-10, 2012
July 23-26, 2012
August 6-9, 2012

Program Number: 10963AU

Price Per Person: Double $659 / Single $809 / Commuter $369

Decade by Decade: The 1960s

The Sixties decade by marked by dramatic change. The Space Race went into hyperspeed as President Kennedy pledged to land a man on the moon. Questioning 1950s norms and materialism spread through more of the population, as women and minorities in particular sought the guarantee of civil rights, with leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the forefront. Veterans returning from Vietnam experienced the divisions in society. The Beatles invaded and and Motown had one hit after another.

Highlights:

- Explore the Kennedy-Nixon debates, the first presidential debates televised, as well as the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 with noted historian Dr. Ellen Langill.

- Discuss trends in fashion, television and movies, from Nehru jackets to mini skirts, Laugh-In to Mary Poppins.

- Dance to the rhythms of Xavier Cugat and Tito Puente and trace the evolution of jazz through greats such as Miles Davis.

Program includes a motor coach field trip on Thursday, May 24th, to The Fireside Theater in nearby Fort Atkinson for lunch and a matinee performance of LEGALLY BLONDE - THE MUSICAL. Elle Woods -- sorority sister; beauty queen; fashionista; ATTORNEY AT LAW? Scores of folks have been enchanted by the merry misadventures of Harvard's most unlikely (and most glamorous) law student. LEGALLY BLONDE was one of the most popular movies of the last decade and The Fireside is the first professional theater in the area to present the hit Broadway musical. LEGALLY BLONDE tells the tale of a determined young woman who rises above everyone else's expectations and pre-judgements to her ultimate triumph over the naysayers in a show filled with bright music and dancing and laughs galore. It is a delightful and engaging musical for audiences of every age.

Program Dates:

May 20-25, 2012

Program Number: 20217AU

Price Per Person: Double $798 / Single $1023 / Commuter $538

Instructors: Dr. Ellen Langill, Chris Brookes, Linda Bachand and others

Stephen Sondheim / Sherlock Holmes / Georges Seurat

Life and Music of Stephen Sondheim

Through lecture, video and live performance, explore the musicals of Stephen Sondheim, winner of eight Tony Awards. His hit musicals include "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Into the Woods."

Sherlock Holmes: It's Elementary My Dear Watson

Open the casebook of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to discover the origins of his most famous character, Sherlock Holmes. Follow the detective's footsteps from 221b Baker Street across London during a virtual walking tour and study his most famous cases.

Georges Seurat and Post-Impressionism

Blend the colorful dots of Seurat's masterpiece "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" to create a harmony of order, tension and emotion. Delve into Post-Impressionism and the development of Neo-Impressionism in 19th century Paris.

Program includes a motor coach field trip on Wednesday, May 30th, to The Skylight Theater in Milwaukee for lunch and a matinee performance of the musical SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. "White. A blank page or canvas... So many possibilities..." Inspired by Georges Seurat's famous painting, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," Stephen Sondheim's musical SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is one of the most critically acclaimed musicals of our time. Brimming with beauty and light, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is a deeply moving love story that connects the past to the future through passionate and intensely personal struggles that are not unlike ones we all face at different times in our lives. The Skylight artists invite you to join them on a dramatic journey through this visual and musical masterpiece.

Program Dates:

May 28-June 1, 2012

Program Number: 20329AU

Price Per Person: Double $798 / Single $809 / Commuter $459

Instructors: Linda Bachand, Chris Brookes and Greg Athnos

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