Author: Michelle Murphy

Uma Thurman, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and more this Summer!

Posted on | by Michelle Murphy | Leave a Comment on Uma Thurman, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and more this Summer!

The Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) season announcement has been released and we are so excited for our Berkshires Summer guests to experience the line-up!

2019 marks the 65th season for the Tony Award-winning theatre company who is touting big talent per usual, including Uma Thurman, Francois Battiste, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Mark Feuerstein, Jane Kaczmarek, S. Epatha Merkerson, Omar Metwally, Leigh Silverman, Mary Steenburgen and more.

The total line-up for the summer includes five world premieres, two WTF-commissioned plays, and more on two glorious stages: the Main Stage and Nikos Stage. Blank Canvas guests on each Ultimate Berkshires Summer Vacation will experience performances on both the intimate Nikos Stage as well as the Main Stage.

“In the course of just eight weeks, we will create world premiere work with some of the most thrilling theater makers in this country and breathe new life into the all-too-resonant words of cherished playwrights of the western theatrical canon,” WTF artistic director Mandy Greenfield said in a news release. “The vital urgency of the questions at the heart of these plays hopefully equals a meaningful, relevant, and powerful Festival experience for us all.”

Plan your Blank Canvas trip to the Berkshries around some of your favorite actors. Join us the week of August 4th to see Uma Thurman, or the week of July 21st to see Jesse Tyler Fergus of Modern Family fame. So many good options that you can’t go wrong.

Looking forward to dynamic 2019 Season here #intheberkshires!

The Williamstown Theatre Festival Season at a Glance:

MAIN STAGE

  • June 25-July 13: “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry. Directed by Robert O’Hara. With Francois Battiste and S. Epatha Merkerson
  • July 17-28: World premiere – “Grand Horizons” by Bess Wohl. Directed by Leigh Silverman. With Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Mary Steenburgen
  • July 31- Aug. 18: “Ghosts” by Henrik Ibsen. New translation from the Norwegian by Paul Walsh. Directed by Carey Perloff. With Uma Thurman.

NIKOS STAGE

  • June 26-July 7: World premiere – “A Human Being, of a Sort” by Jonathan Payne. Directed by Whitney White
  • July 10-21: World premiere – “Selling Kabul” by Sylvia Khoury. Directed by Tyne Rafaeli. With Omar Metwally, Marjan Neshat, and Babak Tafti.
  • July 24- Aug. 3: World premiere – “Tell Me I’m Not Crazy” by Sharyn Rothstein. Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel. With Mark Feuerstein, Jane Kaczmarek, and Nadine Malouf
  • Aug. 7-18: World premiere -“Before the Meeting” by Adam Bock. Directed by Trip Cullman. With Jason Butler Harner

A New Way to Experience New Mexico

Posted on | by Michelle Murphy | Leave a Comment on A New Way to Experience New Mexico

What’s next? That’s the question that we’ve been asked ever since we completed our wonderful Berkshire trips this past summer. Well, we’ve been hard at work researching, visiting and exploring new potential destinations for our trips. In the end, there was one obvious choice! With natural beauty, unparalleled art galleries and museums and a legendary performing arts scene, Santa Fe, Abiquiú, and Taos are natural fits for 2019 trips with Blank Canvas Tours. Our continued mission is to deliver first-class experiences designed for our guests to connect with world-class locations, and New Mexico is just that – world class!

Travel to New Mexico and take in the culture of the Southwest as a Blank Canvas guest. Your vacation begins in New Mexico’s Capital Santa Fe, and travels to the hidden gem village of Abiquiú, north to the quaint town of Taos and back again over five exciting days. You’ll explore each place’s history, art, food, music and theatre set against the Pueblo-Spanish architecture and adobe dotted landscapes. Discover the pulse of the region, from ancient times to contemporary, and the common threads between them.

It’s no coincidence why Georgia O’Keeffe made her home in New Mexico, as she was inspired by its vast beauty and its people who have made the pueblos and villages their home for thousands of years. Her instantly recognizable art is something we’re all familiar with, but did you know she lived with intention, a sense of adventure, and preferred to receive gifts of interesting looking rocks above anything else? Travelers will be inspired by the anecdotes, details, and stories awaiting you. We have arranged special docent-led visits of both the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and of her home and studio in Abiquiú which will bring you close to and give you an in-depth perspective of her vision and life.

Another highlight of the trip is an afternoon and evening at the Santa Fe Opera. Known worldwide for its contribution to a living art form and set amidst the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, this will be a special and memorable experience. You’ll step behind-the-scenes on a tour of the Opera and enjoy a delicious catered dinner with a special guest speaker. An evening of magic awaits with Orchestra seats to the production of “La Bohème”.

As the day turns to night, you’ll experience the sun casting purple hues on its mountains. The sky is clear and immense, and later on the trip you’ll enjoy top-notch star-gazing while in Taos. We’re also excited to bring you to the ancient Taos Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States and designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The details of this trip have been carefully woven together over months of research and were finalized with a weeklong site visit to the region. We met with Executive Directors, Marketing and Sales Managers, Chefs, and Small Business Owners. We talked with local Santa Feans, transplants to Taos and lived the experiences we are proud to bring our guests to. We can attest that each day is surprising, unique, and rings true to the authenticity of New Mexico. Inspiration awaits!