PDC GOES TO ENGLAND SUMMER 2027
Portland Drama Club partners with Upstage Theatre Arts Schools in Los Angeles and Dramatic Arts Productions in London to offer an incredible 10-day trip to London and Stratford-Upon-Avon!
Before moving to Portland, PDC’s Founder Caroline worked for 12 years with Adrian Cohen at Upstage Theatre Arts in LA. Soon after Caroline moved,Upstage began taking kids on London trips with Adrian’s friend (actor and tour coordinator) WIlliam Ilkley. They’ve been coordinating these trips for nearly 10 years.
Who/What: A 10-day trip to England for PDC students and families**
Caroline and Ehren will be on the trip mentoring and monitoring along with Bill’s team at DAP who are handling all logistics.
Included:
all transportation; public transportation, buses to various locations including Hop On/Off bus
Hotel
Breakfast (in hotel)
Dinners
Tickets to SIX SHOWS (a variety of plays and musicals)
Workshops (so far it’s either at Pineapple Studios in London or with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford; could be stage combat, improv, etc, TBD, we may also have backstage tours of theaters). Parents please know this trip is less about your child’s opportunities to act or sing and strut their stuff on stage and more about experiencing theater and London together for fun.
tours of many London sites (double decker bus? Parliament? Tower of London? Westminster Abbey?)
tours of many Shakespeare sites in Stratford-Upon-Avon; enjoy the smaller town setting and the river Avon
Students/families will have the option to go to Harry Potter Warner Bros Studios or choose an alternate activity that day still TBD.
Where: London and Stratford-Upon-Avon (Shakespeare’s birthplace)
We’ll be staying here in London and TBD in Stratford
When: June 26 - July 6, 2027
Upstage will release a registration link soon; flights to be coordinated together as group or you can do it individually as a family from Portland
An INFORMATIONAL ZOOM SESSION IS SCHEDULED FOR SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26 at 9am - Did you miss it? Please let Caroline know you’d like a link to the recorded zoom session.
How much (this does not include flights):
1 student (12 and older): $3,500
2 family members (could be siblings or parent/student): $6,600
3 family members: $9,900
4 family members: $13,200
Please understand that PDC does not control the prices. There are no a la carte options for parents and, unfortunately, we can not offer tuition assistance.
$500 non refundable deposit due at registration, final payment due March 1st.
To get an idea of what groups have done before, Here is the basic itinerary for Upstage’s 2025 trip.
Our trip will look similar except that we are planning an overnight stay in Stratford-Upon-Avon (possibly two nights!) so we can see a Royal Shakespeare Company show and a workshop with them and take time touring the town- it has a much different feel than the hustle and bustle of London!
**The trip is for students who are 12 years or older traveling without a parent or 9 and older traveling with a parent. It is not for everyone. Kids must be truly invested in theater as an art form and eager to find out as much as they can about the theater world in England.
Currently, all of the registered PDC students will be at least 14 years old at the time of travel.
Parents- please consider whether your child is really ready for this kind of solo trip no matter their age. They should be comfortable on a plane for 9+ hours, self-sufficient when it comes to taking any medicines, setting alarms/waking up, willing to eat at a variety of places, responsible and aware when walking/travelling in a large city and have experience being away from home without parents for extended periods of time.
If Caroline does not know your child well yet please be prepared to have a conversation about your child before registration.