NIU’s External Programming of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will sponsor its 24th trip to the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada from July 26 to 30.

The trip is part of the “NIU Travel with the Professor” program.

This year, there will be 42 participants. Steven Johnson, Director of External Programming, and Alexandra Bennett, an assistant English professor, will host the trip.

Originally the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, the Canadian gala has become the highlight of the year for theater fans.

Since the festival’s creation in 1952, Stratford, Ontario has become the reigning leader in classical theater in North America.

This year, the attendees will see rare performances of Shakespeare, such as “Cymbeline” and “Timon of Athens.” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” will conclude the festival. Other plays and musicals, including “Anything Goes,” “Guys and Dolls” and “The Triumph of Love,” also will be performed.

With some calling themselves veterans of the Stratford Festival and others referring to themselves as “festival virgins,” the NIU travel group is comprised of teachers, retired professors, a student, a pianist and a vintner.

The group’s interests range from theatrical theory to evil in the 18th century, but a common plea came out of a pre-orientation meeting held July 17: The program needs more youth.

“We are all over the hill,” former NIU professor Arra Garab said when looking over the group to see only one face under age 30.

Ben Caldarelli, an English graduate student, received a scholarship to go on the Stratford trip this summer.

The cost of the trip runs from the economy package of $745 to the first-class package of $995.

However, for what travel group member David Stanton, a Milwaukee resident, defined as “addicting” and “top dog,” Stratford is well worth the money.

It’s a rarity to be able to travel with a professor who specializes in theater so you can get some of the background on the plays, travel group member Jeanette Biava said.

Bennett specializes in performance theory and theater history. Along with being a part of the Chicago-based acting group Camenae Ensemble Theatre, she also is writing a work on Shakespeare’s female contemporaries.

Three spots remain open. The last day to register is Friday. The program is open to all.