By 1970, University of Texas professor James "Doc" Ayres was convinced that the best way to teach Shakespeare was to explore the texts through performance. When Miss Ima Hogg invited him to use the barn on the condition he use it as a theater for his students, Shakespeare at Winedale was born.
Every summer, a class of undergraduate students moves to Winedale, a historic farming settlement 90 miles from Austin, to become immersed in Shakespeare’s plays. The scholarly demands are matched by Doc’s urging the students to exploration, authenticity, and play, pushing them to exceed their limitations. The heat they endure is generated as much by Doc’s direction as the relentless summer sun.
The Winedale course concludes with public performances of three plays in the barn-turned-theater, the crucible for the students’ transformation. Audiences are rewarded by vivacious, endearing and often astonishing performances. The effect of the Winedale experience on their personal development, and its relevance in their lives long after students finish the program, is the near-unanimous refrain of alumni.
Having entrusted the Winedale program to his worthy successor, Doc, now in his 80s, pours his energy into Camp Shakespeare for middle-school children. His belief in the lasting benefit of this form of arts education on students’ intellectual, social and emotional development motivates him to open his heart –and the barn doors- to a younger generation of “Winedalers.”
Who is Doc Ayres? Why does a summer Shakespeare program so profoundly affect students and audiences alike? Join us to find out.
