Shakespeare at Winedale
Encyclopedia
The Shakespeare at Winedale program, created in 1970 by James B. "Doc" Ayres, is a program affiliated with the University of Texas at Austin
,http://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/winedale/ dedicated to Shakespeare
an critic
ism through performance of the plays. The main performance space at Winedale, located in Round Top, Texas
, is a barn donated to the University of Texas by Ima Hogg
.
According to legend, Miss Ima had noticed the resemblance between the barn and a traditional Elizabethan theater. Precisely what the original points of similarity were is unclear. However, the barn's age (its original structure is over 100 years old, as are several other red-heart-cedar barns close by), coupled with the character of the surrounding countryside (gentle hills, pine forests, small farms, pastures dotted with pecan trees) all contribute to an unmistakably pastoral
atmosphere, in many ways resembling the pastoral countryside of Shakespeare's world. The harmony of the land with the texts of Shakespeare, as well as the sense of Winedale being rooted in traditions (heightened by the age of the structures, the surrounding farms, and close study of Shakespeare's texts) make the Winedale "experience" a very special one for students and spectators alike.
Though Shakespeare-related programs take place year round in the James B. "Doc" Ayres Theater Barn, the centerpiece of the program is the summer performances. Each summer about 15-20 students, mostly from the University of Texas, spend 11 weeks living and breathing the Winedale experience, culminating in 24 performances of three Shakespeare plays in the last weeks of July and first weeks of August.
After Doc Ayres's retirement from directing the program in 2000, James Loehlin
, a Shakespeare-at-Winedale alumnus, took over as the director.
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
,http://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/winedale/ dedicated to Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
an critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
ism through performance of the plays. The main performance space at Winedale, located in Round Top, Texas
Round Top, Texas
Round Top is a town in Fayette County, Texas, United States. The population was 77 at the 2000 census.Round Top is the home of three visitor-drawing programs:...
, is a barn donated to the University of Texas by Ima Hogg
Ima Hogg
Ima Hogg , known as "The First Lady of Texas", was an American philanthropist, patron and collector of the arts, and one of the most respected women in Texas during the 20th century. Hogg was an avid art collector, and owned works by Picasso, Klee, and Matisse, among others...
.
According to legend, Miss Ima had noticed the resemblance between the barn and a traditional Elizabethan theater. Precisely what the original points of similarity were is unclear. However, the barn's age (its original structure is over 100 years old, as are several other red-heart-cedar barns close by), coupled with the character of the surrounding countryside (gentle hills, pine forests, small farms, pastures dotted with pecan trees) all contribute to an unmistakably pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
atmosphere, in many ways resembling the pastoral countryside of Shakespeare's world. The harmony of the land with the texts of Shakespeare, as well as the sense of Winedale being rooted in traditions (heightened by the age of the structures, the surrounding farms, and close study of Shakespeare's texts) make the Winedale "experience" a very special one for students and spectators alike.
Though Shakespeare-related programs take place year round in the James B. "Doc" Ayres Theater Barn, the centerpiece of the program is the summer performances. Each summer about 15-20 students, mostly from the University of Texas, spend 11 weeks living and breathing the Winedale experience, culminating in 24 performances of three Shakespeare plays in the last weeks of July and first weeks of August.
After Doc Ayres's retirement from directing the program in 2000, James Loehlin
James Loehlin
James Loehlin is an American author and scholar.He is from Austin, Texas. He is Shakespeare at Winedale Regents Professor of English and director of the Shakespeare at Winedale program at University of Texas at Austin. He was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford, and earned joint Ph.D. in Drama and...
, a Shakespeare-at-Winedale alumnus, took over as the director.
Notable Alumni
- Mike GodwinMike GodwinMichael Wayne Godwin is an American attorney and author. He was the first staff counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation , and the creator of the Internet adage Godwin's Law of Nazi Analogies. From July 2007 to October 2010, he was general counsel for the Wikimedia Foundation...
http://twitter.com/#!/sfmnemonic/status/8201193091 - John RandoJohn RandoJohn Rando is an American stage director, winning the Tony Award for his direction of the musical Urinetown in 2002.-Stage productions:* 1994 Broken Glass * 2000 The Dinner Party* 2001 A Thousand Clowns...
http://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2004-07-23/222254/ - Terry Galloway http://www.borrowers.uga.edu/cocoon/borrowers/request?id=781426
- James LoehlinJames LoehlinJames Loehlin is an American author and scholar.He is from Austin, Texas. He is Shakespeare at Winedale Regents Professor of English and director of the Shakespeare at Winedale program at University of Texas at Austin. He was a Marshall Scholar at Oxford, and earned joint Ph.D. in Drama and...
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/english/faculty/jnl2159 - Kirk LynnKirk LynnKirk Lynn is a playwright who lives in Austin, Texas. He graduated from Douglas MacArthur High School in 1990. He is one of the founders of Rude Mechanicals theater company and he has been working with this collaborative theater company since 1996...
http://www.weeklywire.com/ww/09-21-98/austin_arts_feature1.html