The Bard in Bulk

Winedale Program Immerses College Kids in All Things Shakespeare

This past weekend, July 21-23, marked the opening of performances by the students of the Shakespeare at Winedale program. Over the past few weeks, these students have prepared three Shakespeare plays for public viewing: “Hamlet,” “As You Like It” and “Cymbeline.” This season’s cast boasts one of the program’s largest groups of students in recent semesters, with 19 in total. Each student has at least one role in each play, and some have as many as three.

Students participating in this program offered by the University of Texas have had the opportunity to not only immerse themselves in Shakespearean literature, but also learn about the various aspects of live theater, from costume and prop making to line memorization. And each day looks different from the last; students constantly have new projects needing work done and different scenes are being rehearsed when needed.

“It’s so fun to get to do things so collaboratively and get to just be surrounded by people who are interested in the things you are,” said DJ Woodring, a UT English student playing Belarius in ‘Cymbeline.’ “We obviously have a lot of class time and we work a lot academically on things, but some of the best conversations I’ve had here have been over lunch or in the parlor after we’re done rehearsing.”

The program itself is a course in two parts, a segment that runs from late May and into early June in which students review and discuss overviews of plays they’d be rehearsing during the latter part, as well as do research about theater and receive role assignments. The second segment is the hands-on, immersion segment, where students live at Winedale while beginning to learn lines and prepare fully for the plays.

Assistant Director of the program, David Williams, was once a student in the program himself, from 2015-2018. In his time as assistant director, Williams has loved being able to see the students, and the program overall, grow holistically as they learn from both the directors and each other.

“I think that it’s essential that people are learning lessons about these plays intellectually,” said Williams. “But I also think that, as important as that is, having a passion for Shakespeare is something that is even more essential than learning things. Learning things is great—I wouldn’t be a teacher if I didn’t think that—but it’s the love that carries you forward in life more than anything else Shakespeare at Winedale was established in 1970 as a unique way for UT students to earn English course credits. It eventually expanded from a single-semester course to a two-semester course in addition to a two-week camp for high school students.

Though this program may be a UT-facilitated one, students from any university are welcome to apply, and apply they did. Students from nearby colleges, such as St. John’s College in New Mexico, and as far away as Syracuse University and Sarah Lawrence College in New York, are all rehearsing alongside UT students.

Fronia Kemper, majoring in liberal arts at Sarah Lawrence College, stars as Phebe in “As You Like It,” Rosencrantz in “Hamlet” and the Queen in “Cymbeline.” She explained that she’s decided to participate this summer because she grew up coming to watch her cousins in Winedale plays. Having been immersed in the culture of this area and the world of theater by her family, Kemper jumped at the first chance she got to revisit her roots.

“I came and saw them perform [each summer], and then we came to a few performances for a few summers after,” said Kemper. “Then, I wanted to do it, and this was really the first summer I didn’t have anything going on. I want to live here, I literally never want to leave.”

Another unique aspect of the camp is that liberal arts students aren’t the only ones able to apply and perform at Winedale. UT student Madeleine Johnson is majoring in government. Johnson plays Duke Senior in “As You Like It,” Polonius in “Hamlet,” and both Philario and Mother in “Cymbeline.” She chose to come here because she was involved in the spring 2023 Shakespeare at Winedale course and made some of her closest friends, so she wanted to invest more time in the program.

“I’m usually a camp counselor at a summer camp,” said Johnson. “I really wanted to change up my routine for this summer and invest in this program that’s already given me so much.”

Nicole Pagan, playing Silvius and Second Lord in “As You Like it,” Francisco and the Player Queen in “Hamlet” and Cornelius in “Cymbeline,” studies anthropology at UT. Though she’s nearly finished with her degree, Pagan plans to continue involvement in the theater realm as much as she can.

“I’ve been enjoying the program quite a bit. It has been stressful, as I think it always will be…” said Pagan. “But it is definitely, by far, one of the best summers I have ever had.”

The reason for such a variety of students lies within the unique way that applications are considered. Once students apply, they go through an interview process rather than an audition process, and priority is given to undergraduate students who don’t have a vast amount of experience in theater.

Regardless of educational background or prior experience, however, every student involved has provided the same general consensus: this program has been the most fun they’ve ever had. Riley DeMent, UT English major, applied to the program the day before applications closed, by recommendation from his own professor. Even with the pressure to submit on such a quick deadline, DeMent does not seem to regret it for one second.

“This has been a life goal of mine,” said DeMent. “I get to hang out with a bunch of academics and I don’t really have to worry about anything other than academia. It’s really fun.”

Shakespeare at Winedale plays run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Aug. 13. Tickets are $10. Reservation can be made online.