A Never-Ending Spirit of Play

“He wears the rose of youth upon him, From which the world should note something particular.”

– From William Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra,

As 55 years have passed, the young teacher should have become an old man.

But at the ripe old age of 92, James “Doc” Ayres is hardly showing his age.

He can still hop up on stage to demonstrate a monologue or show a student the proper way to use a sword in a battle scene.

“A nurse in the doctor’s office the other day said, ‘I can’t believe you are 92,’” Doc said. “I just keep going.”

So too do Doc’s two signature programs – Shakespeare at Winedale and Camp Shakespeare. Both of these Fayette County-based summer programs are celebrating significant milestones this year.

Shakespeare at Winedale, which Ayres created back in 1970, is marking its 55th year of bringing University of Texas students here to study and perform plays in the iconic theater barn in Winedale.

Camp Shakespeare, for 11-16 year-olds, which Ayres created after handing over the reigns of the college program to former student James Loehlin, is marking its 25th summer. Camp Shakespeare was created at the suggestion of Doc’s wife JoAnn when he seemed restless only a few weeks into his post-Shakespeare at Winedale days.

Both programs are hosting special events this summer to mark the milestones. The festivities of this summer will make up for the Shakespeare at Winedale 50th anniversary celebrations that were wiped out by Covid back in 2020.

“I’ve seen a lot of old faces over the past year as we’ve been planning,” Ayres said.

The occasions have Ayres reminiscing more than normal. Does it feel like 55 years since he brought that first UT class to Fayette County to learn about and perform “Much Ado About Nothing?”

“Sometimes it feels like 55 lifetimes,” said Ayres, who grew up in San Antonio, was drafted into the Army, and later got degrees from Baylor and Florida State before earning his doctorate from Ohio State. “I’ve been thinking back a lot recently and remembering the early days.”

Besides the reunions this summer, Ayres started writing a memoir about two years ago at the urging of his family and Robin Grace Soto, who has taken over for him as Director of Camp Shakespeare – though Ayres remains very active with the camp.

Also, the University of Texas is establishing an official Archives for both of Ayres’ Shakespeare programs.

Ayres had been teaching his Shakespeare-through-performance style classes at UT for four years when, in 1970, he met famous philanthropist Ima Hogg at an event in Winedale. Upon learning what he did, she asked him to start performing Shakespeare plays in the historic barn on the property.

“The reason I started the Shakespeare at Winedale program is because I wanted the students I taught in my lecture classes to have a more intimate experience ... to be involved fully and completely in the work,” Ayres said.

Over the years Ayres’ students have performed all but six of Shakespeare’s 38 works.

Ayres’ favorite? “My stock answer to that question is, ‘The one I happen to be working on,’’’Ayres said. But the real answer?

“The Winter’s Tale,” Ayres said. “It’s full of marvel, wonder, mystery and miracle. It’s got beautiful and joyful and outrageously sad moments.”

His passion for Shakespeare is contagious, and the impact of Ayres’ work with students through the vehicle of the world’s most famous playwright cannot be overstated.

“He has so much energy and so much love for Shakespeare, and he is so good at inspiring students,” said the late James Loehlin, who took over the Shakespeare at Winedale program for Doc from 2000 until his death in 2023. “It’s clear that he created generations of students who love Shakespeare, understand Shakespeare, and continue to make it a key thing in their lives.”

At one point Ayres’ former students were credited with starting no less than 10 different theaters in the Austin area. Another student started something called “Play’s the Thing” which brought improv to kids at Dell’s Children’s Hospital in Austin.

Another former student of Ayres started the Shakespeare at Winedale Outreach program, which brings Shakespeare to public school students in the Austin area. Ayres said there are a number of his former students who now teach theater and/or Shakespeare around the country.

“And they use the same approach we did at Shakespeare at Winedale,” Ayres said.

And while all that looking back is important toAyres – so is the present. Just this past Sunday a new batch of Camp Shakespeare kids arrived. Under the direction of Soto andAyres, they will be rehearsing “A Comedy of Errors” for two weeks before performing June 20-22.

This year Ayres will be juggling teaching the Camp Shakespeare kids and caring for his wife JoAnn, who is battling cancer. They are in the process of selling their Fayette County home and have moved to Houston to be close to her treatments at MD Anderson.

The Ayres’ departure from Fayette County will be felt deeply. They were active in the Rotary Club, St. James Episcopal Church and school volunteer programs. They were also integral to the Texas Quilt Museum in downtown La Grange, where JoAnn was a Volunteer Services Coordinator and Doc was the Museum Librarian and Archivist.

“Doc has had such personal connections to Round Top/La Grange over the past 55 years. In addition to his course work with UT and time out at the Winedale Barn with the Shakespeare program and Camp, he’s also just done so much for La Grange and Round Top,” said Soto. “Fayette County has a lot to be thankful for when it comes to Doc – and JoAnn.”

All the Camp Shakespeare performances this summer are being dedicated to JoAnn Ayres. “She is the one that had the idea (for Camp Shakespeare),” Ayres said.

Even though this year will be different, Ayres still feels that same sense of anticipation. He said working with the campers keeps him young “They are so full of vigor. There is an energy and an imagination that you don’t get from the university kids,” Ayres said. “The camp kids have this playful energy ... they are closer to finding the spirit of play than the older group.”

Ayres’ daughter Emily (an English teacher at La Grange ISD) marvels at her father’s vitality. “I am fairly certain the secret to dad’s never-ending energy is that he surrounds himself with curious, intelligent, and hilarious people - all whom make his life interesting and fun,” Emily said. ‘Every class, every summer literally brings ‘a new play on words.’ Every performance is as special and unique as the campers and staff who have created it.

“So why wouldn’t you want to live for this? When you love what you get to experience every summer, it’s not work - it’s magic!”

As the years have gone by, Ayres has turned more and more of Camp Shakespeare over to Soto, something he is very comfortable with. She is the Camp Shakespeare Director. Ayres is the Director of Mission.

“She is innately knowledgeable, probably the best teacher I’ve ever been around,” Ayres said. “But I get to participate actively.”

And he plans to keep doing so – as long as he can.

“I don’t want to be in a nursing home some place fading away. This breathes life into me,” Ayres said. “The anticipation of working with these fine young people, it’s life-sustaining, life-renewing. It’s not why I do it, but it’s a wonderful result.”

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.”

– William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”