University Program

Summer Class

Course Description

The Shakespeare at Winedale Summer Class is a course dedicated to the study of Shakespeare's plays through performance. This course offers an educational and theatrical experience of great intensity, as well as a unique opportunity for group interaction and self-exploration, to students from any discipline. The program is open to students of all majors. The first part of the course is an individual study, correspondence, conference course (E678a) preparing the student through reading of the texts, source materials, scholarship, and criticism. The second part of the course (E678b) is taken in residence at the 250-acre University of Texas Winedale Historical Center, near Round Top, Texas.

At Winedale, students live and work in a peaceful pastoral setting and perform in a century-old German hay barn that has been converted into an Elizabethan-style theatre. The isolated wooded landscape provides a special kind of magic and a uniquely focused intensity for the exploration of these supremely demanding plays. Students study Shakespeare 15-18 hours a day, seven days a week, in the 1880 Theatre Barn. The summer concludes with 24 public performances of the plays studied and a two week touring residency.

Shakespeare at Winedale is intended for students from all disciplines who are prepared to take risks and commit themselves to a creatively and intellectually demanding style of performance. Application is by interview, not audition, and special consideration is given to students who have never performed before. Students from any college or university will be considered, with some preference given to undergraduates. The keys to success at Winedale are a fertile imagination, an eagerness to learn, a willingness to play, and a high level of dedication and stamina.

How to Apply

Apply here. Applications are due 4/1. Please email shakespeare@austin.utexas.edu with questions.

After your application is submitted, Shakespeare at Winedale staff will reach out to set up an interview.

2023 Summer Class Details

• This summer's class will work on A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Othello.
• The Winedale residency will take place June 8 to August 13.
• DOWNLOAD THE 2024 SUMMER PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Spring Class

Course Description 

This course explores Shakespeare's plays through performance. We will spend every class period looking in detail at Shakespeare's texts, at the interpretive challenges they present, and at the way performance choices contribute to their meaning. We will consider the original circumstances of their performance, their subsequent history on stage and film, and the critical controversies they have occasioned. Above all, we will explore them in action, through our own creative work, both in the classroom and in the theatre barn at Winedale. The course is designed for students with an interest in Shakespeare and a willingness to perform in front of others. Previous experience with acting is not necessary.

2024 Spring Class Details

We will spend three weekends at The University of Texas Winedale Historical Center. These sessions at Winedale are required; they are the most important part of the course.

Those weekends are:

• February 23-25
• March 22 - 24
• April 18 - 21

During these weekends, you will be working long hours on the play, from early morning to late at night. You should be prepared for this commitment before you register. The course will conclude with public performances in the Winedale Theatre Barn.

This course fulfills the VAPA requirement (Visual and Performing Arts).

How to Apply

Apply here. Applicatoins are due on 10/31

Questions? Email shakespeare@austin.utexas.edu.