Prospective Student FAQ

"Winedale has endured so long for a reason. People still come back 40 years later to reunite with their classmates for a reason. If you're looking for a program that's going to provide you with lifetime friends and experiences you'll always carry with you, this is that program."

A big thank you to Winedale alums DJ, Jose Felix, Andrew, and Morgan for providing the following remarks on their Winedale experience!

What's a typical day at Winedale?

"Busy, but so so rewarding. There's nothing quite like being up from 6:30am to when it's dark out working on these plays that you love. They're also incredibly varied. In a single day you can do acting, sewing, singing, hot glueing, and scansion. The routine is really helpful for learning the plays, but also really well set up so that you get to know everyone really well."

"Taxing. Wake up early and play sports, rehearse scenes in the morning, sew and fashion garments, work on individual projects, fight the urge to nap to read early English plays, and run a show at night. I never felt more community and independence in equal measure than when I was at Winedale."

"Waking up early in the morning and eating breakfast with your fellow students. Going to the barn and working on the shows or cleaning the barn. Eating lunch and going back to work afterwards. Having a small break eating dinner and working again until night. Then use the rest of the day for yourself and then head to bed."

What was your favorite part about being a student at Shakespeare at Winedale?

"I loved how, surrounded only by the Texas countryside, we had ample opportunity to truly sit with and explore the text, free from the pressures and distractions of modern life."

"How deep I was able to dive into the plays!! I never thought I would be able to understand a Shakespeare play or character as deeply as I did during my summer, and it was so fun to have those conversations with people about relationships and character choices."

"Talk about DIY. If there was something, anything to be done, we were employed to handle it. If there was something about our world that we didn't like, we changed it. We were asked to step up and square ourselves away for the sake of the program, the show, and the team. Just by our being there, I knew that I had to maximize my potential because the group demanded I be the best I could be. It was beautiful to feel that sense of ownership and community in a classroom setting."

What was the greatest challenge?

"Honestly, the heat. It's really tough to get acclimated to how hot it is out at Winedale, BUT there's a lot of aspects of the program in place that help!"

"The most challenging part of the summer was just getting used to the long working hours."

"Your professor may not always be there to guide you and show you what the right thing to do is. Sometimes, it falls on you to decide how to execute, where to enter, or who to give the spotlight. You have to work hard so that you can trust yourself and know what to do when you are working independently."

What was the most important lesson you learned at Winedale?

"Ask for help. Seriously, three plays in 5 weeks, on top of living really close with a bunch of people you have varying relationships with, is a lot, and one of the lessons I had to learn was that people are so excited and willing to help you if you just ask. I made some of my closest friends at Winedale, and I chalk a lot of that up to being able to push through my anxieties and ask for support when I needed it, and being there for others when they needed it as well."

"You don't always have to ask for permission. It takes effort to stay cool-headed in Texas July. And if you like to fret over yourself, try throwing yourself into other people."

What would you say to someone considering applying for Shakespeare at Winedale?

"Do it!! It's easy to roll your eyes when someone says that a program will change who you are as a person a little bit, but Winedale is THAT program. Even a year out from having done it, me and my classmates are all still really close, and we talk about it like it was yesterday. It'll be SUCH a positive experience for you no matter who you are."

"If you like to throw down in the mud, sign up. If you want the opportunity to hone yourself, sign up. If you want to uplift your friends and offer them the spotlight, sign up. If you ever wanted to live out history and become a part of a living artwork, sign up."