Hello friends and former Winedale students and Campers:
Doc Ayres, and a small group of former students, have begun planning several gatherings in 2025 to celebrate the 55 years of Shakespeare at Winedale. We are reaching out to all former students of Winedale from 1970 to the present, including Camp Shakespeare students, and want to invite everyone to participate in these gatherings and festivities to whatever extent you are able.
In the hope of reaching as many former students as possible, we ask that if any of you know of former students from your years at Winedale who are NOT currently on the email lists, please help us add these persons to our list. Just email Mike Godwin directly at: mnemonic(a)gmail.com if you have email addresses for former students not currently on the list.
The plan is to schedule several weekend gatherings throughout 2025: first, to work on the Winedale archive, (particularly a huge group of photos needing to have plays, persons and years identified, and then organized); and second, to plan various Winedale reunion celebrations. The archive weekends will also give folks plenty of time to hang out, tell stories, and generally "reunionize," to quote Doc.
Please save these dates for working on the archive weekends (with meeting place and accommodations in Central Texas, TBD):
March 28 - 30, 2025, Friday to Sunday-- Including 2 overnights);
April 24 - 27, 2025, Thursday to Sunday-- including 3 overnights; and
October 8 - 15, 2025, Thursday to Sunday-- including 5 overnights as a Reunion Weekend for Doc's SAW students, similar to what we did in November 2022.
The first two weekends are for working on the archive, with the April weekend intentionally coinciding with the Spring Shakespeare at Winedale performance of Comedy of Errors and Clayton's Outreach Student performances. The October weekend is to be a reunion gathering of Doc's SAW students, with music, improvs and additional performances of scenes, speeches or sonnets, and other fun time together.
In addition, Saturday, August 2, 2025, third Saturday of Summer Shakespeare at Winedale performances is the official celebration of 55 years of Shakespeare at Winedale.
Also, Camp Shakespeare celebrates 25 years of play with performances on Sunday, June 22 and Sunday, July 13 at Winedale.
There will be other gatherings and celebrations as we go along. We will send out additional emails to keep you informed of new details and how and when to confirm attendance re: the above scheduled weekends, and any additional gatherings being considered.
Hope to see and celebrate with all of you in 2025!
Warm regards, and Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!!!
Kathy Blackbird1984, 1986, and many reunions.