Monday, June 24, 2013

Preview: Shakespeare at Winedale, 2013, University of Texas, July 18 - August 11




Shakespeare at Winedale TX

July 18 - August 11, 2013
Winedale Barn
3738 FM 2714 Round Top, Texas 78954-4901 (click for map )
Shakespeare at Winedale’s 2013 Summer Class takes the stage this summer with performances of The Comedy of Errors, The Tempest, Henry IV, Part I, and, for the first time at Winedale, Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. Performances will begin July 18th and run through August 11th; performances are Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 7:30pm with matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $10 for general admission or $5 for students/UT ID holders and may be ordered online through the Shakespeare at Winedale website www.shakespeare-winedale.org.
The complete summer performance schedule can be accessed at this link: http://www.utexas.edu/cola/progs/winedale/_files/pdf/Performances-And-Tickets/Summer_Schedule_2013.pdf

For the first time in the program’s history, this summer’s class will perform Christopher Marlowe’s thrilling tragedy of Doctor Faustus. Based on the classic German myth, the tale of Doctor Faustus chronicles one academic’s deal with the Devil to gain knowledge and power. This is only the third non-Shakespearean play to be performed at Winedale, and the first time Marlowe has been performed in the Winedale Theatre Barn. Join us for a devilish good time.

The magic continues with Shakespeare’s The Tempest, which tracks the survival of shipwrecked sailors as they roam about an island inhabited with a spirit, Ariel, a monster, Caliban, and the vengeful sorcerer, Prospero. This tale of magic, revenge and betrayal will come to life when set against the backdrop of Winedale’s natural beauty.

Henry IV, Part I begins with a disquieted new King of England, Henry IV, who must begin his reign by dealing with the murder of his predecessor, battles with Scotland and Wales, and his son’s debauched behavior. This is the first of Shakespeare’s plays in which we are introduced to the lovably infamous Falstaff – a role so hilarious it allegedly earned commendation from the Queen Elizabeth I. Shakespeare at Winedale prides itself on its histories. You won’t want to miss this classic tale.
The Comedy of Errors sees two sets of twins who were separated at birth thrown back together with a wonderful array of confusion and frustration. Shakespeare’s shortest play, Comedy will delight audiences with a slapstick farce of mistaken identity.
“We have a fantastic array of performances this summer,” says Shakespeare at Winedale Director James Loehlin. “The Comedy of Errors is one of Shakespeare’s funniest plays, and The Tempest is perhaps his most magical one. Henry IV is a history, a comedy, and a tragedy wrapped up in one play, and Falstaff is probably Shakespeare’s greatest comic character. And it is a thrill to be doing Marlowe—Faustus is a haunting play you will never forget.”

When the students complete their work in residence, they will tour to Austin and Dallas, TX, as well as the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA, home to the world’s only historical recreation of Shakespeare’s Blackfriars stage. More information about touring dates and venues will be posted to the website soon.

Thursday, July 25th, is Fayette County Night; tickets for Fayette County residents are only $4 for that evening’s performance of The Tempest, and door prizes will be raffled off at the end of the performance. Our annual Season Finale is Saturday, August 10th, beginning at 6:30pm with a special catered reception before the evening performance of The Comedy of Errors; tickets are $25.

Shakespeare at Winedale is a University of Texas program in which students study and perform Shakespeare at the Winedale Historical Complex near Round Top. Since its founding by English professor James Ayres in 1970, the program’s unique, hands-on approach has brought Shakespeare’s words to life for hundreds of students and thousands of audience members. University students from many disciplines and backgrounds work together for six weeks at Winedale, ending their summer with four weekends of performances in a converted nineteenth-century hay barn.

For more information about the Shakespeare at Winedale program, please visit our website: www.shakespeare-winedale.org or contact the Program Coordinator Liz Fisher at (512) 471-4726 or lfisher@austin.utexas.edu.

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