Our Crowdfunding Groups
Please consider making a donation this summer to support young people’s exploration of Shakespeare — and themselves — through performance!
Camp Shakespeare returns to the Winedale Barn for another magical summer dedicated to the exploration of Shakespeare, self, and the power of play! Your generosity during our 2024 HornRaiser campaign will ensure that twenty-nine students from across the world are able to gather together as a creative community and explore A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Tempest.
"Be as thou wast wont to be.
See as thou wast wont to see."
Founded by James B. “Doc” Ayres, now led by Robin Grace Soto, Camp Shakespeare is proudly entering its twenty-fourth year! Camp is an arm of the renowned Shakespeare at Winedale program, 
also founded by Doc Ayres, in the Department of English at UT Austin in the Fall of 1970. Both programs offer its participants much the same experience: the challenge of playing out ideas on stage; the revelation of Shakespeare’s language by embodying it; the discovery of inner strength through study, play, and hard work; and the gift of friendships destined to last a lifetime. Camp Shakespeare provides this richness of experience and meaning in the crucial period of adolescence.
Your donations will help fund production expenses for the six performances and stipends for guest artists and interns!
The Camp experience is needed now more than ever as young students navigate our changing world. Six performances will be held across central Texas, including two Sunday afternoon performances in the Winedale Barn: A Midsummer Night's Dream on Sunday, June 23rd at 2pm and The Tempest on Sunday, July 14th at 2pm.
Camp directors Robin Grace and Doc will be joined by five additional guest artists and counselors, all former graduates of the Camp Shakespeare program.
"O wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O, brave new world
That has such people in 't!"
The Camp Shakespeare Ambassadors are asking for your financial support to reach our HornRaiser goal of $15,000. Your donations will help fund community performances, production
expenses, stipends for guest artists, costumes, marketing for the plays, and transportation to the La Grange Performing Arts Center, the Crystal Theatre in Gonzales, and the Winedale Barn.
We hope for the broadest possible support from our Winedale community: former Campers, Camper families, Winedale alumni, loyal audience members, and anyone who’s ever been touched by Winedale’s magic. After you donate, we hope that you will join us this summer to experience these radiant, astonishing performances first hand and be a part of the magic you’ve made possible.
Please take a look at our Donation Levels on the right and give as generously as you can.
Thank you!
$76 for the 76 miles from Calhoun Hall at the University of Texas to the Theatre Barn at the Winedale Historical Center.
$108 for the number of cups of Orange Gatorade a Camp Shakespeare student consumes each summer.
$524, for the number of jests performed by the merry wanderer of the night!
$1,111 for the number of logs that Ferdinand carries for his Miranda.
$5,400 in celebration of 54 years of exploring Shakespeare through performance. Thank you, Doc!
$15,000 for the number of cowslips, love-in-idleness, wild thyme, oxlips, nodding violets, luscious woodbine, sweet musk roses and eglantine … that perfume the forest in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The Love-In-Idleness Award ensures that any additional funds raised during the HornRaiser campaign can go towards the future growth of the program!
