Thank you Maggie and Mary, and thank you so much Ancianos and Jacobeans and friends for all you’ve done — both in the past week and over past two decades — to help keep Shakespeare at Winedale Outreach going and growing…!
I still vividly remember two landline phone calls, when I think of how this all started: first, Doc calling me one evening in 2000 to ask, “What would you think about Shakespeare at Winedale starting an educational outreach program?”… second, James ringing me up in the spring of 2003 at the school where I was working to tell me his grant application to the Houston Endowment had resulted in a kickstarter grant big enough to turn the Outreach dream into a reality the following fall. So much has happened and changed in our world since then — it’s sort of staggering to contemplate. But amazingly to me, one thing hasn’t changed: The light that goes on within some of these young people when they begin to get up on their feet and speak these words and play these roles with their friends. On my initial visit to Maplewood Elementary in East Austin this fall, as the students began to have a first go at an edited version of the “Midsummer” 2.1 fairy-world scene, a fifth-grade girl named Clara came running up to me and her classroom teacher, Ms. Stine, to announce with a huge smile: “News flash! I love this!” She’s now one of her classroom team's leading players. On my school visits this week, the excitement about going to Winedale was beginning to build. A whole bunch of Pucks and Titanias and Nick Bottoms and Orlandos and Adams and Rosalinds and Celias are fired up and working on their lines…. As Doc loves to say, they will be ready to rumble at the Festival of Play on April 25. It’s such a joy and privilege to be able to invite them and their families to make that journey, and to be there when they take that first small step / big leap onto the wooden stage that means so much to all of us. You are all welcome to join us out there that Saturday — just holler if you want to come by. We’ll have groups performing on the hour from 10 am through 2 pm, with the traditional Eeyore’s Birthday to follow 2-3 pm, and then of course the Spring Class will present “The Winter’s Tale” at 7 pm. An epic day of Shakespeare in the Barn…! Thanks and ever thanks to each of you for being part of the village that comes together to help make these young students' work and play possible. Oh, and two days left on the Hornraiser, if you want to share this link with anyone…! https://give.utexas.edu/shakespeare-at-winedale-outreach-hornraiser/?a=1 Love to all, cs From: 'Maggie Megaw' via Shakespeare at Winedale Email List <[email protected]> Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 10:56 AM To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Cc: Shakespeare at Winedale 1970-2000 alums <[email protected]> Subject: RE: UT Hornraiser -- opportunity to support Sh@W Outreach I’m going to tack on here and add my voice to Mary’s to urge everyone who has ever been touched by Shakespeare at Winedale to find a few ducats to send in support of Clayton’s work. Last Spring a few of us happened to be at Winedale the weekend of the annual Festival of Play, which included performances by Clayton’s Outreach students. One class had chosen to do several scenes from Lear, and the other did scenes from Midsummer (with Doc playing Wall!). The work was transcendently wonderful. It’s hard to capture what made the scenes so great, but I’d start by saying that it was clear the students understood the words they were speaking. Words, words, words. And their reaction to the audience’s reaction to their scenes was a delight, the surprise and excitement they felt in seeing that they had put the language and actions across, and had made the crowd roar with laughter and applause. They were so pleased and proud of themselves, and those who weren’t terrified to be on stage were discovering just what a thrill it can be, that positive feedback loop of being connected to the audience which in turn encouraged them to be even more daring and playful and committed. Another wonderful thing was seeing the kids prompt each other when one of them froze in search of a line—it seemed like every other student was mouthing or whispering or actively giving the lines to their friend. They clearly had all memorized not just their own lines but everyone else’s lines too, and they were there for each other at that greatest moment of need on stage. And then there were the parents in the audience, clearly amazed and delighted and so proud of their children. I’m sure most had no idea beforehand of what this program actually does, no idea that their children were now speaking this new language, no idea of the door that their children had just walked through, but they were thrilled, and each one I spoke with had eyes full of appreciation for the gift of this program. It took the top of my head right off, a tonic for the soul, and a mighty impressive display of the power of learning Shakespeare through performance. So if you can, please show Clayton your love and admiration and cast your vote for the Outreach program with a contribution in any amount! Thanks and ever thanks, Maggie Winedale ‘77 and ‘78, plus reunions [business affairs inc.] Maggie Megaw (she/her/hers) business affairs inc. (310) 600-5669<tel:(310)%20600-5669> [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> This email (including any attachments) is for its intended recipient's use only, and may contain information that is confidential and/or privileged. If you received this email in error, please advise the sender and delete from your system. From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Mary Collins Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2026 2:48 PM To: [email protected] Cc: Shakespeare at Winedale 1970-2000 alums <[email protected]> Subject: Re: UT Hornraiser -- opportunity to support Sh@W Outreach Dear Winedalians, As of now, Clayton's Outreach Hornraiser has raised nearly $12,000.00 from 67 donors, a dandy 80% of its $15,000.00 goal!! THANKS to ALL of you who have contributed. If you are still thinking about it, please help us reach the finish line: You have FOUR DAYS to contribute. Any amount is meaningful -- your participation matters and is greatly appreciated. I saw the Outreach students' performance of King Lear in the Barn at Winedale a few years ago. I still remember being amazed at their understanding of the text. I noticed how they supported each other on stage, and I will never forget their moving performances at the end of the play. This program is magical. Donate now! Thanks again. Cheers, Mary Winedale '75 and '77, and several Reunions For Mary Collins 646-554-3076 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> On Sun, Mar 8, 2026 at 5:43 PM Clayton Stromberger <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: Hey friends — I wanted to let you know there’s an opportunity in the coming week to support the Shakespeare at Winedale Outreach program via the UT Hornraiser platform. I’m very grateful to Madge that last spring she decided the Outreach program should have its own Hornraiser. We’ve had a bit of a soft roll-out because it was scheduled to coincide with our big Outreach performance at the Bullock Museum, which means I’ve been too busy to spend much time promoting it — and at the same time our wonderful Program Coordinator, Emma Watkins, left us a few weeks ago to pursue her playwriting career in NYC… go Emma! We will miss her, but fear not — wonderful Winedaler Grant Gilker, Summer Class of ’22 and Madge’s assistant last summer, will be taking her place. Emma set up a series of automated emails re the Hornraiser to be sent out from the new Shakespeare at Winedale email list over the past few weeks, but due to UT’s antiquated group-email platform, that email list doesn’t seem to have as many people on it as it should (somehow I’m not even on it, despite clicking the right buttons… ’twill be a fun challenge for Grant to wrestle with!). Here’s the link — there’s one week left. Anything you can do share / amplify would be much appreciated. I’m going to force myself back onto “social media” to do some amplifying myself this week... https://give.utexas.edu/shakespeare-at-winedale-outreach-hornraiser/?a=1 My best to everyone and hope to see you at Winedale or elsewhere before too long. Cheers, cs Clayton Stromberger Outreach Coordinator, UT Shakespeare at Winedale Department of English, College of Liberal Arts University of Texas at Austin [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> www.shakespeare-winedale.org<http://www.shakespeare-winedale.org/> cell: 512-363-6864 -- Be vigitant, I beseech you! --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Shakespeare at Winedale Email List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. 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