Stage director, actress, co-founder of Shakespeare & Company
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Key moments and achievements from Tina Packer's life.
Tina was born
· Pittsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education
Tina Packer was educated at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, one of the world's most prestigious drama schools. Her classical training there laid the foundation for a career devoted to Shakespeare and theatrical innovation.
Education
Tina Packer was educated at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, one of the world's most prestigious drama schools. Her classical training there laid the foundation for a career devoted to Shakespeare and theatrical innovation.
Television Role
Packer starred in the BBC television serial "David Copperfield," establishing herself as an accomplished actress. Her early career also included work as a stage director and teacher at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art beginning in 1971.
Television Role
Packer starred in the BBC television serial "David Copperfield," establishing herself as an accomplished actress. Her early career also included work as a stage director and teacher at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art beginning in 1971.
Founded Organization
Packer founded Shakespeare & Company in 1974, an experimental Shakespearean theatre company funded by the CBS Foundation and the Ford Foundation. She named the company after a bookstore she often visited during her time in Paris, and in 1978 relaunched it at The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Founded Organization
Packer founded Shakespeare & Company in 1974, an experimental Shakespearean theatre company funded by the CBS Foundation and the Ford Foundation. She named the company after a bookstore she often visited during her time in Paris, and in 1978 relaunched it at The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts.
Innovation
Packer became known for using color-blind casting in Shakespearean plays, allowing Black and Asian actors to appear in traditionally white roles. By 2008, scholars Anne Fliotsos and Wendy Vierow called her "one of the foremost directors of Shakespeare in the United States."
Innovation
Packer became known for using color-blind casting in Shakespearean plays, allowing Black and Asian actors to appear in traditionally white roles. By 2008, scholars Anne Fliotsos and Wendy Vierow called her "one of the foremost directors of Shakespeare in the United States."
Leadership Legacy
Packer served as the artistic director of Shakespeare & Company from 1978 to 2009, guiding the company for over three decades. Under her leadership, the company became one of America's premier Shakespeare theatre companies, transforming the American approach to performing the Bard's works.
Leadership Legacy
Packer served as the artistic director of Shakespeare & Company from 1978 to 2009, guiding the company for over three decades. Under her leadership, the company became one of America's premier Shakespeare theatre companies, transforming the American approach to performing the Bard's works.
Won Award
In 2019, Packer received the Shakespeare Theatre Association Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her extraordinary contributions to Shakespearean performance in America. The award crowned a career that had fundamentally changed how Shakespeare was taught, directed, and performed in the United States.
Won Award
In 2019, Packer received the Shakespeare Theatre Association Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her extraordinary contributions to Shakespearean performance in America. The award crowned a career that had fundamentally changed how Shakespeare was taught, directed, and performed in the United States.
Tina Packer passed away
