Tag Archive for 'Tina Packer'

Sneak Peek: Tony & Tina’s Nuptial Interview

Published on October 6, 2010 in 2010-2011 Season. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

and enjoy a stolen moment

In preparation for Tony and Tina’s big day on Saturday, we’re giving you a sneak peek at an upcoming interview with the happy couple:

While the bride and groom are keeping a lid on their wedding day details, we did learn this much during a late night interview at an undisclosed location, near the Forest of Arden…

How did you two meet and when did you know it was for real?

Simotes: It was back in 1978 and I had just left NYC to come up to Shakespeare & Company and work with Tina on A Midsummer Night’s Dream for our inaugural season at The Mount. Yes…I remember it well… [here he closed his eyes] …it was a dark and stormy night and I was studying my lines when I thought I smelled something burning and suddenly realized it wasn’t my crumpets that were on fire but my heart. That’s when I knew this love affair of shear ‘Will’ was for real. It didn’t take a detective to know how the next 30 years of my life would be spent. I mean, if this were play’d upon the stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction.

Packer: It was back in 1978 and I was in NYC auditioning actors for my upcoming season and I saw Tony in a production of Richard III. I remember it well… [here she closed her eyes] …there he was dark, short, feisty and Greek. A perfect actor to play Puck, I thought to myself, and then as I screeched out of the parking lot in a dreamlike state of satisfaction I realized it wasn’t my emotions that were fogging up the windshield but my tires were on fire. Well it didn’t take a Shakespeare scholar to know how the next 30 years of my life would unfold. That’s when I knew Tony was the ‘one’, ah yes, my salad days when I was green in judgment.

Learn more about this weekend’s Gala at Shakespeare.org »

“Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” Photo Album

Published on October 6, 2010 in 2010-2011 Season and Photos. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

We’re just days away from our Annual Fall Gala: Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding benefiting our Education Program and honoring Artistic Director and Founding Artistic Director . To celebrate “the happy couple” and their work at Shakespeare & Company, we’ve put together this album of photos from their years at the company.

We’ve also launched the Gala Auction (start bidding today online ») which features fantastic items like these from Shakespeare & Company and our supportive local business friends:

  • Tickets to see John Douglas Thompson as Macbeth in NYC, plus a backstage tour and post-show drinks with the actor, and an overnight stay at the Four Seasons Hotel.
  • Gift Certificates and Packages from Berkshire businesses (Casablanca, Shooz, Tanglewool, Purple Plume, Cranwell, and more)
  • Shakespeare & Company artifacts (Othello‘s Cavalry Sword, Sea Marks model homes, The Winter’s Tale Satyr masks).
  • and a lot more—dozens of items to bid on!

Get your tickets to the Gala now, or visit the online auction to contribute to Shakespeare & Company »

Video Preview: “The Taster”

Published on August 9, 2010 in 2010-2011 Season, S&Co Video and The Taster. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

In ’s The Taster, Henry’s career and marriage are in ruins, and his opera-singing wife Claudia wonders why he spends his days translating an obscure play about a boorish King and his beloved food taster. But sometimes a dusty play can speak to us from the past and provide the sustenance we need. Characters pass between the present day and medieval times, weaving a richly layered tapestry of theatre. Henry finds the nourishment he craves in the simple wisdom of a man gifted not only in the art of tasting, but of selfless service to others.

The World Premiere production is directed by and features , Maureen O’Flynn, Tom O’Keefe, and . Scenic design by Yoshi Tanokura, costumes by , lighting design by , with music by Scott Killian. In Founders’ Theatre through September 4. Check out the video:

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On the air: “The Taster” creatives on WAMC

Published on August 4, 2010 in 2010-2011 Season, In the News and The Taster. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , .

The Taster director and actors and Maureen O’Flynn showed up at Tanglewood for a visit with ’s The yesterday to discuss the play. They discussed the genesis of the play, the challenges of the text and the sublime Basque music and Maureen’s singing.

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“The Taster” now on stage! (Photos)

Published on July 29, 2010 in 2010-2011 Season, Photos and The Taster. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Tonight, ’s The Taster enters previews. This world premiere is directed by Founding Artistic Director and featuring OBIE Award winner and famed soprano Maureen O’Flynn (in roles written specially for them) alongside Tom O’Keefe and .

Check out the photos from the production, and buy tickets now. Scenic design by Yoshi Tanokura, costume design by , lighting design by . Photos by Kevin Sprague.

Boston Globe: “Women of Will” “dazzling and illuminating”

Published on June 3, 2010 in 2010-2011 Season, Reviews and Women of Will. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

womenofwillsco10kspra_095-sized_The Boston Globe publishes their review of  Women of Will today, and in it Louise Kennedy calls ’s work “an intensely theatrical experience”:

Drawing on her lifetime of acting in and directing Shakespeare’s plays, Packer combines the performance of scenes with the discussion of themes to create a dazzling and illuminating piece of work. For anyone who cares about women, Shakespeare, or especially women in Shakespeare, it’s not to be missed.

Read the review at Boston.com »

Women of Will is now on stage at Founders’ Theatre through July 24.

In the News: Tina Packer’s Women of Shakespeare

Published on June 2, 2010 in 2010-2011 Season, In the News and Women of Will. 0 Comments Tags: , .

womenofwillsco10kspra_039-sized_ Yesterday Tina “appeared” on WBUR/NPR’s On Point with Tom Ashbrook to discuss Women of Will. An excerpt from the 45-minute in-depth discussion and call-in segment:

In many ways I’ve been working on this piece for the whole of my artistic life, and I have to ask the question: why should a 21st century feminist spend her time with a dead white male? Well, the answer is because I grow, expand, understand myself better with every play in the canon I immerse myself in, from young actor to director and teacher – and I have now directed almost every play he wrote. My awareness expands. He says things in such a way as allows me to understand the world – politically, psychologically, physically, poetically, philosophically – that change my personal life. He’s the man I would most like to sleep with, if you will – I’m really sorry he’s dead! And in many ways he ain’t dead. He infuses the world with life, and it’s all open to interpretation…

Listen now to “Tina Packer’s Women of Shakespeare” at WBUR and NPR – On Point with Tom Ashbrook.