Ophelia. Juliet. Lady Macbeth. Actor and director Tina Packer brought her intimate knowledge of these and other female characters from Shakespeare’s oeuvre to campus this spring as the Melissa Dilworth Gold Visiting Artist.
Throughout her four-day visit, Ms. Packer—founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company—conducted workshops, taught several drama classes, and discussed and performed Othello with two sections of Class IV English.
She also presented Women of Will in the Ruth King Theatre, a performance that includes a range of Shakespeare’s female roles. A groundbreaking exploration of Shakespeare’s canon, the show is a combination of performance, discussion, and a bit of crowd participation. It is a summation of Ms. Packer’s more than 30 years of deep investigation into all things Shakespeare. Local Milton residents, senior citizen groups, and residents of Brookview House were invited to attend the performance.
At Shakespeare & Company, Ms. Packer has directed—among others—Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Coriolanus, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, and the world premieres of several original works. As an actor, she has performed to critical acclaim as Gertrude (Hamlet), Cleopatra (Antony & Cleopatra), Edith Wharton and Shirley Valentine. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she won the Ronson Award for Most Outstanding Performer. She has also worked for the BBC and ITV television companies, and in film.
The Melissa Dilworth Gold ’61 Visiting Artist Fund commemorates Melissa’s life and interests by bringing nationally recognized artists to campus each year so that students may benefit from dynamic interaction with inspirational and accomplished professionals.