Tina Packer Builds a Theater

by Helen Epstein

Anyone interested in theater should read this small, engaging biography about a woman who founded a regional theater. Tina Packer began as a young actress from Nottingham, England who emigrated to the United States in the early 1970s and, with Kristin Linklater and Dennis Krausnick, developed her own company in Edith Wharton’s abandoned mansion in Massachusetts. The book moves from her early years in Paris and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts to New York and the Berkshires, where Shakespeare & Company has become a major arts institution.

Recommended for theatergoers and students of drama and arts administration.

124 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1985

About the author

Born in Prague.
Grew up in New York City.
Graduated Hebrew University in Jerusalem
Graduated Columbia Journalism School
Taught at NYU Journalism
Now live outside Boston, MA

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tina Packer is an amazing woman who had a mission to bring Shakespeare to everyone. Through her acting company, Shakespeare and Company, she has, indeed, done this. This book chronicles her life, her struggles in building a theatre company and theatre educational center and her extraordinary success in building the company and reaching out with the words of the Bard to many, many different populations, including school children and prisoners. Loved the book and Tina Packer's unique spirit and legacy.