Shakespeare & Company Founding Artistic Director Tina Packer in Residence at Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Boston Conservatory at Berklee is hosting theater luminary Tina Packer this semester as part of the institution’s 2017–2018 Kunkemeuller Artist in Residence program. As part of her residency, Packer will present And Speak I Will, a laboratory workshop exploration of sexual harassment through three works of Shakespeare, featuring the Conservatory’s sophomore and junior contemporary theater students.
 

March 8, 2018

Boston Conservatory at Berklee is hosting theater luminary Tina Packer this semester as part of the institution’s 2017–2018 Kunkemeuller Artist in Residence program. Packer is the founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company, and is a world-renowned actor, director, and teacher of Shakespeare. She began her residency at the Conservatory in February 2018, working with theater students on a variety of projects, and conducting a series of master classes on Shakespeare.

As part of her residency, Packer will present And Speak I Will, a laboratory workshop exploration of sexual harassment through three works of Shakespeare—The Taming of the Shrew, Troilus and Cressida, and Measure for Measure—featuring the Conservatory’s sophomore and junior contemporary theater students. The And Speak I Will workshop performance will be presented at the Boston Center for the Arts from Wednesday, March 14 through Saturday, March 17 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is free.

“This project explores a topic of pressing importance to us all: sexual harassment,” says Packer. “As artists, the students and I want to use our creativity to open new doors on this persisting problem. With Shakespeare as a guide, we are raising our voices to reflect our perceptions, to understand root causes, and find ways to influence change. This has been both challenging and exhilarating.”

Packer will also participate in the Berklee Global Jazz Institute (BGJI) Summit: Love Supreme at the Berklee Performance Center on Friday, March 30. Her showcase will feature the Conservatory Theater Division’s Merge/Emerge Creativity Intensive, a set of collaborations between Conservatory guest artists, the Conservatory’s dance, music, and theater divisions, and BGJI that artistically explores the recent merger between the Conservatory and the College through interdisciplinary work. The Merge/Emerge Creativity Intensive will explore the iconic Romeo & Juliet balcony scene as interpreted by Conservatory dance, music, and theater students, along with artists from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute. The Berklee Global Jazz Institute Summit: Love Supreme will take place at the Berklee Performance Center at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 30. Tickets are available for $12–$16.