Director, Teacher, Writer, Actor.
TINA PACKER
September 29, 1938 – January 9, 2026
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Packer, Shakespeare & Company’s Founding Artistic Director and acclaimed director, actor, writer, and teacher.
Tina co-founded Shakespeare & Company in 1978 along with a cadre of theater artists, served as its Artistic Director until 2009, and continued to direct, teach, and advocate for the Company until her passing. Her indelible creativity will be carried forward by countless artists, students, colleagues, admirers, and friends, and her influence on the world of Shakespeare will be enduring.
From Artistic Director Allyn Burrows:
“Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Tina Packer, a fiery force of nature with an indomitable spirit. Tina affected everyone she encountered with her warmth, generosity, wit, and insatiable curiosity. She delighted in people’s stories, and reached into their hearts with tender humanity. The world was her stage, and she furthered the Berkshires as a destination for the imagination. Tina had so much life in her that it’s hard to think of it going anywhere but to be held in all of us.”
Information regarding memorial services will be offered in the coming days.
Whether you are an actor, director, or fan, if you want to know Shakespeare, you need to know Tina Packer!
One of the country’s foremost experts on Shakespeare and a master teacher, Tina Packer founded Shakespeare & Company, one of the largest and most critically acclaimed Shakespeare Festivals and actor training centers in North America.
Tina, an award-winning director and actor; directed most of Shakespeare’s plays, acted in seven, and taught the entire canon at colleges and universities, including Harvard, MIT, and Columbia. Her book, Power Plays: Shakespeare’s Lessons in Leadership & Management, co-written with John Whitney, spent several weeks on the Business Best-Seller charts. Her children’s book, Tales from Shakespeare received the Parents’ Choice Award. Her book, Women of Will is the result of a lifelong exploration into Shakespeare’s famed yet misunderstood heroines.
BOOKS & AUDIO
Women of Will
An exploration of Shakespeare’s understanding of the feminine.
“Visceral and intellectual. A sparkling, insightful exploration of Shakespeare’s words and world.” —Kirkus Reviews
From one of the country’s foremost experts on Shakespeare and theatre arts, Tina Packer offers an exploration—fierce, funny, fearless—of the women of Shakespeare’s plays.
Available in print, Kindle, and audio book!
SHAKESPEARE MASTER CLASSES
Tina Talks: Six Powerful Lectures
Join Tina as she explores Shakespeare’s plays through the lens of the philosophical, poetical, physical, political, psychological, and personal.
This series of completely original masterclasses explores Shakespeare’s plays from different angles, revealing the underlying themes and major questions that most interested Shakespeare.
