# Tina Packer > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tina_Packer > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Tina_Packer.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Packer > Source revision: 1339060018 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|British stage director and actress (1938–2026)}} {{Use British English|date=April 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Tina Packer | image = Cropped_Photo_of_Tina_Packer.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Christina Roberta Packer | birth_date = {{Birth date|1938|9|28|df=y}} | birth_place = [Wolverhampton](/source/Wolverhampton), Staffordshire, England | death_date = {{Death date and age|2026|1|9|1938|9|28|df=y}} | death_place = [Pittsfield, Massachusetts](/source/Pittsfield%2C_Massachusetts), U.S. | alma_mater = [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art](/source/Royal_Academy_of_Dramatic_Art) | known_for = {{hlist|''[The Web of Fear](/source/The_Web_of_Fear)''|''[Two a Penny](/source/Two_a_Penny)''|''[David Copperfield](/source/David_Copperfield_(1966_TV_serial))''}} | occupation = {{hlist|[Stage director](/source/Stage_director)|[actress](/source/actress)|[writer](/source/writer)}} | years_active = 1964–2026 | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage |Laurie Asprey|1962|1980s|end=div}} * {{marriage |Dennis Krausnick|1998|2018 |end=d.}} }} | children = 1 | awards = [Guggenheim Fellowship](/source/Guggenheim_Fellowship) (1994) }} '''Christina Roberta Packer'''{{cite news|first=Richard|last=Sandomir|title=Tina Packer, Powerhouse of Shakespeare Performance, Dies at 87|date=January 18, 2026|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/18/theater/tina-packer-dead.html|url-access=subscription|access-date=January 19, 2026}} (28 September 1938 – 9 January 2026) was a British stage director and actress based in the United States. Educated at the [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art](/source/Royal_Academy_of_Dramatic_Art), she originally worked as an actress. She starred in the BBC television serial ''[David Copperfield](/source/David_Copperfield_(1966_TV_serial))''. After she quit acting and became a stage director in the United States, she founded the Shakespearean theatre company [Shakespeare & Company](/source/Shakespeare_%26_Company_(Massachusetts)), serving as its [artistic director](/source/artistic_director) from its second foundation in 1978 until 2009. ==Life and career== Christina Packer was born in [Wolverhampton](/source/Wolverhampton) on 28 September 1938.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=329}} She was raised in [Nottingham](/source/Nottingham) and educated at a [Quaker school](/source/List_of_Friends_schools),{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=329}} as well as [West Bridgford Grammar School](/source/West_Bridgford_School). She later spent two years in France with an older man she had a relationship with before they broke up.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=330}}{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=57}} Originally working at a magazine editorial office, she decided to go into acting because "I suppose I'm a natural born exhibitionist." Returning to the United Kingdom, she was educated at the [Royal Academy of Dramatic Art](/source/Royal_Academy_of_Dramatic_Art), graduating in 1964 with the Ronson Award for Most Promising Actress.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=330}} She then worked at the [Royal Shakespeare Company](/source/Royal_Shakespeare_Company), which she had visited in her youth, as an associate artist.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=329-330}} Despite her contract lasting three years, she left early to star in ''[David Copperfield](/source/David_Copperfield_(1966_TV_serial))'',{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=57}} where she starred as [Dora Spenlow](/source/Dora_Spenlow).{{Cite web |title=David Copperfield (1966) Credits |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/1421009/credits.html |access-date=12 April 2025 |website=BFI Screenonline}} She also appeared in ''[Doctor Who](/source/Doctor_Who)'',{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=330}} as well as in the 1967 movie ''[Two a Penny](/source/Two_a_Penny)''.{{Cite web |last=Champion |first=Lindsay |date=26 November 2012 |title=Tina Packer to Take On the Ladies of Shakespeare in Off-Broadway's Women of Will |url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/165740/tina-packer-to-take-on-the-ladies-of-shakespeare-in-off-broadways-women-of-will/ |access-date=12 April 2025 |website=Broadway.com}} However, she felt that she lacked a voice as a performer, and after her scenes in an adaptation of ''[Washington Square](/source/Washington_Square_(novel))'' were cut from the final broadcast, she quit acting.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=330}} In 1971, she began work in the [London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art](/source/London_Academy_of_Music_and_Dramatic_Art), where she was a stage director and teacher,{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=58}} before she moved to the United States to direct Shakespeare plays.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=330-331}} She started [Shakespeare & Company](/source/Shakespeare_%26_Company_(Massachusetts)), an experimental Shakespearean theatre company funded by the CBS Foundation and the [Ford Foundation](/source/Ford_Foundation) in 1974;{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=331}} she named the company after a [bookstore of the same name](/source/Shakespeare_and_Company_(bookstore)) she often visited during her time in Paris.{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=57}} After a poor reception in the United States and depletion of funding, she took a brief hiatus from stage direction.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=331}} In 1978, she directed ''[Les Femmes Savantes](/source/Les_Femmes_Savantes)'' at the [Kennedy Center](/source/Kennedy_Center) and then restarted Shakespeare & Company at [The Mount](/source/The_Mount_(Lenox%2C_Massachusetts)) in [Lenox, Massachusetts](/source/Lenox%2C_Massachusetts), wanting a traditional Shakespearean theatre.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=331}}{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=58}} She was the founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company, holding the position until stepping down in 2009.{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=57-58}} Her first directed performance for the company had to be done outdoors because the mansion had not been restored yet.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=331}}{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=58}} Despite initial reception being mostly lackluster, it was praised in ''[The Village Voice](/source/The_Village_Voice)'' and became well known in New York City.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=331}}{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=58}} As a stage director, she also used [color-blind casting](/source/color-blind_casting) in Shakespearean plays, allowing Black and Asian actors to appear in traditionally White roles.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=334}}{{Cite book |last=Merlin |first=Bella |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DUg4DwAAQBAJ |title=Acting: The Basics|date=2 October 2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-59051-4 }} In 1985, a book from [Helen Epstein](/source/Helen_Epstein) on Packer and the company, ''Tina Packer Builds A Theater'' was published,{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=58}} and [WGBH-TV](/source/WGBH-TV) aired a documentary centred around her, ''Sex, Violence and Poetry''.{{Cite news |last=Engstrom |first=John |date=24 September 1985 |title=Documentary on Parker lacks depth she deserves |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/441102908/ |work=The Boston Globe |page=79 |via=Newspapers.com}} In 2008, Anne Fliotsos and Wendy Vierow called her "one of the foremost directors of Shakespeare in the United States".{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=329}} She won the 2019 [Shakespeare Theatre Association](/source/Shakespeare_Theatre_Association) Lifetime Achievement Award.{{Cite news |last=St Clair |first=Ann |date=16 February 2019 |title=Shakespeare & Company's Tina Packer honored with Lifetime Achievement Award |url=https://theberkshireedge.com/shakespeare-companys-tina-packer-honored-with-lifetime-achievement-award/ |access-date=12 April 2025 |work=The Berkshire Edge}} In 1991, she directed a version of ''[Hamlet](/source/Hamlet)'' at [North Shore Music Theatre](/source/North_Shore_Music_Theatre), set in West Africa and performed by a predominantly-Black American cast.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=333}} In 1993, she directed [Boston Center for the Arts](/source/Boston_Center_for_the_Arts) productions of [John L. Balderston](/source/John_L._Balderston)'s ''[Berkeley Square](/source/Berkeley_Square_(play))'' and [Tom Kempinski](/source/Tom_Kempinski)'s ''Duet for One'', as well as a [Canadian Stage Company](/source/Canadian_Stage_Company) production of [Marisha Chamberlain](/source/Marisha_Chamberlain)'s ''Scheherazade''.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=333}} She was also artistic director of the Boston Shakespeare Company.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=330}} She also directed several adaptations of the works of [Edith Wharton](/source/Edith_Wharton), who had lived in The Mount herself.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=333}} She also did acting in addition to directing, calling directing "such a sedentary occupation".{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=333}} Packer also worked as a Shakespeare teacher in higher education, including at the [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University) MBA programme.{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=58}} In 1994, she was awarded a [Guggenheim Fellowship](/source/Guggenheim_Fellowship).{{Cite web |title=Tina Packer |url=https://www.gf.org/fellows/tina-packer/ |access-date=11 April 2025 |website=John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation}} She also published ''Power Plays: Shakespeare's Lessons in Leadership and Management'' (2001),{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=58}} ''Tales from Shakespeare'' (2004), the book of literary criticism ''Women of Will'' (2016), and ''Shakespeare & Company: When Action Is Eloquence'' (2020).{{sfn|Harris|2022|p=60}} === Relationships === In 1962 she married actor Laurie Asprey,{{Cite web |title=FreeBMD Entry Info |url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=05EyDKhUkHLJRSOm55GkmQ&scan=1 |access-date=2026-01-12 |website=www.freebmd.org.uk}} with whom she had a son, Shakespeare & Company actor Jason Asprey.{{Cite news |last=Bass |first=Milton |date=12 September 2002 |title=It's all in the family |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/533871320/ |work=The Berkshire Eagle |page=55 |via=Newspapers.com}} The couple separated around the time she left acting, but did not formally divorce until the early 1980s.{{sfn|Fliotsos|Vierow|2008|p=330}} In 1998, she married Dennis Krausnick, a stage acting educator and Shakespeare & Company co-founder; they remained married until his death in 2018.{{Cite web |date=29 November 2018 |title=Shakespeare & Company Co-Founder Dennis Krausnick Dies At 76 |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2018/11/29/shakespeare-company-co-founder-dennis-krausnick-dies-at-76 |access-date=12 April 2025 |website=WBUR}}{{Cite web |title=Dennis Krausnick Obituary (1942 - 2018) - Lenox, MA - The Berkshire Eagle |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/berkshire/name/dennis-krausnick-obituary?id=9998737 |access-date=12 April 2025 |website=Legacy.com}} Around the mid-1960s, she resided in [Woodthorpe, Nottinghamshire](/source/Woodthorpe%2C_Nottinghamshire), and later{{Cite news |date=16 July 1964 |title=City girl wins top award for acting promise |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/881001007/ |work=The Guardian Journal |page=2 |via=Newspapers.com}} in [Stockbridge, Massachusetts](/source/Stockbridge%2C_Massachusetts).{{Cite web |date=31 January 2025 |title=Shakespeare & Company's 2025 Women of Will Directing Fellowship Accepting Applications |url=https://shakespeare.org/newsroom/2025/01/shakespeare-companys-2025-women-of-will-directing-fellowship-accepting-applications/ |access-date=12 April 2025 |website=Shakespeare & Company}} === Death === Packer died, aged 87, on 9 January 2026 at the [Berkshire Medical Center](/source/Berkshire_Medical_Center) in [Pittsfield, Massachusetts](/source/Pittsfield%2C_Massachusetts).{{cite news |title=Shakespeare & Company co-founder Tina Packer dies at 87 |url=https://www.timesunion.com/theater/article/tina-packer-shakespeare-company-lenox-died-21287556.php |access-date=10 January 2026 |publisher=timesunion.com |date=10 January 2026}} ==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="wikitable unsortable"|Notes ! class="wikitable unsortable"|Ref. |- | 1967 | ''[Two a Penny](/source/Two_a_Penny)'' | Gladys | Feature film | {{cite web |title=Two a Penny (Original) |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20150045850 |access-date=2026-01-10 |work=British Film Institute Collections Search}} |- | 1970 | ''[Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition](/source/Praise_Marx_and_Pass_the_Ammunition)'' | Air Hostess | Feature film | {{cite web |title=Praise Marx and Pass the Ammunition (Original) |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20150030058 |access-date=2026-01-10 |work=British Film Institute Collections Search}} |} ===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class="wikitable unsortable" | Notes ! class="wikitable unsortable" | Ref. |- | rowspan="2"|1964 | ''[No Hiding Place](/source/No_Hiding_Place)'' | Ann | Episode: "Real Class" | {{cite web |title=Real Class (Original) |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150711823 |access-date=2026-01-10 |work=British Film Institute Collections Search}} |- | ''[Thursday Theatre](/source/Thursday_Theatre)'' | First girl | Episode: "Point of Departure" | {{cite web |title=Point of Departure (Original) |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150482173 |access-date=2026-01-10 |work=British Film Institute Collections Search}} |- | 1965 | ''[The Avengers](/source/The_Avengers_(TV_series))'' | Suzanne (uncredited) | Episode: "Dial a Deadly Number" | {{Cite web |title=The Avengers Forever: Dial a Deadly Number |url=http://theavengers.tv/forever/peel1-10.htm |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=theavengers.tv}} |- | 1966 | ''[David Copperfield](/source/David_Copperfield_(1966_TV_serial))'' | Dora Spenlow | 8 episodes | |- | rowspan="2"|1968 | ''[Doctor Who](/source/Doctor_Who)'' | Anne Travers | Serial: ''[The Web of Fear](/source/The_Web_of_Fear)'' | {{Cite web |last=Mulkern |first=Patrick |date=6 July 2009 |title=The Web of Fear ★★★★★ |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/the-web-of-fear/ |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=[Radio Times](/source/Radio_Times) |language=en-GB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251101062038/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/doctor-who-guide/the-web-of-fear/ |archive-date=1 November 2025}} |- | ''Boy Meets Girl'' | Sister Tannis March | Episode: "The Enchanted Shore" | {{Cite web |title=Boy Meets Girl: The Enchanted Shore |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/6c069bba32ac44bb843d3f918c9b2024 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} |- | 1972 | ''Crime of Passion'' | | | {{cite news |date=1972-05-21 |title=Calling Tina Packer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/841130292/ |work=Sunday Mercury |page=12 |via=Newspapers.com}} |- | 2013 | ''[Charlie Rose](/source/Charlie_Rose_(talk_show))'' | Self — Guest | 1 episode | {{Cite web |title=Tina Packer |url=https://charlierose.com/videos/17176 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=Charlie Rose}} |} ==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Result ! References |- | 1994 | [Guggenheim Fellowship](/source/Guggenheim_Fellowship) | {{won}} | |- | 2019 | [Shakespeare Theatre Association](/source/Shakespeare_Theatre_Association) Lifetime Achievement Award | {{won}} | |} ==References== * {{Cite web |title=David Copperfield: 6: The Bachelor Party |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/0a9bda9d4a4147ebbf1e5ff00c5afc4a |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20141030185350/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/0a9bda9d4a4147ebbf1e5ff00c5afc4a |archive-date=2014-10-30 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} * {{Cite web |title=David Copperfield: 7: Courtship |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/6c12d16328ba4a3c81ca68f7e0b15498 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20141030100107/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/6c12d16328ba4a3c81ca68f7e0b15498 |archive-date=2014-10-30 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} * {{Cite web |title=David Copperfield: 8: The Proposal |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/90aa88041e1641888c5990c96a5b2be5 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20141030075746/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/90aa88041e1641888c5990c96a5b2be5 |archive-date=2014-10-30 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} * {{Cite web |title=David Copperfield: 9: Domestic Tangles |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/9ecea46381f9406aa1714c76f4f39e19 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20141030091447/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/9ecea46381f9406aa1714c76f4f39e19 |archive-date=2014-10-30 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} * {{Cite web |title=David Copperfield: 10: Toll of the Sea |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/266a3216520e4e2184557b9658d25bc0 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20200627235522/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/266a3216520e4e2184557b9658d25bc0 |archive-date=2020-06-27 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} * {{Cite web |title=David Copperfield: 11: 'umble Aspirations |url=http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2beffff7a4ff4a3087e9f6659ec7be99 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20141030071133/http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2beffff7a4ff4a3087e9f6659ec7be99 |archive-date=2014-10-30 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} * {{Cite web |title=David Copperfield: 12: Fortunes Restored |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/33d3e399672840fca2e44ea770a230d1 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} * {{Cite web |title=David Copperfield: 13: Home at Last |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/4962fd7b560a4183aa4e9c9d7486ec45 |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=BBC Genome}} ==Sources== * {{Cite book |last1=Fliotsos |first1=Anne |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EGOBtC_Jum0C |title=American Women Stage Directors of the Twentieth Century |last2=Vierow |first2=Wendy |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2008|isbn=978-0-252-03226-4}} * {{Cite book |last=Harris |first=Patricia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rTFxEAAAQBAJ |title=New England's Notable Women: The Stories and Sites of Trailblazers and Achievers |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2022|isbn=978-1-4930-6602-5}} ==External links== *{{IMDb name|0655507}} *{{discogs artist|Tina Packer}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Packer, Tina}} Category:1938 births Category:2026 deaths Category:Actresses from Nottingham Category:Actresses from Wolverhampton Category:People from Gedling (district) Category:People from Stockbridge, Massachusetts Category:Actresses from Berkshire County, Massachusetts Category:People educated at West Bridgford School Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:English expatriate actresses in the United States Category:English theatre directors Category:English film actresses Category:English television actresses Category:English stage actresses Category:English Shakespearean actresses Category:British women theatre directors Category:British theatre managers and producers Category:English artistic directors Category:20th-century English actresses Category:English expatriates in France --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tina Packer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Packer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Packer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.