STOCKBRIDGE, MA (July 10, 2024) – Chesterwood, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, continues its popular performing arts series, Arts Alive!, with a special evening with Shakespeare & Company‘s founder and director Tina Packer, who will bring her cast for The Winter’s Tale to the garden at Chesterwood to share her insights into the play and her methods of directing during an open rehearsal on Saturday, July 20th at 5:00p.m. The Winter’s Tale is an odyssey through a world where kingdoms collide, betrayal weaves its web, and love battles against all odds. Magic, mystery, and a man-eating bear feature as the story unfolds, examining the consequences of jealousy and the power of forgiveness. Meet the cast at a complimentary reception afterwards. Tickets are $25, Chesterwood members $20, and free for under 18. Reservations can be made at www.chesterwood.org/arts-alive-2024
Tina Packer is the founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company based in Lenox, MA. She has directed most of Shakespeare’s plays, acted in seven, and taught the entire canon at multiple colleges and universities, among them Harvard, MIT, and Columbia. Ms. Packer was an Associate Artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company in England, and worked at the Royal Court and Aldwych theatres in London, Leicester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and other regional theatres, as well as for BBC and ITV television. The performance piece Women of Will has traveled across America as well as internationally.
Chesterwood is the Gilded Age home, studio, and gardens of American sculptor Daniel Chester French. The 122-acre landscape contains mountain views, formal gardens, and woodland trails as well as a vast collection of original sculpture, paintings, and furniture. French’s life and artistic achievements are explored through guided tours and educational programs, while contemporary artists are supported and advanced through residencies and sculpture exhibitions. The site also hosts special performances in dance, music, theater, and poetry, as well as deep dive tours, children’s activities, and art classes.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation® is a privately funded nonprofit organization that works to save America’s historic places to enrich our future, reimagining historic sites for the 21st century. The guiding principle of this initiative is that historic sites must be dynamic, relevant, and evolving to foster an understanding of history and culture that is critical, sensory, and layered.