Tina Packer's WOMEN OF WILL Begins Off-Broadway Run in January

Tina Packer, Founding Artistic Director of Shakespeare & Company, is arguably one of the foremost leading experts on Shakespeare, not only in America but in the world. For Shakespeare & Company, Ms. Packer has directed over 50 Shakespeare productions, as well as new and contemporary works - some highlights include: THE TASTER, ICE GLEN, KING JOHN, OTHELLO, CORIOLANUS, JULIUS CAESAR, to name a few. As an actor, she has played countless roles, including: Cleopatra in ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, Queen Gertrude in HAMLET, Lettice in LETTICE AND LOVAGE, etc. Ms. Packer has received over 20 awards, honors and fellowships - including: the Ronson Award for Most Outstanding Performer from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; a Guggenheim and a Bunting Fellowship; the 1999-2000 Arts Recipient of The Commonwealth Award; etc. She is the subject of the WGBH documentary "Sex, Violence and Poetry: A Portrait of Tina Packer," and Helen Epstein's biography "The Companies She Keeps."

Nigel Gore will be returning to the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Summer of 2013 to play the title role in MACBETH and Bottom in A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Recent work includes Richard in RICHARD III at Colorado Shakespeare Festival; Claudius in HAMLET at Prague Shakespeare Festival; Jason in MEDEA at ASP in Boston. He received the Eliot Norton Award for Outstanding Actor for his portrayal of George in WHO'S AFRAID OF Virginia Woolf? at Boston's Publick Theatre. Other recent work includes, Squeers, Hawke in NICHOLAS NICKLEBY at Lyric Stage Boston; (Eliot Norton Outstanding actor nomination). Volumnia in CORIOLANUS; at The Mercury Theatre in Colchester UK. Macbeth in MACBETH (Best actor nomination L.A. Weekly Theatre Award); Mark Antony in ANTONY & CLEOPATRA; Sir Toby Belch in TWELFTH NIGHT; with Shakespeare & CO. Mr. Gore is a founding member of AUREA, a performance ensemble whose mission is to explore the relationship between music and the spoken word. Narration work includes: GAIAN VARIATIONS (Avery Fisher Hall); Stravinsky's THE SOLDIER'S TALE performed with Puppeteer Dan Butterworth; A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at Boston's Jordan Hall. He played "Thurston Twitchell" in season 2 and 3, of "Brotherhood" on Showtime. Mr. Gore recently had 3 poems published: "Grapeseed," "Missing," and "Coda."

Eric Tucker recently directed the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway production of SAINT JOAN, which will be remounted Off-Broadway in 2013. Other Off and Off-Off directing credits include: THE LIBERTINE, THE BELLE OF BELFAST, 86'd, CLOSER, 16 EAST. Regional directing credits include: HAMLET (with William Hurt and Stella Adler), MATE, MACBETH (LA Weekly nominee for Best Overall Production), URANIUM AND PEACHES (with Ed Asner), THE GOAT (with Campbell Scott), the North American premiere of SANCTUARY, the world-premiere of WATERSHIP DOWN, TWELFTH NIGHT, ROMEO AND JULIET, MAN OF LA MANCHA, ANGELS IN AMERICA Parts I & II, to name a few. Mr. Tucker is Artistic Director of Bedlam Theatre.

Sarah Hancock currently serves on the boards of the American Repertory Theater, Shakespeare & Company, and the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. For the A.R.T. board, Sarah is chair of the Conflict of Interest committee and chair of the Compensation committee and member of the Finance and Strategic Planning committees. She passionately shares the A.R.T. mission of expanding the boundaries of theater. She serves as Treasurer of Shakespeare & Company and is chair of the Finance committee for Kripalu. Ms. Hancock began her career as a software engineer for IBM, Wave Systems, and Programart.

Development of Women of Will was supported by The Van Waveren Foundation, a Bunting Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Scheduled January 27 through June 2, Women of Will performs Tuesdays at 7:00pm, Wednesdays through Fridays at 8:00pm, Saturdays at 2:00pm and 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm at The Gym at Judson (243 Thompson Street). Tickets are $40 during previews performance from January 27 through February 2; $75 General Admission post opening. Tickets can be purchased online at www.WomenOfWill.com or by calling TheatreMania at 212-352-3101. There will also be a limited number of $25 student rush tickets available for each performance sold at the Box Office.

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