News & Updates

OLLI Players Present Staged Reading of “It Can’t Happen Here”

Barbara Waldinger, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Theatre, Director, and Theatre Critic, is helming the OLLI Players’ staged reading of Sinclair Lewis’s It Can’t Happen Here (a 1930s novel and play adapted in 2017 by Tony Taccone and Bennett S. Cohen). The
performance, scheduled for Sunday afternoon, April 19 , at 2:00 pm, at Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse (70 Kemble St., Lenox, MA), is free and open to all, but pre-registration is required (limited seating): https://berkshireolli.org/event-6632410.

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Big Table Productions hosts A Fundraiser For Good: A Reading of It Can’t Happen Here

Big Table Productions is excited to host a Fundraiser For Good: A reading of It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis on Friday April 17 at 8 p.m., at the Tina Packer Playhouse at Shakespeare & Company.

As a novel written in 1936, the 2016 theatrical adaptation by Tony Taccone and Bennett S. Cohen tells the story of a Vermont newspaper editor caught in the whirlwind election of a larger-than-life Presidential candidate, Buzz Windrip. Brash, bold, charming, and funny, Buzz takes the White House and then the country by storm. Minute Men are deployed throughout the nation to enforce order. Lockdowns commence. Martial law is declared. And then, the citizens begin to respond. 

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Shakespeare & Company Announces Open-Captioned and Sensory-Friendly Performances of Hamlet

To celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday and school vacation week, Shakespeare & Company presents a series of accessible performances and accompanying events April 23 through 25.

Performed by the Northeast Regional Tour of Shakespeare, Hamlet directed by Kevin G. Coleman and Victoria Rhoades will be staged at the Tina Packer Playhouse on April 23 through 25, during Massachusetts public school vacation. Three open-captioned performances featuring “supertitles,” which display the actors’ spoken text in real time to create a more accessible experience for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members, will be held on Thursday, April 23 at 6 p.m., Friday, April 24 at 2 p.m., and Saturday, April 25 at 6 p.m.

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Shakespeare & Company Announces Spring 2026 Actor Training Programming

Shakespeare & Company’s Center for Actor Training has announced its Spring 2026 schedule of actor training workshops and weekend intensives, offering in-person programs for actors, voice practitioners, and theater artists across the country.

The spring programs will be held from March through May, and include Weekend Intensives in six cities, as well as two in-depth workshops in New York City and Lenox, Massachusetts. 

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Visionary Theater-maker Tina Packer Dies at 87

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.

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Shakespeare & Company opens 2026 registration for Riotous Youth summer theater programs

Registration for Shakespeare & Company’s Riotous Youth summer theater programs for students ages 7* through 15 is now open for 2026. The one-, two-, and three-week sessions invite young actors to explore Shakespeare’s language, characters, and stories through imaginative, playful, and active theater-making.

Sessions run June 29 through August 14, offering participants the chance to build confidence, collaborate with peers, and bring Shakespeare’s worlds to life. For details on each session, including dates and tuition, visit shakespeare.org/education/riotous-youth.

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