Santa Cruz, Calif. – The Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) has awarded the 2022 Ellen Stewart Career Achievement Award in Professional Theatre to Tina Packer, founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Mass.
The Ellen Stewart Career Achievement in Professional Theatre Award is named for American theater director and producer Ellen Stewart (1919 – 2011) and is awarded annually to an individual primarily based in professional theater, honoring a career of distinguished service to the field.
ATHE Executive Director Aimee Zygmonski lauded Packer for her work, noting that it has “inspired generations of actors and spectators.”
“Tina Packer’s Shakespeare & Company develops and performs classical and contemporary works, houses one of the largest theater-in-education programs in the Northeast, and offers year-round actor-training opportunities,” said Zygmonski. “She has developed transformative training methodologies, and for four decades, been an advocate of collective storytelling, both nationally and in her local community.”
According to the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, Ellen Stewart Career Achievement Awardees are recognized for superlative contributions to the field over the span of a career and exhibit significant selfless service; serve as authentic role models to peers and students; are original thinkers whose work has established new frames of reference; are instrumental in nurturing careers of others; are proven, effective advocates for the field, and known for supporting multiculturalism and diversity in theater and education. Honorees were announced at ATHE’s annual conference, held July 28-31, 2022.
