By Jessie McKinley for The New York Times, 10 May 2015
The trees are finally budding in the Berkshires, and the summer houses, both theatrical and residential, are beginning to stir.
But the seasons that preceded the spring’s awakening could hardly have been more fraught for Shakespeare & Company, the widely respected and high-minded Massachusetts troupe, which ran headfirst into a crisis which — like many of its namesake’s plays — involved power, personality clashes and a sudden exit (though not, fortunately, prompted by a bear’s pursuit).
After decades of stability and growth, Shakespeare & Company has — in the last seven months alone — exiled an artistic director and lost an executive director before his first season was produced, actions followed in short order by the resignation of its top trustee. The word “interim” now litters the company’s artistic and administrative flowchart, and the theater’s founder, Tina Packer, seems as befuddled as anyone.
“I don’t know exactly what happened,” said Ms. Packer, her usually ebullient British accent inflected with confusion. “But I do know that a series of events took place.”
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