(Cambridge, MA) The female characters of Shakespeare’s plays are badly outnumbered by the males, sometimes fifteen to one, explains veteran thespian Tina Packer in Women of Will at the Central Square Theater. In the Bard’s works, women often operate as others and also-rans, virgins and whores, rarely receiving the main focus. But when they appear, their actions and emotions speak volumes, both about Shakespeare and society.
In Women of Will, Packer startles by putting the spotlight on the women of Shakespeare’s scripts. In a series of chapter-like shows or a one-night overview, Packer guides us through Shakespeare’s evolving females, who grow from shadowy projections at the beginning of his writing career to full-fledged spiritual beings. We also see through Packer that only those women in Shakespeare’s scripts who lie and hide to break free from societal norms can gain enough power to survive.
Women of Will isn’t a play, exactly. It’s a cross between a great college lecture and a wonderful “extras” feature on a DVD. Packer sets up each scene with a lively introduction and easy-going banter with her scene partner, the charismatic Nigel Gore. To keep the evening from being merely an academic exercise, Packer and Gore maintain an improvisational spirit and even pull audience members into key scenes.