Tina Packer

Excerpts from 20 Questions, American Theatre, September 2007:

So you started out in England. What happened?
My training at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art was very much about: "Don't trip over the furniture, stand up straight, take your power and authority on stage." I discovered that as an actor I really wanted a deeper emotional connection. Once I knew that I had more authority than my director - or even my acting teachers - I got an inner confidence that catapulted me forward.

Your company stresses the connection between language and physicality.
Language is physical - it's visceral, it lives in the body. They believe the imagination lives in the liver and the soul lives in the marrow of the bones. But we have disassociated ourselves from language - we can lie and we don't even know we're lying.

What was the last lie you told?
Since we sat down? I try never to lie in my artistic life. I actually do believe that if you can tell the truth it sets you free. I don't mean that I always tell the truth bluntly - I won't necessarily go at it straight on because that often creates resistance to what you're doing. It's very much a female way of doing things, which is one reason why I think women are actually terrific directors. By and large they know how to support actors, and also the ego is not necessarily as involved.

So no fourth wall?
The fourth wall is the worst thing that ever happened to American theatre! You might notice that stand-up comics make a good living while theatre is emptying out. If you're a stand-up comic and people don't laugh, you don't earn a living. The fourth wall became an indulgent wall, instead of one that was being tested at every moment.

It can be a protection, but I wonder about stand-up comics making a living...
Well there's this channel called the Comedy Channel - there's not a channel called the Theatre Channel!