Calm, tranquil, quiet. Besides the chatterings of a few techies doing last-minute painting, the Loeb Mainstage is empty two hours before dress rehearsal begins. The seemingly lifeless theater is like a bear in winter, hibernating until the next performance.

The stage is set for a production of Shakespeare's "Richard III," a joint project of students and visiting drama professionals--a unique mix that only find its way to the Loeb every other year. For this show, Tina Packer, the founder of the renowned theater company Shakespeare & Co. in Lenox has collaborated with students on all aspects of the production.

The stage will come to life in mere hours, but it already shows hints of 15th-century England. Cocoa-shell mulch that crunches underfoot covers the stage floor. Three huge rocks--actually large chunks of styrofoam--lie on a large platform beside the main part of the stage. A curved and seemingly rickety ramp meanders its way from a height of about 10 feet down to the stage.

And it seems like ghosts or ghouls could emerge through the centuries from the dark "pit" in the center of the stage. Like a bear on the verge of spring, the theatre is calm and restful, but ready to roar.

Soon an epic play spanning three hours, two intermissions and four centuries will bring the set to life with emotion and intrigue. The "Richard III" cast will bring medieval London to life with the tale of a lifelong fight for the English throne.

Playbill

"Richard III," which runs today through May 8, is the third Visiting Director's Project (VDP)--a Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club (HRDC) program that hosts a professional director at Harvard every other spring. Richard's cast and crew rave about the program because it has allowed them to receive first-class theater instruction normally lacking in a Harvard education.

"[Packer] became our first choice because of her reputation," says co-producer Seth C. Harrington '00 who was involved in the search for a director.

Last September, Packer decided to take a break from her position as artistic director at Shakespeare & Co. to direct "Richard III." She brought to Cambridge techniques she learned while studying drama at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and in many productions since.