Having four under her belt and six in total, is the accomplishments of a Cerritos College Theater Director, J. Eleanor Packwood. William Shakespeare’s “Merry Wives of Windsor”, her fourth Shakespeare play, is to premiere in the Burnight Center Theatre on Friday Oct. 30 for five evening shows and one afternoon show.

Packwood has also been at Bellflower High School for 18 years teaching full-time as a Drama teacher. She does three plays a year there and she is the maestro of it all. “It’s a lot of work at the High School because I am the one in control of the entire show. It gives me a wonderful break over here at Cerritos College because there are so many people involved.”

Packwood has done six plays in total with Cerritos College over the last 18 years and looks forward to the next play they call her to direct.

This particular play, “Merry Wives of Windsor”, is one of the few comedies that Shakespeare wrote with several female roles. It is also his only non history play he wrote that is set in his own contemporary England / Shakespearean time.

Packwood is a huge Shakespeare fan with her favorites being Macbeth, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night. This is her first time ever doing this particular play. There are obvious challenges when directing, but her most difficult challenges were educating first time students in Shakespeare’s style. “There’s a big difference between students who know his style and who don’t.”

The play has a very 2009 Shakespearean feel. That was another huge focus that Packwood placed on this production.

This Theatre Production class has 21 in cast total and they are all ready to put out this energetic comedy bursting with lust, love, deception language-mangling humour and sweet revenge of a play.