Shakespeare’s ladies are stepping into the spotlight! The New York premiere of Tina Packer’s groundbreaking series Women of Will began previews on January 29 at The Gym at Judson, and the Bard’s women have never seemed so real. Packer’s Women of Will: The Complete Journey is a work borne of 40 years of Packer’s investigation into Shakespeare’s greatest female characters, from Beatrice to Viola. The series is split into five parts, each a stand-alone production that can be viewed individually, mixed and matched, or in a full-blown Shakespearean marathon. If Portia, Juliet and Desdemona get your heart a-thumpin’, then take a look through our gallery of first look photos from the off-Broadway production, which plays a limited engagement through June 2.