One man’s mission to make a difference through mystery
Julian Packer’s sister, Tina, may be the famous one in the family, having founded Shakespeare & Company in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, but on the opposite side of North America on Vancouver Island, in a quaint town called Qualicum Beach, it’s Julian whose laughter and lilt, directing and performing are becoming well-known and sweetly loved since he relocated from Alberta a decade ago.
Coming soon to the quiet beach community tucked between woodlands northwest of Nanaimo, British Columbia, is a buffet of artistic experiences led by Packer – a dinner theatre and art auction with proceeds benefiting a half dozen regional nonprofits.
But hang tight. The road to the art show/murder mystery at the Eaglecrest golf course needs far more back story.
Hamlet’s Goblet
The youngest of four in a British family from Nottingham, Julian picked up the writing bug his father carried, as well as sisters Tina and Jo. However, while the girls traveled – Tina to Paris and then to Massachusetts, and Jo to Africa and then to India with Mother Theresa – Julian went to college, where he studied P.E. and religion, and planned to be a teacher.
Then a less-than-satisfactory experience at teacher training college opened an interesting door.
“The best education I had in that time was actually going to the youth theatre,” Julian says. “Really, it opened my eyes to a world of possibilities and I met some very talented people.”
By “youth theatre,” Julian means the highly acclaimed National Youth Theatre of Great Britain, founded by Michael Croft, who he says was “really very generous with his time for you and generous of spirit, the way that he encouraged you.”
As for the talented people Julian referenced, the National Youth Theatre was the place of beginnings for Daniel Craig, Ben Kingsley, Kate Winslet, Daniel Day Lewis and Colin Firth. During Julian’s days there in 1963, he shared the stage with Helen Mirren in “Hamlet.” Helen was a lady in the court and Julian carried a spear, and later the goblet intended for Hamlet’s lips. Mirren’s career took off two years later when she played the leading lady in “Antony and Cleopatra.”
And Julian’s? Well, he traveled, first to Israel to work on a kibbutz, then to Sarawak, Malaysia, as a volunteer teacher, then to Saudi Arabia, and finally, with wife Sue, to Canada. He spent 35 years as an educator and 15 as a psychologist, but the experience he gained as a young actor stuck with him through it all. One of life’s greatest joys has been directing plays (about 50) and devising shows for dinner theatre – something he loves for its communal experience.
“Theatre isn’t just about acting on stage,” he says. “You’ve got the staging and props, the construction, the writing, the marketing, the program. That’s the parallel for today because I’m doing everything other than provide the food. I’ve written the play. I’ve got the actors together. I’ve done the booking of rehearsal rooms, all of the communication.”
“The most exciting part,” says Julian, “is writing a play and seeing it come to life.”
Murder on the Island
Julian’s show, “Death at Eaglecrest Manor” begins with a singalong that morphs into a tale of murder and mayhem, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s 1939 murder mystery “And Then There Were None,” set on nearby Lasqueti Island, where, one by one, people disappear. An incompetent policeman is called in to solve the crime, and with audience participation and a few comedic twists and turns, everything sorts itself out. (Or does it?)
The cast of 13 will bring it all to life in November at the Eaglecrest Golf Course restaurant, where actors will tell the story between the tables, right among the guests. Six artists from the Qualicum Beach area are crafting unique contributions that will be woven into the setting of the play. Singers will recap what has occurred in each scene, audience members will participate with placards (“Oh my!” “Gasp!”) – “hammy things,” says Julian. Attendees will have many chances to engage with the actors, and to compete with other tables and win prizes. They will even have a chance to decide on the ending.
Having produced four dinner theatre shows previously, Julian says, “It’s become a formula. You don’t reinvent, you tweak, you add to it.”
But that isn’t his only production style.
Everyone Can Play
While living north of Edmonton (Peace River, “where you can see the Arctic,” he jokes), his local church developed an arts council. After they received a donated grand piano, he set about writing productions – four of them that involved music, art, drama and history. One was pre-Baroque, then “Baroque and Beyond,” followed by “Romantic Rebellion,” and lastly, “Songs of Freedom” about slavery and the rise of jazz.
These shows weren’t for professional musicians, mind you. Julian was writing the storyline, and then adapting the music to what skills were available.
“I’m basically saying to the musicians, ‘What level are you? ‘What can you play?’ Okay, let’s take that piece of music and put it into our pastiche,” he says, with an undying twinkle of enthusiasm for the idea of making performers out of anyone with a passion.
“It brought in the whole community,” he smiles, “and we did it in the church, which has wonderful acoustics.”
For the churches, it was a way to raise money for local charities, a theme in Julian’s efforts.
All for a Cause
Proceeds from ticket sales for “Death at Eaglecrest Manor” and the auction of artwork will benefit seven charities in the community, including a school for children with challenges, the Society of Organized Services, Saint Stephen’s Church’s, meals for the homeless and more.
Independence & Inspiration
The magnitude of an effort the size of Packer’s “Death at Eaglecrest Manor” – part dinner theatre, part art show, part fundraising auction – with volunteer staff and talent is dizzying. The logistics alone are daunting, not to mention the costs, and Julian has no sponsors, although Extreme Eatery is catering and training volunteers as servers.
Here again, big sister Tina – who just passed away in January 2026 – leaves Julian with the inspiration to forge ahead.
“She had no money and she was determined to create her own style of Shakespeare in the States, focused on the word and how it influences the audience. Very esoteric, if you like,” he says.
Ultimately, Tina became successful because she armed herself with specialists, but the guts to take a chance came first.
Julian is creating his own style of theatre too. One that gives everyone, himself included, a chance to try something new.
“I love amateur enthusiasm,” he says. “We’ve all got individual talents that we don’t know about yet, and that’s why it’s important to give people the opportunity.”
“Passing on your own talents, however small they are, and then allowing others to participate … you just never know,” says Julian.
He brings it back to where it all began, with Michael Croft back in the 1960s in London.
“Michael Croft was not an actor,” Julian explains.” He was an English teacher at a local school and he did a bit of theatre with students. After they left school, they returned and asked to do theatre in the summer holidays. So he did. And look at all of those actors now, in theatre, film and television. He was just an ordinary man with a vision, and as I said, generous of spirit.”
An ordinary man with a vision, generous of spirit: Sounds like Julian Packer.
Mark Your Calendar for “Death at Eaglecrest Manor”
November 20-22 & 25-28, 2026
What Julian’s reading:
Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (Tom Holland)
Paul: A Biography (N.T. Wright)
A State at Any Cost (Tom Segev)
A History of God (Karen Armstrong)
Christia (Catherine Tsalikis)
What he’s writing:
Grandpa Tells a Tale: An interactive story of creation
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