She won an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love." And this weekend, she's visiting the Queen City.

A standing ovation greeted Dame Judi Dench as she took the stage at the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton Saturday afternoon.

She was in town for "A Day with Judi Dench," which included a tribute to her late husband, actor Michael Williams.

Dench and Williams joined the advisory board for Shenandoah Shakespeare in 1990, but this is her first visit to the Valley.

"Walking into the theatre, I find that, I found that completely overwhelming," Dench said. "We don't get the chance to build theatres like this in England. We just don't do it. And so walking into it, just now, it took my breath away."

Former U.S. Secretary of State Madelaine Albright was among those in the audience for the event, which also included a matinee performance of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest."

"This extra time that she's put into coming here means so much to us, and I think this is one of the great moments in the Blackfriars and in Shenandoah Shakespeare's history, and I'm just delighted she's here," said Shenandoah Shakespeare executive director Ralph Cohen, a longtime friend of Dench's.

Dench will also be participating in Sunday's graduation ceremonies at Mary Baldwin College.

She'll help grant the scholl's first Master of Fine Arts degrees. And she'll be receiving her own honorary degree - her first from an American school of higher learning.