Interview: Producing Artistic Director, Sean Hagerty of The Curtain in Jersey City Producing “Romeo & Juliet”

The Curtain is Jersey City’s premiere classic theatre located at the city’s Nimbus Arts Center.  They are currently presenting William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet through October 22nd. The show is set at the dawn of the Jazz Age and stars an impressive cast of accomplished actors that include Anita Pomario, Andrew Sellon, and Aria Shahghasemi.

We had the opportunity to interview The Curtain’s Producing Artistic Director, Sean Hagerty about his career and Romeo & Juliet. 

Hagerty trained under Sanford Meisner and studied classical theatre at the renowned Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He holds a Masters Degree in Shakespeare and Theatre from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, where he graduated with Distinction. Sean has worked as an actor, teacher, director, and producer regionally and internationally for many years. Credits include: New York Classical Theatre, The Lord Chamberlain's Men, The Group Theatre, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, The Bath Shakespeare Festival, The New Vic, Theatre Royal Bristol, and BBC Radio, among others. Previously, Sean was the resident Shakespeare and Style teacher at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre for over 14 years and was the Associate Artistic Director for New York Classical Theatre. He has served as the chair of Education & Training for the international Shakespeare Theatre Association and as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts.

When did you first become interested in classical theatre?

Like a lot of folks, when I was young, I didn't care for Shakespeare. This came down to how Shakespeare is taught in this country. If you're like me you were probably sat down at your desk somewhere in middle school, were handed a copy of Romeo & Juliet and told to read it. I've always said that's like trying to get someone who can't play an instrument to appreciate Beethoven by handing them the sheet music. But then as a young actor in my twenties I was on tour. We were in London performing and one of my castmates practically dragged me to see a now famous production of The Tempest by the RSC. Turns out it was directed by Sam Mendes (this before he was 'Sam Mendes') and starred Simon Russell Beale as Ariel. I was completely blown away. It was so clear, so moving and funny and theatrical. I remember standing outside after the show trying to take in what I had just seen and saying to myself: If this is what Shakespeare can be, then I have to figure out how to do that. 

You have an impressive background. What piece of advice can you give people interested in becoming a part of the theatre arts?

I'm still trying to figure that one out myself! I suppose if I had to, beyond well-rounded study, what little advice I could offer would be: Read. Go to museums. See art. See dance. Hear music. Watch films. Watch old films. Go to plays. Go to ones you like and ones you don't. And then read some more. Everything you do informs you as an artist. 

Your show Romeo & Juliet has gotten a lot of attention and great reviews.  Can you tell us a little about how The Curtain is presenting of this classic love story.

It's set at the dawn of the Jazz Age. I was searching for a time period where I could explore themes of young vs old, new movements vs old establishments, etc., rather than the more traditional tribal aspects of Montague vs Capulet. The 1920s were an inflection point in society with a real youth movement that permeated almost all aspects of society from music, to fashion, to art, the New Woman movement, and much more. That sense of freedom and liberation scared a lot of people. The fact that the Great War had just ended and the Spanish Flu was rampant in addition to everything else made it the ideal setting for what we wanted to explore.

What are some of the challenges of directing a renowned Shakespeare classic?

The expectations I suppose. When you have over 400 years of history, with dozens, if not hundreds, of famous productions behind the play, an audience can come in expecting things to be a certain way. But that challenge also becomes your freedom. I think we've managed to explode a number of unquestioned givens, as well as expectations, when it comes to our production of Romeo & Juliet

We'd love to know a little about the cast and creative team that have brought Romeo & Juliet to the Jersey City Stage.

That's a hard one. Everyone involved has contributed so much. The entire cast is stellar, they're led by two absolute powerhouses: Aria Shahghasemi as Romeo who starred on CW's Legacies for four seasons and will next be seen on Broadway co-starring with Anthony Edwards in Prayer for the French Republic. Our Juliet is Anita Pomario, an Italian actor and Venice Film Festival Pasinetti award-winner for The Macaluso Sisters making her American stage debut. I couldn't ask for a better pair of actors. Our sound design is the always incredible, emmy-winning Sonic Designs who we partnered with on our radio plays. Fight Direction is by Brad Lemons who I always work with if I can. He does the fight direction for the Met Opera and most recently worked on Camelot on Broadway. But all of the cast and creatives deserve so much praise—I'm afraid I'd need a second interview to speak of them as they all deserve.

The Curtain is located in the heart of Jersey City.  Why do you think that it is becoming a great venue for the arts?

There's always been a great arts scene here. And it's been overlooked by the larger press and building momentum for a long time. I think it's really just the NYC press that has only recently been picking up the story and saying: 'Wow. Jersey City is happening, you've got to check it out!'.
 

Can you share with us some of your future plans?

Not at least with any specifics. We're going to be doing more of our Shakespeare@ Home radio plays. They are so much fun, so immersive, and they allow us to reach audiences we wouldn't normally reach. And we're certainly returning with more theatre and more exciting actors. But I don't want to reveal too much right now. 

Anything else, absolutely anything you want BWW NJ readers to know.

I'm just thrilled that we're able to return, and to share this show with these actors. That we're able to continue our mission of producing top-notch theatre that is accessible and affordable—that we're able to offer incredible actors and designers that you would normally pay upwards of $100 or more to see, right here in Jersey City for $25. That makes me happy.

The Curtain is located at 329 Warren Street, Jersey City, NJ  07302.  For more information and ticketing to Romeo & Juliet, please visit https://thecurtain.org/.

Photo Credit: Will O’Hare

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