Aria Shahghasemi as Macduff and Jamie Ballard as Macbeth. Photo by Will O'Hare Photography
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- The Curtain, Jersey City's premier classical theatre, has released promo photos for their upcoming adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, featuring West End and Royal Shakespeare Company actor Jamie Ballard (Harry Potter in The Cursed Child on the West End) in his American stage debut as Macbeth, Aria Shahghasemi (Broadway's Prayer for the French Republic, upcoming "The Penguin") as Macduff and Christianna Nelson (The Curtain's Romeo & Juliet) as Lady Macbeth.
The Curtain’s production of Shakespeare’s classic tale of witchcraft, madness, and ruthless ambition will be set in an intimate and haunting candlelight environment this Halloween season. First premiering in 1606, Macbeth tells the harrowing and timeless story of one couple’s cold-blooded quest for power—and its devastating aftermath.
The Curtain’s Macbeth will begin performances on Thursday, October 10 at Nimbus Arts Center (329 Warren Street) in downtown Jersey City just steps from the PATH train. The official Opening is set for Sunday, October 13, with the strictly limited engagement set to run through Sunday, November 3, 2024.
(LEFT) Christianna Nelson (RIGHT) Aria Shahghasemi Photos by Will O'Hare Photography
Joining Ballard, Shahghasemi, and Nelson are Nathalie Barclay (“Killing Eve”) as ‘Lady Macduff, Jonathan Crimeni (Burn This on Broadway) as ‘Malcolm’, Cooper Grodin (The Phantom of the Opera, Into the Woods) as ‘Banquo’, Joe Penczak (Hamlet, Elsinore Castle, Denmark) as ‘Duncan/Dr.’, and Yair Ben-Dor, Cyrus Carrillo, Sean Gallagher, Julio Cesar Gutierrez, Emma Kantor, Priyanka Kedia, Alfred C. Kemp, Gilda Mercado, Jomack Miranda, and Joey Pittorino. Casting is by Robin Carus, CSA.
Directed and Adapted by Sean Hagerty, the creative team for Macbeth also includes William Ward (Costume Design), Sarah Johnston (Lighting Design), Brad Lemons (Fight Director), and Maggie Surovell (Voice & Text Coach). The production stage manager is Roger Lipson. Christine Cirker serves as Associate Producer.
The Curtain’s Macbeth will play Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 7:30pm, and Sunday matinees at 3:00pm. Tickets, priced at $40 for Thursday and Sunday performances, and $50 for Friday and Saturday performances, are now available for purchase at TheCurtain.org.
Christianna Nelson as Lady Macbeth and Jamie Ballard as Macbeth. Photo by Will O'Hare Photography
The Curtain’s production of Macbeth is supported by public funds from New Jersey Hudson County and the Jersey City Arts & Culture Trust Fund.
The Curtain (Sean Hagerty, Producing Artistic Director) was founded to deliver accessible interpretations of classic works with a focus on international and cross-cultural exchange. Their debut, under the moniker Shakespeare@ Grace Church, was a lush 2019 production of Hamlet starring Jonathan Forbes (Amazon’s “Catastrophe”) and SAG Award nominee Eden Brolin (Paramount’s “Yellowstone”), which garnered rave reviews and was hailed as “theatrical perfection," selling out its run at Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City. After COVID hit in 2020, Producing Artistic Director Sean Hagerty re-structured the company’s format to ensure they continued productions, employed artists, and served their mission by conceiving of the all-sonic performance project, “Shakespeare@ Home”. Partnering with the Emmy-winning team at Sonic Designs, they set out to recapture the great heyday of serialized radio drama of the 1930’s and ‘40’s. The productions, Richard II (starring Jamie Ballard, Harry Potter from the West End’s ...Cursed Child), The Tempest (starring RSC veteran David Hargreaves), and Julius Caesar (starring Tony nominee and Grammy winner Patrick Page) received award nominations and multiple accolades from critics and audiences.Rebranding as The Curtain, the company returned to live performances in October 2023 with a sold out international production of Romeo & Juliet (starring TV sensation Aria Shahghasemi and Venice Film Fest Award Winner Anita Pomario in her American stage debut).
Jamie Ballard as Macbeth. Photo by Will O'Hare Photography
