(LEFT) Jamie Ballard (RIGHT) Aria Shahghasemi
(JERSEY CITY, NJ) -- The Curtain, Jersey City's premier classical theatre, announced that renowned West End and Royal Shakespeare Company actor Jamie Ballard ('Harry Potter' in ...The Cursed Child on the West End) will make his American stage debut as 'Macbeth' alongside Aria Shahghasemi (Broadway's Prayer for the French Republic, The CW's "Legacies") as 'Macduff' in an all new adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, this Halloween season at Nimbus Arts Center (329 Warren Street).
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. First premiering in 1606, Macbeth tells the harrowing and timeless story of one couple’s cold-blooded quest for power—and its devastating aftermath.
Directed and Adapted by Sean Hagerty, 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. Performances are 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.
The Curtain’s production of Macbeth is supported by public funds from New Jersey Hudson County and the Jersey City Arts & Culture Trust Fund.
Complete casting and creative team, will be announced shortly.
BIOGRAPHIES
JAMIE BALLARD (Macbeth) is a renowned and award-winning actor of the English Stage and screen. His breakout performance was as the title role in famed director Jonathan Miller’s Hamlet in 2008, receiving rave reviews and where he was voted one of the top ten Hamlets of all time by The Guardian. Credits include: Romeo & Juliet (The Almeida); The Tempest; Henry VI Part 1; The Merchant of Venice; Measure For Measure; Written On The Heart; Much Ado About Nothing; Romeo and Juliet; King John; As You Like It; A Midsummer Night's Dream (Royal Shakespeare Company); The Duchess Of Malfi, Henry VIII; The White Devil; Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare's Globe); Harry Potter in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child (London’s West End); Mother Christmas; In The Vale Of Health (Hampstead Theatre); Uncle Vanya (Theatr Clwyd/ Sheffield Theatres); King John in King John (Rose Theatre, Kingston) directed by Trevor Nunn; Macduff in Macbeth (Trafalgar Studios) directed by Jamie Lloyd; Scenes From An Execution; Antigone; Emperor and Galilean; Some Trace of Her; War Horse; Saint Joan (National Theatre of England).
ARIA SHAHGHASEMI (Macduff) is the oldest of two children born to Iranian immigrants in suburban Minneapolis. Aria studied at the BFA theater program at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He made his debut as ‘Davis Bennett’ in the 2015 series, “Unforgettable”. In 2016, Aria was featured as ‘Omar’ in the drama series, “Law & Order”. He came to fame in his role as ‘Landon Kirby’ in the CW show, “The Originals”, and its hit spin-off “Legacies” for four seasons. Credits include: Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, Laertes in Hamlet (The Curtain). Broadway: ‘Daniel’ in Prayer for the French Republic (MTC). Off Broadway: CONNECTED (59e59). TV: “Legacies” (CW), “The Penguin” (HBO), “Invasion” (AppleTV). Film: No Alternative. Radio: Richard II, The Tempest, Julius Caesar (The Curtain), Corellion (Raconteur Studios).
SEAN HAGERTY (Director & Adaptor) 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.
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).
