PRESS RELEASE | Posted Monday, February 22, 2021
The Acclaimed Shakespeare@, Jersey City’s Premier Classical Theater Company,
Presents The Third Installment Of Their All Free ‘RADIO PLAY’ Season
William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar Starring PATRICK PAGE
With Actors from Broadway and The West End:
Jordan Barbour, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Sky Lakota-Lynch
Jamie Ballard, James Howard, Jonathan Forbes,
Aria Shaghasemi, Ashlie Atkinson
and David Hargreaves
Episode One, Available to Download and Stream
Monday, February 22nd at 7pm EST
Actors from Broadway and London’s West End team up for the Shakespeare@ Home, all-free radio play Julius Caesar, which launches Monday February 22nd at 7pm EST. The Tony Nominated actor Patrick Page (Hadestown) stars in the title role with Jordan Barbour (Broadway’s The Inheritance) as Brutus, Sky Lakota Lynch (Dear Evan Hansen) as Lucius, and Keith Hamilton Cobb (American Moor) as Cassius.
Produced by Jersey City's Shakespeare@, this audio production is the third installment of the season, produced and adapted by Artistic Director Sean Hagerty. Acclaimed West End actors Jamie Ballard and James Howard also star. Mr. Howard played Draco Malfoy to Ballard’s Harry Potter in the West End production of Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, prior to the shutdown.
Julius Caesar features original music and sound design and is free to download and stream. Hagerty has crafted the production into four weekly parts and partnered with the Emmy-winning team at Sonic Designs to capture the lost art and thrill of radio drama all without leaving the confines of quarantine.
Shakespeare@ made an auspicious live debut in 2019 with Hamlet starring Jonathan Forbes and released their first two ‘radio’ plays of the season with Richard II and The Tempest for their newly created Shakespeare@ Home series in 2020. To listen to Julius Caesar online, visit www.shakespeare-at.org. The production will also be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, and Stitcher. The performance is free to all listeners on all platforms. Previous episodes of the season (Richard II and The Tempest) are also available to download.
Patrick Page (Broadway’s Hadestown) — Julius Caesar. Photo by Nathan Johnson
Jordan Barbour (Broadway’s The Inheritance) — Brutus
Debut dates for parts 2, 3 and 4 of Julius Caesar are subsequent Mondays at 7pm EST on March 1st, and March 8th, with the final episode airing March 15th—the “Ides of March” (the day Caesar was assassinated).
Sky Lakota-Lynch (Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen) — Lucius
In order to best serve quarantined audiences, Shakespeare@ has specialized, for now, on reviving radio drama and programming Shakespeare@ Home. The distinguished cast features acclaimed talent from the New York Stage, and London’s West End and stars Tony-nominee Patrick Page (Broadway’s Hadestown) as Julius Caesar, Jordan Barbour (Broadway’s The Inheritance) as Brutus, Keith Hamilton Cobb (American Moor) as Cassius, Jamie Ballard (Harry Potter in Harry Potter in the West End) as Mark Antony, James Howard (Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter in the West End) as Metellus Cimber, Sky Lakota-Lynch (Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen) as Lucius, Ashlie Atkinson (Mr. Robot, BlacKkKlansman) as Portia, Jonathan Forbes (Amazon's Catastrophe) as Casca, and Aria Shahghasemi (CW's Legacies) as Octavius. Rounding out the rest of the cast are RSC and National Theatre veteran, David Hargreaves, Mark Torres, Thia Stephan, Francis Mateo, and Mark J. Quiles.
Keith Hamilton Cobb (American Moor) — Cassius
Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare’s best known and most often quoted plays, chronicling the political and moral crisis of Brutus and his fellow conspirators as they plot to murder Caesar to prevent a dictatorship. First performed in 1599, this timeless play examines the razor-thin line between power and corruption, duty and ambition, and the perils of a state divided.
Jamie Ballard (Harry Potter in Harry Potter in the West End) — Mark Antony. Photo by Ross Ferguson.
Shakespeare@ was founded to deliver accessible interpretations of classic works with a focus on international and cross-cultural exchange. Its live performance debut, a lush 2019 production of Hamlet starring Jonathan Forbes, garnered rave reviews and was hailed as “theatrical perfection," selling out its run at Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City. Hagerty says, “After our 2020 season was lost, we re-structured our format to continue productions, employ artists, and serve our mission." He conceived the all-sonic performance project, Shakespeare@ Home, to recapture the great heyday of serialized radio drama of the 1930’s and 40’s. The first two productions, Richard II and The Tempest received accolades from critics and audiences alike.
James Howard (Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter in the West End) — Metellus Cimber
Director Sean Hagerty views the play as incredibly timely, explaining “In our current fractured, hostile, and divided discourse, I have always felt the play particularly resonant. But in the past few months alone, as we have watched our nation slip perilously close to the cliff-edge of democracy, I can think of few better plays that cry out to be heard.”
Ashlie Atkinson (Mr. Robot, BlacKkKlansman) — Portia
In addition to launching their third all-free, all-audio drama, Shakespeare@ has partnered with Robert Young, the former Director of Education at the world-renowned Folger Shakespeare Library and a team of educators, to launch their Education Initiative with dynamic, multi-media study guides to accompany each of their radio plays. Featuring activities and lesson plans designed to be used in a classroom or virtual setting, the guides feature cast and crew interviews, with in-depth audio and video tracks highlighting different aspects of the play, the artistic choices, and history. These study guides are free to schools and qualifying educational institutions. For more information visit the website or email education@shakespeare-at.org.
Jonathan Forbes (Amazon's Catastrophe) — Casca
Julius Caesar features original music composed by Joan Melton with sound design by the Emmy-winning team of Dan Gerhard and Ellen Fitton of Sonic Designs. Justin Goldner is the music producer and supervisor, and casting is by Robin Carus. Sydney Steele serves as the Associate Producer.
Aria Shahghasemi (CW's Legacies) — Octavius
Rounding out the rest of the cast are RSC and National Theatre veteran, David Hargreaves, Mark Torres, Thia Stephan, Francis Mateo, and Mark J. Quiles.
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About Shakespeare@
Shakespeare@, Jersey City's premier classical theatre, tells epic stories in intimate and unique spaces, with a mission to revitalize the performance, education and audience for Shakespeare and classic drama. Shakespeare@ is committed to international and cross-cultural exchange in its productions, reflecting the diversity and roots of the community they serve. In response to the pandemic, the company formed Shakespeare@ Home, the all-sonic performance project, to recapture the great heyday of serialized radio drama of the 1930’s and 40’s.
Sean Hagerty (Artistic Director) 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.
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