We recently connected with Sean Hargadon and have shared our conversation below.

Sean, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I came to the theater late in my life. During the day I delivered mail for the U.S. Postal Service, was 28 years old and looking for a new creative outlet. I found it locally, where I met this wonderful man, Terry Domschke, who was the Professor of the program at Elgin Community College. He had been to Europe, travelled wildly, had extensive training, and was very willing to share his knowledge and experience with others.

At the time, I was a poet doing readings in cafes in the evenings with a group of other poets. Terry said, “We love poets here” and that’s I all needed to hear. I was motivated and started taking classes with him and then began acting. Needless to say, I instantly was hooked and wanted to learn as much as I could because I started so late. So, I read and read and read. I watched shows, locally, regionally and internationally. It was all very exciting and very new to me.

My background was in athletics, and I always approached things competitively. Theater was no different and I wanted to learn as much as I could, and this was done by seeking out experiences (not just reading and watching plays) so I auditioned for acting jobs locally and some paid. I also learned the value of creating your own work and making your own opportunities. I eventually founded the Janus Theatre Company in 1998 with friends, which is still operating today.

Acting, producing and eventually directing shows for your own company is one of the best ways to learn the craft of theater making and that’s what I did. Whether it was an early gritty play by Sam Shepard staged inside a cafe or a Greek tragedy performed in a public park, we did it all. We had some hits, some misses, and a lot of adventures along the way.

All during this time, I managed the company: the money, the people, the venues, the plays. It was like a fulltime job even though I was already working 40 hours a week. It was also highly addictive, because there was always something new to do and learn. I was always inspired by the big classical theaters and the off off Broadway movement from 1960s New York. These influences fed off each other and gave me permission to work anywhere, however rough or polished, and call it theater. That made producing much more manageable and accessible.

But later, I wanted to actually go to school for theater since my first degree was in Liberal Arts. Fortunately, a program based out of the University of Warwick in England in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company offered a Masters Degree working at home and attending on campus. After close to three years of hard work, I graduated with distinction with a degree in the Advanced Teaching of Shakespeare. Since that time, I have used much of what I learned in my theater practice as a director and producer. Later, I studied at the Globe Theatre in London for directing.

I am always trying to learn new things and try new things because everything is an experiment to me. You try, you learn, and you pass it on. My motto is that everything is an experiment. That is very liberating for me. It frees me from having to be right all the time, having to know all the answers, and have every experience be called a box office or critical success. Every show that gets made is a success on some level. As I’ve grown older, I have embraced the many gray areas that exist when making art. It is not all black and white, win or lose, or yes and no: there is a range of choices and experiences that can come from a single project – and they are all valid.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

For 26 years, I have run the Janus Theatre Company just outside of Chicago, IL.

I am currently the Artistic Producing Director for the theater. We have produced more than 100 productions, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. We have won awards for our work, been recognized by audiences and critics alike and have helped provide many opportunities to young artists and those wanting to stay in the industry. We have worked in basements, cafes, bars, parks, art galleries and theater spaces. We’re professionally trained people who believe in finding a shared space together with each other and our audiences.

Our work has become a place of experimentation mixed in with the usual play production. This includes reimagining the classics, but also creating newer works using older methods like unrehearsed Shakespeare, devising pieces like the Old English poem “Beowulf” along with Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” and promenade productions in parks and cities. We also produce a regular season in an old art deco ballroom space that is converted into a flexible theater space. Our scope is wide because we are endlessly curious.

Our model is simple: we pay artists for their work. This comes in a small stipend. We work with a lot of people just starting out from university and other veteran performers who want to keep working even if they have families. We believe strongly in practicing the craft through training, providing opportunities and stretching people into new roles. We’ve been able to sustain ourselves because we can work anywhere, and our overhead is always kept low. Our budgets remain modest, and we travel light, meaning our productions lean into theatrical storytelling techniques where a rug, and a few set pieces are all you need to tell a story. Realism or naturalism did not fit into our model because they are not necessary and cost too much to consistently produce. We also stage productions in the round or thrust using lights and sound to help create an atmosphere and a location for an audience. The key ingredient to all of this is the actors. They are the true storytellers and that is what remains once the story gets going.

We have a strong focus telling stories about women featuring women. This was always in our history but became most important in 2009 when we produced an all-female production of “Romeo & Juliet” that was memorable for its quality but also the opportunity it presented the women who brought it to life. Since then, we have done more work featuring women who have been underrepresented for years in the theater.

Some things I am most proud of is our longevity. We’re still here and that’s not easy when money is so scare. We’ve survived changes in personnel, a pandemic, diminished funding, and yet, we keep finding a way forward. This is due to our/my curiosity. This is a great strength. I am always looking to try new things. This is what excites me. This is what keeps me going.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

There really is no right or wrong, there is just doing the work.

Coming up with a background in athletics, I always thought there were winners and losers, like playing a game. My competitiveness could drive me forward, but also make things challenging when things did not always go well in rehearsal, performance at the box office, etc. This created a space that was filled with tension.

Now, when I studied in England, one of the things I remember so clearly was that they would say there is no right or wrong, just a series of choices. A spectrum of opportunities that people can make and even change. I questioned this at first, but later found it liberating.

This creates a space where everything is welcome no matter what it looks like. This creates a feeling where you can let go of your grip and allow things to breath in a room, so people feel supported and free to explore, make mistakes, explore dead ends, and come back around and try all over again.

This also makes it clear that being right or wrong is immaterial, what matters is doing the work, or creating a place where work can always happen. Because ultimately that is why we do this – to keep going – to make art, right?

So, that thinking has always stayed with me and it relaxes me.

Another idea that ties into that is knowing that everything we do is a kind of experiment. Nothing is set or definitive. We can play. So, when I approach things as an experiment it is extremely freeing for me. And if there is no right or wrong – between the two ideas, a lot of good things can happen. This always creates a culture where everyone feels heard, supported, and encouraged. When that happens, people will surprise you with what they can do. It’s like magic. I love it!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

During the pandemic things were in flux to say the least. We were at the start of a production and had to cancel it. Months of pre-planned work had to be postponed, delayed and eventually discarded. Other projects were also cancelled. This was humbling for all of us and disheartening. After a while, I felt a bit lost, and tried to do the online work some people were doing but it wasn’t really satisfying. Theater is about connecting with the people in a shared space.

So, we started coming together at a space we worked at just before the pandemic – a beautiful flexible space with exposed bricks, high ceilings and great owners.

We started working together with a small group of actors, practicing the distancing techniques, wearing masks, testing ideas as needed, and keeping our distance. We worked inside in a large hall area and outside in the alley. We worked on devising techniques. This helped us tell stories – even at a distance – and revealed that we could prepare and move forward once the world opened up. It was exhilarating work and tiring. But we were doing something – anything to keep our minds and bodies occupied as we adjusted to this new reality. People came and went because of the mental stress of the pandemic, but the workshops continued.

And then … the building collapsed due a snowstorm. That about broke us, but we found a way to move forward at another space.

All this culminated in an outdoor pavilion performance in May 2021. We performed for two days. The weather was cold and gray at 55 degrees, but no one seemed to care. Our four actors and modest audience created a share space together telling a story about resilience and charting a path forward. The emotions during and after the performance was like a collective feeling of hope, because we knew then that we could all move forward. And it was clear that this was something everyone needed. It was a small step, but it was enough to keep us going. Later, one of our actors said the journey from the start of the pandemic to the end, and all the work we did in between was like our own personal documentary. It was inspiring.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://janusplays.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janustheatre/about

Image Credits

Photos courtesy of Janus Theatre Company.