Ciaran Sheehan and Gwen Eagleton Set for Shakespeare Theatre's St. Patrick's Day Benefit

Ciarán Sheehan and Gwen Eagleton, Broadway stars of The Phantom of the Opera and LES MISERABLES, will perform a one-night-only musical event From Galway to Broadway on Thursday, March 5th at 7:30 p.m. to benefit The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey's young artist education and training programs. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, Sheehan and Eagleton will perform a medley of traditional Irish songs, Broadway standards, and beloved pop tunes. Tickets start at $20. Prime seating is available for $35 and a $60 ticket includes a post-show reception with the artists. For more information, contact the Box Office at (973) 408-5600 or www.ShakespeareNJ.org.

A Dublin native, Sheehan began his career as a classical actor and admits to never considering musical theatre until working with famed Tony Award-winning producer and director Hal Prince, who suggested he audition for The Phantom of the Opera. Sheehan made his Broadway debut in LES MISERABLES as Babet and Marius. Shortly after, Sheehan was cast as Raoul in the Phantom of the Opera's third national tour. He went on play the Phantom for two years and over 1,000 performances, both on Broadway and in Toronto, where he replaced Colm Wilkinson. Reviewing Sheehan's performance in The Irish and How They Got That Way at the Irish Repertory Theatre, Ben Brantley of The New York Times wrote, Sheehan "has a crisp, polished voice and a presence to match."

Sheehan has performed sold-out concerts at Carnegie Hall and The National Concert Hall in Dublin, as well as several televised specials for PBS including Ciarán -An Evening with Friends. Most recently, Sheehan performed off-Broadway in Fifty Words at the Gene Frankel Theatre, a production which Eagleton assistant directed. Sheehan resides in Ridgewood, New Jersey with his family.

Eagleton is also a classically trained actor and veteran of The Phantom of the Opera, both on Broadway and on national tour. As a soloist, she has performed across the country and in New York City at The Metropolitan Room and 54 Below. Today, Eagleton continues to perform as well as direct and teach. Eagleton lives in Cliffside, New Jersey with her family.

Sue Anderson will serve as music director and instrumentalist for this St. Patrick's Day celebration; her numerous credits include the Broadway productions and national tours of Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline, Me and My Girl, and Cats as well as the revival of My Fair Lady with Rex Harrison.

One of the leading Shakespeare theatres in the nation, serving 100,000 adults and children annually, The Shakespeare Theatre is New Jersey's largest professional theatre company dedicated solely to Shakespeare's canon and other world classics. Through its distinguished productions and education programs, the company strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.