Portrait by William Taufic
In the theater world, there’s a saying that nothing ever goes according to plan—but sometimes, that’s where the magic happens.
This month’s cover story (“Charting His Course,” page 66) follows the winding voyage of Old Greenwich native Sean Hudock who, along with producing partner Matthew Masten, brought the haunting folk musical Swept Away to Broadway.
Set against a backdrop of shipwreck, survival and sacrifice—and featuring music by The Avett Brothers—Swept Away is as emotionally raw as it is visually striking. But what’s just as captivating as the show is the journey it took to get there.
Sean didn’t grow up steeped in Broadway. He wasn’t a stage-door kid or the son of theater veterans. His father was a prosecutor; his mother worked in marketing. His earliest inspiration? Paul Ryan Rudd, a Shakespearean actor who lived nearby and welcomed Sean into the world of performance with passion, patience and poetry. (Yes, that Paul Rudd—not the Marvel superhero, but the stage legend who once played Henry V opposite Meryl Streep.)
From Greenwich High School to the University of Richmond, Sean found his footing—and his voice—by taking chances, starting an improv troupe, directing plays and eventually launching his own productions. Initially viewing Swept Away as just an idea and a handful of songs, he took another leap, one that would take nearly a decade of persistence.
The Broadway run of Swept Away may have been short, but its impact was not. It defied expectations. It challenged audiences. And it showed what can happen when someone dares to bring something different to the stage—even when the winds aren’t in their favor.
Sean is the kind of person Greenwich should be proud to claim—creative, courageous and deeply grounded in the place he calls home. An observation his mother proudly shared with us, his journey is proof that dreams don’t always follow a straight line. Sometimes, the long way around is the only way to get there.
CRISTIN MARANDINO