PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
A Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Derby Theatre Production
THE GREAT GATSBY
Written by: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Adapted by: Elizabeth Newman
Director: Sarah Brigham
Associate Director: Laura Ryder
Musical Director: Shonagh Murray
Set and Costume Designer: Jen McGinley
Sound Designer: Ivan Stott
Lighting Designer: Emma Jones
Movement Director: Sasha Harrington
Fight Director: Robin Hellier
- New adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel by Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s former Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman
- Co-produced with Derby Theatre
- Directed by Derby Theatre Artistic Director and former Dundee Rep Associate Director Sarah Brigham
- 10 April 2025, marked the 100th anniversary of the first publication of The Great Gatsby
- Runs at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 27 June until 25 September
- Press performance on Wednesday 2 July at 2pm
Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Derby Theatre to stage première of Elizabeth Newman’s new adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s landmark novel The Great Gatsby
Marking 100 years since its first publication, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Derby Theatre is set to transport audiences back to the Roaring Twenties this June, when they stage the première of Elizabeth Newman’s new stage adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic landmark novel, exploring wealth, class and the pursuit of the American dream – The Great Gatsby.
Directed by Derby Theatre’s Artistic Director and former Dundee Rep Associate Director Sarah Brigham, The Great Gatsby will run at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 27 June until 25 September and then transfer to Derby Theatre from 3 until 25 October.
Set in the summer of 1922, this gripping story unfolds in the West Egg district of Long Island. Nick Carraway has moved from the Midwest and soon meets his neighbour, the enigmatic Jay Gatsby, who throws lavish parties every night in his opulent mansion to entertain the rich and famous. A self-made millionaire with a mysterious past, Gatsby is desperate to reunite with his lost love, Daisy Buchanan.
A bond forms between Nick and Gatsby, revealing a poignant story of unfulfilled dreams and the relentless pursuit of an impossible happiness. As the narrative progresses, we witness Gatsby’s passionate quest for Daisy, entangled with themes of love, betrayal, and the American Dream. Daisy, torn between Gatsby and her husband Tom, a man of wealth and infidelity, faces heart-wrenching choices that culminate in a tragic finale.
One of literature’s most enduring masterpieces, The Great Gatsby captures a world where dreams are grand, yet fleeting, and every moment is a step towards an inevitable reckoning.
One of the most popular novels of all time, The Great Gatsby is a New York Times and USA Today perennial best seller. It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide since its release in 1925 and continues to sell over 500,000 per year. The novel has been translated into over 42 different languages, and has been adapted into television shows, radio plays, video games, and multiple films – including the acclaimed Baz Luhrmann feature film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Best known for The Great Gatsby (1925) and Tender Is the Night (1934)—two keystones of modernist fiction—Francis Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was the poet laureate of the “Jazz Age,” a term he popularised to convey the post-World War I era’s newfound prosperity, consumerism, and shifting sexual mores.
The Great Gatsby’s cast will feature Celeste Collier (Rishi Sunak’s Doing A Musical, Waterloo East Theatre) as Myrtle Chase; Tyler Collins (Part of the Century, Oran Mor) as Tom Buchanan; April Nerissa Hudson (A Christmas Carol, Derby Theatre) as Jordan Baker, Mrs Mckee; Leah Jamieson (Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of), West End and Tour) as Catherine; Oraine Johnson (Welfare, Derby Theatre) as Jay Gatsby; David Rankine (The Fair Maid of the West, Royal Shakespeare Company) as Nick Carraway; Jerome Lincoln (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, National Theatre) as Wolfshiem Jnr; Fiona Wood (Sunshine on Leith, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Daisy Buchanan and newcomer Louis Newman as Wilson and Mr Mckee. The cast will play all the other roles.
The Great Gatsby’s adaptor and former Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre Elizabeth Newman said:
“It is a great privilege to be adapting The Great Gatsby for two extraordinary theatres like Derby Theatre and Pitlochry Festival Theatre. To live in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s world has been a privilege. It’s been a world of intrigue, fun, passion, pain and glamour. He has created a truly extraordinary tale that has withstood the test of time because of its power and unwavering resonance to now be regarded by many as one of the great American classics.
Fitzgerald tapped into the profundity of one’s personal struggle to arrive at the self that you want to be and how entangled this is, and will most likely always be, with who you love and who loves you. Writing this adaptation has taken me to interesting places where I have found myself investigating the toxicity of cynicism, the impact of class on the self-made individual and jazz music, which is probably less surprising.
What I know is Sarah (Brigham) and the Team are doing the most exceptional job to bring this story to life, and I cannot wait for the production to meet its audience.”
Director and Artistic Director of Derby Theatre Sarah Brigham said:
“I’m really excited to be directing this stylish new adaptation. Elizabeth Newman’s reworking of the classic novel will transport audiences to the drama and opulence of the Roaring Twenties. A company of actor musicians will bring both the Jazz Age and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless tale to life in a way that is both true to the original story and fresh for modern audiences. The themes of class, longing, corruption and obsession are as relevant today as ever and this searing drama will leave audiences captivated and breathless.
Derby Theatre is thrilled to be co-producing this production with Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Both theatres delight in presenting ambitiously popular works to our audiences and in offering fresh perspectives on classic tales through a contemporary lens.”
The Great Gatsby runs at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 27 June until 25 September and will then transfer to Derby Theatre from 3 until 25 October.
Tickets and further information for The Great Gatsby are available from the Box Office on 01796 484626 or online at pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Press performance: Wednesday 2 July at 2pm (Double bill available with Grease at 7.30pm)
Creatives:
A Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Derby Theatre Production
The Great Gatsby
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Adapted by Elizabeth Newman
Director: Sarah Brigham
Associate Director: Laura Ryder
Musical Director: Shonagh Murray
Set and Costume Designer: Jen McGinley
Sound Designer: Ivan Stott
Lighting Designer: Emma Jones
Movement Director: Sasha Harrington
Fight Director: Robin Hellier
Production Manager: Nick Trueman
Stage Manager (Pitlochry): Katy Nicolson
Stage Manager (Derby): Tracy Cattell
Deputy Stage Manager (Book): Anna Diamond
Deputy Stage Manager (Floor): Tracy Cattell
Assistant Stage Manager: Jess Baldwin
Cast
David Rankine (Nick); Oraine Johnson (Jay); Fiona Wood (Daisy); Tyler Collins (Tom); April Nerissa Hudson (Jordan/Mrs McKee); Celeste Collier (Myrtle); Louis Newman (Wilson/ Mr McKee/M); Leah Jamieson (Catherine) and Jerome Lincoln (Wolfsheim Jnr/Mr McKee). All other roles are played by the cast.
Listings
Eve perf at 7.30pm
June: 27 & 28
July: 1, 4, 17, 18 & 31
August: 1, 9, 14, 19
September: 4, 9, 19 & 24
Mat perf at 2pm
July: 2, 5
August: 10, 20 & 30
September: 5, 10, 20 & 25
BSL Interpreted: 5 September at 2pm
Relaxed and Dementia Friendly performance: 20 August at 2pm
Captioned performance: 30 Aug at 2pm
Ticket prices: From £15
Box Office and group bookings: 01796 484626
email boxoffice@pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Website: pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com
Address: Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Port-Na-Craig, Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5DR
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