F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby on stage at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Seattle Repertory Theatre, in association with The Great Gatsby Green Light LLC, presents:
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby
Adapted by Simon Levy
Directed by David Esbjornson
November 2-December 10
(Opening Night: Wednesday, November 8)

Seattle, WA –Seattle Repertory Theatre continues its stellar season with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in the Bagley Wright Theatre from November 2 through December 10, 2006. Adapted by Simon Levy and directed by Seattle Rep’s own Artistic Director, David Esbjornson, The Great Gatsby will bring the beloved novel to the stage. Previews begin November 2, with opening night set for November 8. Tickets are available through the Seattle Repertory Theatre box office seven days a week at (206) 443-2222, toll-free at (877) 900-9285, as well as online at www.seattlerep.org.

The Play: A green light shines at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s pier in East Egg, Long Island, in full view of the West Egg home of Nick Carraway across the sound. In the hot summer of 1922, Nick observes the elaborate parties of his neighbor, the infamous and illusive Jay Gatsby. In this languid atmosphere of wealth and privilege, Nick is charmed by Gatsby’s power to transform his dreams into reality, and becomes his ally in rekindling a relationship with Daisy. In Fitzgerald’s opulent, iconic, carefree lifestyle of The Jazz Age, there lurks a materialistic center, making The Great Gatsby’s sharp depiction of the “American Dream” resonate anew for each generation. In this first authorized adaptation since 1926, Simon Levy brings the humor, irony, pathos, and loveliness of this American classic to the stage.

The Playwright/Adaptor: Simon Levy is the producing director/dramaturg with the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles. Recently he adapted and directed What I Heard About Iraq, based on the essay by Eliot Weinberger, which is being produced worldwide, including the 2006 Edinburgh Theatre Festival, and is being made into a film. This stage adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby completes his award-winning Fitzgerald trilogy of stage adaptations: Tender is the Night and The Last Tycoon. Other writings include his one-act, Pink Skin, the play She-Who-Is-Made-Of-Clay now in pre-production as a short film. His newest plays are A Noble Peace, based on the life of Nobel Laureate, Andrei Sakharov, and Sessions with a Dead Poet, inspired by Dr. Frederick Kurth’s book about Japanese poet Hagiwara Sakutaro. In September, he directed Dael Orlandersmith in her one-woman show, The Gimmick, at the Fountain Theatre. His recent directing projects include three Los Angeles Times Critics' Choice productions: Daisy in the Dreamtime, Uncle Vanya for Actors Co-op, and Going to St. Ives (also the Edinburgh Theatre Festival). Mr. Levy teaches Playwriting at UCLA Extension, and is a site evaluator for both the National Endowment for the Arts and California Arts Council, and a member of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society.

The Director: In his first season as Seattle Rep artistic director, David Esbjornson directed the world premiere of Ariel Dorfman’s Purgatorio and Tuesdays with Morrie. He most recently directed The Great Gatsby—the first production in the new Guthrie Theater. Among the many playwrights he has worked with are Edward Albee, Arthur Miller, Suzan-Lori Parks and Tony Kushner. He also directed A Few Good Men starring Rob Lowe at the Royal Haymarket Theatre and the critically acclaimed revival of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, Memory House by Kathleen Tolan at Playwrights Horizons, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Hedda Gabler and Summer and Smoke (Minneapolis Star-Tribune Production of the Year) for the Guthrie Theater. Esbjornson was artistic director of New York’s Classic Stage Company from 1992-1999 where he directed many award-winning and nominated productions. He holds an M.F.A. from New York University and a B.A. in theatre and English from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Performance Details: Performances of The Great Gatsby are at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday with 2:00 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sundays. There will be no performance on Thursday, November 9. There will be a 2:00 p.m. matinee on Wednesday, November 22. Post-play discussions will be held after performances on Thursday, December 7, Sunday November 19 at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 26 at 2:00 p.m. There is an audio-described performance on Saturday, November 25 at 2:00 p.m. and an American Sign Language (ASL)-interpreted performance on Sunday, November 26 at 2:00 p.m.