James Gatz — that was really, or at least legally, his name. One morning in the shabby office of a mysterious small business, an employee finds a copy of The Great Gatsby in the clutter on his desk. He starts to read it out loud and doesn’t stop. At first his coworkers hardly notice. But after a series of strange coincidences, it’s no longer clear whether he’s reading the book or the book is transforming him.
8 hours long and with a cast of 13, Gatz is by far ERS’s most ambitious endeavor yet — not a retelling of the Gatsby story but an enactment of the novel itself. Fitzgerald’s American masterpiece is delivered word for word, startlingly brought to life by a low-rent office staff in the midst of their inscrutable business operations.
The role of Nick was created by Scott Shepherd, Catherine by Annie McNamara, Daisy by Tory Vazquez, Tom by Robert Cucuzza, Chester by Vin Knight, Ewing by Ethan Lipton, George by Aaron Landsman, Lucille by Kate Scelsa.
DIRECTOR: John Collins
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: Steve Bodow
SET DESIGNER: Louisa Thompson
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Mark Barton
ASSOCIATE LIGHTING DESIGNER: Dans Maree Sheehan
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER: Christopher Brown
SOUND DESIGNER: Ben Williams
SOUND ENGINEER: Jason Sebastian
COSTUME DESIGNER: Colleen Werthmann
ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNERS: Campbell Ringel, Ana Schumacher, Alice Tavener
STAGE MANAGER: Maurina Lioce
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Liz Nielsen
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Aaron Amodt
PRODUCER: Ariana Smart Truman
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER & COMPANY MANAGER: Lindsay Hockaday
Daya Wolterstorff was the original Stage Manager, followed by Ariana Smart Truman, then Sarah Hughes (who also played Jordan once). Additional artists who contributed to the creation of Gatz (1999 – 2006): Paul Boocock, Sue Dennis, Rinne Groff, James Hannaham, Leah Rudick, Jay Smith, James Urbaniak, and B.D. White.
(RS/msb)
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https://www.elevator.org/shows/gatz/ [2025-07-16]