All photographs provided by Mr. Joe Howard of The Last Roundup
“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a self made millionaire, who passionately pursues Daisy Buchanan. Nick Carraway, a young newcomer to long island, is drawn into their world of obsession, greed, and danger. The novel is set in New York City, New York during the breathtaking Jazz Age.
Mr. Carlos Acevedo writes a wonderful Director’s Note stating, “Theater is a special place, a community driven by the joy of true self expression we come together as one. With The Great Gatsby, Jesuit Theater begins a new era.” Mr. Acevedo also emphasizes some new additions to enhancing the performance: a true new spectacle of sights and sounds has been brought about thanks to a new lighting and sound system as well as a new communication system for backstage areas.
The Great Gatsby Under the Green Light:
As the green light symbolizes for most the search for the American dream, for the theater is a new light into bringing another American classic to the stage. The world famous novel, The Great Gatsby has been adapted for the stage, keeping the essence and storyline of the novel, but still distilling Fitzgerald’s fussy prose with a combination of narration, dialogue, and action delivering the best of the novel and making it work for performance.
Personal Opinion:
Personally, I had never gone to a Jesuit Theater play or performance. Theater as a whole has never been my cup of tea; however, when I saw the play, I was blown away. I watched a very entertaining, professional, and enticing performance where all the cast and crew seemed diligent and invested in their roles. Seeing some of my friends perform made it a funny and enjoyable experience. If you have never attended a play at Jesuit, I highly recommend you go give it try. You won’t regret it.
A Viewers’ Take: Alvaro Luque ’21:
What was your favorite part of the play?
- “Seeing my boys Matthew and Rowan… one of the main reasons I came. My favorite scene I think was the ending when George shoots Gatsby… the lights fade out and the second shot is heard aloud killing Gatsby. It was a dope moment of tension.”
If you could be any character, who would you be?
- “I’d be George because it would be the most fun… you kind of just get to freak out when Myrtle dies… I think I’d be good at fake freaking out and acting crazy.”
Was this your first time attending a play? Would you come again and why?
- “Yes, it was my first time going to a Jesuit production … this was much greater in skill than my smaller middle school theater productions… I was really impressed by how it was super cool and how everyone did a really good job. I would definitely come again.”
What’s one thing you can say to encourage more people to go check out the theater?
- “Be open minded. I personally always thought theater could be lame, but I had a good time it was funny. It’s like watching a movie. It’s not just an uncool thing, seeing your friends performing makes it even better … lose the reputation that theater is lame.”
A Viewers’ Take: Brian George ’21:
Was this your first time attending a play? Would you come again and why?
- “Yes, it was my first time at a Jesuit play. I’d definitely come again, and I recommend others to as well. The reason being is that they put a lot of time and effort into it making it dope.”
What was your favorite part of the play?
- “I was surprised how it made me feel… like I would have imagined the scene and character as I read the book. The cast did a fantastic job of portraying that.”
If you could be any character, who would you be?
- “I’d want to be Nick Carraway because I’d love to attend Gatsby’s parties as a guest and to understand the function of Gatsby and his upbringing throughout the play.”
What’s one thing you can say to encourage more people to go check out the theater?
- “I think you would be surprised how much you think you’d might not be interested in like theater or plays. For example, I went in with an open mind and left very impressed.”
A Cast Members’ Take: Marco Orendain ’20:
What interested you in the theater?
- “I started doing theater my 8th grade year, I think the thing that interests me most is being able to experience how others think and act, the most important part of theater is understanding why your character does certain things. It’s key to explore different parts of your personality.”
What was the hardest of performing?
- “The hardest part is probably keeping in mind that you’re nervous, yet putting all the hard work and practice into action. Having that confidence and getting out on the stage.”
Do you get nervous before or during?
- “Yes. However, I think I manage my nerves better than other actors I rehearse with, but my confidence has come with practice.”
Would you perform again?
- “Yes, I’d perform more at Jesuit or at Ursuline… not sure if I will pursue acting outside of Jesuit but I’ve loved every moment so far.”
A Cast Members’ Take: Will Florer ’20:
What interested you in the theater?
- “I’ve done theater all four years. The reason I like theater is because its a program where people from different ages, programs, and grade levels come together to make one final product… that’s a really cool process. Also, I’ve always had a knack for performing.”
What was the hardest of performing?
- “Once you get close to performance time, rehearsals may go really late into the night. My sophomore year we pulled a 10pm rehearsal which was crazy late. With other things that come with the Jesuit schedule it gets really hard to maintain a healthy balance. Also, integrating skills into the play that you have zero prior knowledge of, like learning to dance or to sword fight, can be challenging.”
Do you get nervous before or during?
- “It’s interesting to see how I have progressed. In my earlier performances I did get that typical stage fright, butterflies, but as I got older and did more public speaking through the PA at school or at prayer services I have built a foundation and got much more comfortable. If you view public speaking or theater as giving a message to individuals, one on one, rather than talking to large groups, I find it becomes a lot easier to lose those nerves. That’s one way I combat some stage fright, yet in the end there’s always gonna be a little but of nervousness.”
Would you perform again?
- “For a long time I’ve been interested in acting. As I move on to college, I’d like to keep theater involved in my life. I’ve appreciated everything I have learned from the art of acting and performing. I plan on also perfecting my communication skills in the years to come.”
In the end, Jesuit Theater does it again, bringing to life another fabulous performance with great actors and audience members.
What does Jesuit Theater have in store next? Stay tuned to The Roundup for more coverage of Jesuit Theater!
