Elevator Repair Service's GATZ Gets Go-Ahead from Fitzgerald Executors

GATZ, the upcoming staged reading of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, has been given the go-ahead by Fitzgerald's executors. The estate had previously blocked performances of GATZ, as the rights were held by the producers of the novel. Several companies have expressed interest in producing GATZ, including St. Ann's Warehouse, The Public Theatre, and the New York Theatre Workshop.

The cast for GATZ will include Jim Fletcher as Gatsby, Scott Shepherd as Nick, Victoria Vazquez as Daisy, and Gary Wilmes as Tom. The production will play the A.R.T. from January 7th to February 7th, 2010.

Gatz is a story within a story, where one morning in the low-rent office of a mysterious small business, an employee finds a copy of The Great Gatsby in the clutter of 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 doing something to him.

The production, as noted on A.R.T.'s website, "s not a stage adaptation of Fitzgerald's novel, but a reading of the entire book - brilliantly brought to life by one of New York's most exciting and acclaimed theater companies, Elevator Repair Service."

The thearical production makes use of a cast of 13 actors who speak the dialogue directly from the novel, while the character Nick acts as narrator. The prodction will take place in two parts, with part one consisting of chapters 1 through 5 and part two consisting of chapters 6 through 9. The production will feature a one hour meal between the two parts.

The ensemble includes Laurena Allan as Myrtle, Frank Boyd as Wilson, Ross Fletcher as Henry C. Gatz, Mike Iveson as Klipspringer, Sibyl Kempson as Jordan, Vin Knight as Chester, Aaron Landsman as Wilson, Annie McNamara as Catherine, Kate Scelsa as Lucille, Kristen Sieh as Catherine, Susie Sokol as Jordan and Ben Williams as Michaelis.

The design team features lighting design by Mark Barton, costume design by Colleen Werthmann, set design by Louisa Thompson, and sound design by Ben Williams. Steve Bodow acts as associate director.

The American Repertory THEATER (A.R.T.) is one of the country's most celebrated resident theaters and the winner of numerous awards - including the Tony Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and numerous local Elliot Norton and I.R.N.E. Awards. In 2002 the A.R.T. was the recipient of the National Theatre Conference's Outstanding Achievement Award, and in May of 2003 it was named one of the top three theaters in the country by Time magazine.

Founded by Robert Brustein in 1980, over its twenty-nine-year history the A.R.T. has welcomed major American and international theater artists, presenting a diverse repertoire that includes new American plays, bold reinterpretations of classical texts, and provocative new music Theater Productions. The A.R.T. has performed throughout the U.S. and worldwide in twenty-one cities in sixteen countries on four continents. It has presented over two hundred productions, over half of which were premieres of new plays, translations, and adaptations.

For more information, visit www.americanrepertorytheater.org.