The Methacton Theater Company presented three showings of The Great Gatsby, a play based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, on November 10th to 12th. 

The Great Gatsby is a tragic play about a young man named Jay Gatsby pursuing the love of a married woman, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby, played by Luke Horoho, attempts to win Daisy (Paige Alaishuski) over with the help of her cousin Nick (Quintin Frey) and their friend Jordan (Elena Chaya), in this heartbreaking play. Darker themes of racism along with domestic violence do appear in the showing, which the Methacton Theatre Company says is an aspect they worked hard on appropriately conveying.

When talking to Student Director Elena Chaya, she expressed her appreciation for the hard work of the theater company and the end product of the show. Although balancing school work with theater preparations proved to be a challenge, she was able to overcome this, and had a lovely time making friends and performing with the other talented students.

Similarly, crew member Janet James shared her difficulty remembering different cues, but through practice, was able to help create a seamless production. James thoroughly enjoyed seeing all their hard work being put together for everyone to see, and mentioned their specific excitement towards the dance scenes throughout the show.

Sarah Kim, a senior working in the tech booth, also shared their experience. While working with the technology, problems like difficulty muting and unmuting the cast on time arose. If they were unmuted at the wrong times, the audience would hear their backstage talking, while if they were muted for too long, the audience wouldn’t hear their lines at all. Kim mentioned how memorizing the flow of the plot and understanding how people moved throughout the stage helped to get a better understanding of the proper timing needed.

Although the dark play was clouded with difficult topics, actions were taken to ensure a positive outcome from the play. Money from the play will be donated to three local charities related to these topics: Greater Norristown NAACP (advocating for civil rights and an end to racial discrimination), Laurel House (supporting victims of domestic violence), and the Montgomery County Suicide Prevention Task Force (increasing suicide prevention outreach and education). These organizations will benefit from the showing, on account of the hard work and dedication of the students working on the play.

Overall, the 65+ students in the Methacton Theater Company all contributed to creating a well executed showing of The Great Gatsby, and viewers anticipate more talented productions from this group.