The Program

Have you met Gatsby? I heard he’s a bootlegger! Or a spy! Or a cousin to Kaiser Wilhelm and second cousin to the devil! …I heard he killed a man…

Adapted from the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby follows the life of Midwesterner Nick Carraway during his raucous New York summer in 1922 and how his interactions with his neighbour, the mysterious millionaire known as Jay Gatsby, changes his life forever.

Performance Schedule

DayDateTime
WednesdayJuly 177:00 PM
ThursdayJuly 188:45 PM
FridayJuly 192:30 PM
SaturdayJuly 202:30 PM
SundayJuly 217:15 PM
MondayJuly 227:00 PM
TuesdayJuly 238:45 PM
WednesdayJuly 242:30 PM
ThursdayJuly 257:30 PM
FridayJuly 264:15 PM
SaturdayJuly 277:00 PM

The Era

New York City, 1922. The war is over, and the wild hedonism of America’s Jazz Age is in full swing. Times are changing, and not everyone is happy about it. Those who inherit their money are coming into conflict with those who make it. Women have the vote, prohibition is in its third year, and the gangsters and bootleggers smuggling it mingle with the rich and powerful at their lavish parties on Long Island. Sex, drugs, and jazz are the order of the day, and anything can happen in the land of opportunity.

The Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in 1896 to a middle-class family in Minnesota. When his courtship with Chicago’s Ginevra King was stopped by her elite family, he enlisted in the First World War, hoping to die. After meeting his wife Zelda, his first novel debuted in 1920, and they joined New York’s elite. Despite emulating their lifestyle, he resented the rich, and the couple’s alcoholism and mental illnesses led to major marital issues. Gatsby’s failure in 1925 devastated him, and he died of a heart attack at 44.

Director’s Notes

The Death of the Author is a literary theory arguing that once a work is published, it takes on a life of its own, and its meaning is determined by the reader instead of the author. It is with that spirit that I created this adaptation. With so many previous adaptations of Gatsby already out there, I wanted to do something that had never been done before, and while this version may not be what Fitzgerald had originally intended, I believe this alternate interpretation can enhance many of the themes in the original text. I would like to give special thanks to John, Cathy, Tom, and Breanne Maines, Melanie and Jason Wilson, and the Red River College for helping make this production possible.

Cast & Crew

Hayden A. Maines

Director / Producer / Playwright

Hayden is excited to be making his directorial debut, having previously performed onstage with Shoestring Players, Dark Horse Theatre, Interesting Theatre, and Winnipeg Mennonite Theatre.

Steph J. Blanchette

Stage Manager

Steph Blanchette is excited to part of Illustrium Creations inaugural production and her tenth Winnipeg Fringe Festival. 

Steph spends her days working as an EA. While shying away from being on stage in the spotlight, she finds passion working behind the scenes, shining the spotlight as stage manager.

Steph’s beginnings in theatre came in the form of “The Spikey Series” in 2008. Since then, she has been part of dinner theatre fundraisers, Folklorama, community theatre groups, and film projects.

Steph co-produced “Mulligan’s Island” (Winnipeg Fringe 2015), “Once On This Island”(Shoe In Productions 2017), and “Audition Deficit Disorder” (Winnipeg Fringe 2022). Other highlights are “Weirder Thou Art” (Winnipeg Fringe 2016, Toronto Fringe 2017), “Your Brain On Anxiety” (Winnipeg Fringe 2018), “The Weight of Shame” (An Seanchai Theatre Company 2023) and “9 to 5 The Musical” (RMTC Lawyers Play 2023).

Steph enjoys working with a variety of people, learning something from everyone she meets. She is always looking to be part of the next project.

Sara Cherrywood

Myrtle Wilson / Flapper

Sara is excited to be working with Illustrium Creations for the first time. She has previously appeared in As It Turns Out (TBA Productions), Upstart Crow (Shoestring Players), Launchpad Project (Sarasvati Theatre), Farrago (Dark Horse Theatre), and Student Body (Beau Theatre Co.). She is also a stand-up comedian, improv performer, and film actor.

Devon Hemmett

Chester McKee / owl Eyes / Socialite’s Brother / Police Officer / Rosy Rosenthal / Film Director / Detective

Devon Hemmett is proud to be taking part in his first Fringe show with The Great Gatsby. Enjoying music and theatre from a young age he’s taken his passion into his profession graduating from Brandon University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Education in Music and Drama.

Daniel Kinley

Tom Buchanan / Slagle

Daniel Kinley is a dedicated actor with 2 years of experience, passionate about bringing characters to life. Daniel is excited to take on this role!

Parker Koepnick

Nick Carraway

Parker is a multidisciplinary artist who has his certificate in Theatre Foundations, and enjoys the continuous learning theatre brings and the nurturing it can offer. Past projects include A Sliver of a Moment (One Trunk Theatre Artist in Residency Program) and Catching Foxes (RSA, dancer).

Kira Lang

Jordan Baker / Actress

Kira is returning to the stage after a brief hiatus from theatre. Kira has performed in various shows like The Outsiders, Mean Girls and One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest. Kira is currently a middle school teacher who incorporates drama into the everyday classroom. This is her first fringe and she is excited to bring the character of Jordan Baker to life!

Ryan Osodo

Jay Gatsby

Ryan Osodo is a 4th year student at the University of Manitoba, majoring in theatre. The
Great Gatsby will be his second Fringe performance after his 2023 performance in
Murder In The Fourth Degree, as Michael.

Calum Peppard

Costume Director

Catherine McKee / Daisy’s Mother

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Daniel Piche

Nick’s Father / George Wilson / Alcoholic / Butler / Meyer Wolfshiem / Dan Cody / Servant

A long-time Fringe fanatic, Daniel has performed in the Winnipeg Fringe as an improviser since 2016. He is very excited to perform in his first Fringe play this year, exercising his love of character and voice work for his various roles in The Great Gatsby. Other recent performances included “You Can’t Take it With You” with the Winnipeg Mennonite Theatre in 2022,  and playing the role of Santa Clause in the North Kildonan Community Players’ “Elf the Musical” in 2019.

Hunter Love Watson

Daisy Buchanan / Socialite

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Help The Irish Association

A portion of the proceeds from this production are being donated to help save the Irish Association of Manitoba’s theatre, a staple of the local community theatre scene. If you wish to donate to this important cause and help repair the roof, please consider leaving a donation to their GoFundMe. Thank you for supporting local community theatre.

Donate Here

From the Grapevine

  • The Great Gatsby was first published in 1925 and entered the public domain in 2021, allowing unofficial derivative works and adaptations such as this one to exist
  • F. Scott Fitzgerald was named after Francis Scott Key, a distant relative who wrote the lyrics to The Star Spangled Banner
  • The first film adaptation of The Great Gatsby debuted in 1926. Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda loathed the film and left the cinema halfway through. No copies of the film are known to exist and it is considered a piece of lost media.
  • Fitzgerald popularized the term Jazz Age in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age
  • Princess Zelda from The Legend of Zelda video-game series was named after Zelda Fitzgerald
  • During the First World War, Fitzgerald served under Captain Dwight Eisenhower (who would later go on to become President of the United States from 1953-1961) and strongly disliked him
  • The Great Gatsby was a commercial failure upon its debut, selling fewer than 20,000 copies, but grew massively in popularity when 155,000 copies were chosen to be delivered to soldiers fighting in the Second World War. As of July 2024 it has sold over 30 million copies
  • When Zelda gave birth to their first and only daughter, Fitzgerald recorded his wife saying “I hope it’s beautiful and a fool. A beautiful little fool” as she was emerging from anaesthesia
  • While living in Long Island, Fitzgerald’s neighbour, Max Gerlach, fought in the First World War, lived a luxurious life as a millionaire bootlegger, thre lavish parties, never wore the same shirt twice, fostered many myuths about himself (such as being related to Kaiser WIihelm), and used the phrase old sport
  • Zelda believed her husband was having an affair with Ernest Hemingway, and would call Fitzgerald homophobic slurs in public
  • Fitzgerald used to go to parties after college in drag, and once hired a prostitute to prove that he was straight
  • On his death, Fitzgerald believed that that his life was a failure and his works were forgotten. Today, Fitzgerald is considered one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, with The Great Gatsby being one of the greatest novels ever written.

Gatsby’s Playlist

Pre-Show

  • Juice – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Poison – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Wiggle – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Call Me Maybe – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Chasing Pavement – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Bad Blood – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Gangsta’s Paradise – Postmodern Jukebox
  • New Rules – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Don’t You Worry Child – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Talk Dirty – Postmodern Jukebox
  • Sugar, We’re Going Down – Postmodern Jukebox

During the Performance

Curtain Call

  • I’m Not The Only One – Postmodern Jukebox

Daniel Gilmour

A cactus has been placed on stage in memory of our dear friend and fellow actor, Daniel Gilmour. We dedicate this production to him.

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Land Acknowledgement

The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is proud to call Manitoba home. The Winnipeg Fringe is located in Winnipeg on Treaty 1, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Anishininew, and Dakota people, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. We are thankful for the benefits sharing this land has afforded us, acknowledge the responsibilities of the Treaties, and embrace the opportunity to partner with Indigenous communities in the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.