I had the pleasure of going to the latest This is My Theatre’s touring production, this time it was The Great Gatsby at Sudbury Arts Centre, and once again they demonstrate that compelling theatre doesn’t need to rely on costly sets or elaborate staging. As always the performance leans into simplicity to deliver the story, this one a F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic.
It was lovely to see the effort put in by the local community too, a small group in the audience had even dressed up in fantastic 1920s attire, which added a nice touch.
This is My Theatre excels at bringing quality productions to rural communities and historic venues. Their stripped-down, minimal approach meant the focus stayed firmly on storytelling and performance. With minimal props and bare staging, the play relied entirely on the craft of its cast to build Gatsby’s world.
As always, the joy was watching just four actors bring the entire roster of characters to life. Playing multiple roles, the cast used simple costume cues, often swapping hats, to signal a change in persona. However, the real work happened through their physical acting. The performers transformed their posture, gestures, and overall demeanour for their different roles. The actor’s posture would shift from a slouched, weary mechanic to an upright, polished millionaire. Every subtle movement, from the way they walked to how they held themselves, created distinct, believable characters across each scene.
The fun parts, of course, happen when the characters played by the same actor are in the same scene at the same time! This happened a few times and there were a variety of ways the cast dealt with this: all required perfect timing, imagination, creativity, and a tongue in cheek breaking the fourth wall nod to make sure the audience were getting it. We were, and it was fun to watch.
Sudbury Arts Centre provided an intimate setting well-suited to this style of storytelling. We were nice and close to the stage which allowed us to appreciate the actors’ physical work.
By scaling back the set, This is My Theatre highlights the core elements of live drama: strong performances, imagination, and connection with the audience. Bringing wonderful theatre directly to local venues is a fantastic service to the community.
I always enjoy a This Is My Theatre production and I would certainly recommend catching them. Tickets to their Christmas production ‘A Christmas Carol’ are now on sale, go here for more information.