A fever dream of prohibition, broken dreams and romantic love, Queensland Theatre Company and Shake & Stir Theatre Co will throw “the greatest party ever written” with an audacious reimagining of The Great Gatsby at QPAC’s Playhouse from 12 February – 8 March 2026.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic Jazz Age novel takes to the stage in a first-time collaboration between Queensland’s state theatre company and the boundary-pushing, Shake & Stir.
Set in the upper echelons of New York society in 1922 summertime and narrated by recent Long Island arrival, Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby centres on a mysterious, self-made millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and his obsession with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.
What unfolds is a ruthless dissection of the American Dream and an unapologetic homage to old-world glamour, decadence, status, notoriety and extravagance.
QTC Artistic Director Daniel Evans co-directs The Great Gatsby with Shake & Stir Co Artistic Director Nick Skubij. Evans says the century-old story of aspiration and abandon exemplifies QTC’s Season 2026 themes of living, loving and yearning bravely.
“This season is about giving audiences something big, heart-filled, warm and generous, and we start with a story about a boy and girl, the past and the present and the agony and ecstasy of love and longing,” says Evans.
“The Great Gatsby is something of a mirage; it shifts and changes with each reading and retelling over time and that’s what cements its status as a classic.”
Shake & Stir co-founders Nelle Lee, Ross Balbuziente and Nick Skubij understand the intricacies and artistry of reimagining classics for new audiences and mediums better than most.
Their 2026 collaboration with QTC marks 20 years of Shake & Stir adapting literary masterpieces, with a repertoire spanning Shakespeare to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
“When we are bringing something from page to stage, we want to do it with respect to the text because the reason these stories have endured and why they are beloved is because so many people feel an attachment or a resonance with them,” says Lee.
“Gatsby is a story set in the definitive party era and follows a gentleman famous for his celebrations. We’re talking big characters and bigger dreams and we’re so excited to give it a new life for a modern audience.”
Co-Director and Co-Adaptor: Daniel Evans | Co-Adaptor: Nelle Lee | Co-Director: Nick Skubij | Featuring: Ryan Hodson, Loren Hunter, Nelle Lee, Ethan Lwin, Libby Munro, Donné Ngabo, Rachel Nutchey, Shiv Palekar, Jess Vickers, Jeremiah Wray, Brigitte Freeme, Sean Sinclair | Movement Director, Choreographer and Intimacy Coordinator: Nerida Matthaei | Set and Costume Designer: Christina Smith | Lighting Designer: Trent Suidgeest | Composer and Sound Designer: Guy Webster | Dramaturg: Saffron Benner | Associate Costume Designer: Nat Ryner | Voice and Dialect Coach: Siege Campbell
The Great Gatsby
Playhouse – QPAC, Cultural Precinct, South Brisbane
Season: 14 February – 8 March 2026 (previews: 12 – 13 February)
Bookings: www.qpac.com.au
For more information, visit: www.queenslandtheatre.com.au or www.shakeandstir.com.au for details.
Image: The Great Gatsby (supplied)