‘The Great Gatsby’ was directed by Cassie Rogers and Caitlin McLauchlin for their Senior Project.

With the number of COVID-19 cases declining and a rise of in-person opportunities, Cassie and Caitlin thought an in-person rendition of The Great Gatsby would be a great way to support the theater department and involve the whole John Carroll community.
Cassie commented, “Caitlin and I both read The Great Gatsby our junior year, and really loved the crazy plot of the novel. We also love the adaptation of the movie and knew it was something we wanted to put on the stage.”
While the play took place at John Carroll on three different dates in February, the idea for the project had been in motion for months beforehand as both seniors are active in the theater department. Cassie said, “I am majoring in secondary theater education in college, so my career goal in life is to eventually teach theater to high school students and direct shows.”
Both students were incredibly thoughtful and precise when planning and designing the play, and Mrs. Julie Parrish, their Senior Project mentor, said, “The show was selected, conceptualized, cast, costumed, directed, choreographed, and produced in full by Caitlin and Cassie.”
The play received a lot of positive feedback, and many students and faculty enjoyed the production.
Mrs. Parrish also commented, “Caitlin’s choreography was well-researched and suited to the period. The costumes they selected were also period-appropriate, and the sets were beautiful.”
With so much positive feedback, the play also brought a lot of rewardable moments. Cassie and Caitlin explained that they loved spending time with the large cast and watching the finished show.
Cassie said, “It was such a fun experience getting to interact with people who I don’t normally talk to.”
The cast consisted of JC students including Reagan McComas, Jeremy Biggerman, Olivia Lockett, Robert Kahoe, Gracious Ndungu, Gabby Spencer, and Henry Coyner.
Cassie and Caitlin faced many challenges in their experience. Cassie explained that rehearsals often had to be canceled due to off days and conflicts in schedules, but they were able to overcome this by rescheduling rehearsals, moving them to the Learning Commons, and adding weekend rehearsals.
Cassie said, “We are so thankful for all the people involved and our best friends who performed in the show. We really couldn’t have done it without their time and effort.”