Gatsby in Performance
(PATERSON, NJ) -- Literature to Life (LTL) has announced their second series of Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson, consisting of a book club, two live performances, and an interactive workshop all centered around The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Literature to Life is a nonprofit, performance-based literacy organization that transforms American literary classics into professionally staged verbatim adaptations. LTL added The Great Gatsby to their roster of Signature Performance Titles in 2024 and have toured the title nationally since, performing the adaptation in schools, libraries, and performing arts venues.
The Great Gatsby takes place during the roaring twenties following Nick Carraway as he is drawn into a world of wealth and betrayal. LTL's adaptation of this iconic title focuses on the tensions between, and treatments of, social class, gender, race, and the true cost of the American Dream. The show features an exquisite performance by newest company member Simon Rabatin, who takes on all the glitz, glamor, and tragedy of Gatsby's world.
LTL invites residents of Paterson and surrounding communities to join the following free events. A book club meeting at Paterson Free Public Library (PFPL) will take place on Monday, April 20, 2026 at 6:00pm. Free copies of the book are currently available for pick-up at PFPL. Later that same week, on Thursday, April 23, two live performances will take place at Passaic County Community College (PCCC) Founders Theater at 1:10pm and 6:00pm. These performances will be accompanied by a pre- and post-show discussion led by adapter / director Kelvin Grullon. Finally, a post-show interactive workshop will be conducted on Thursday, April 30 at 1:10pm in PCCC Founders Theater. All events are free and open to the general public.
In March, the series focused on I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez. Additional events later this year will include The Giver, Zora Folk Tales, and finally The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz.
By partnering with Paterson Free Public Library (PFPL) and Passaic County Community College (PCCC), LTL is deepening access to arts and literature in a city rich with cultural history and creative potential. The initiative includes five series of events, each based around one great work of literature, with activities that include reading, discussion, performance, and creative response.
For up-to-date scheduling and more information, visit literaturetolife.org/booksunite.
Books Unite: Literature to Life in Paterson is a yearlong series of free community events in Paterson, NJ, bringing literature to life through performances, book clubs, and interactive workshops designed to engage community members in powerful stories and shared conversation.
The program is supported by a generous grant from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). The NJEDA has approved $15 million in grant awards to 39 organizations under Phase II of the Activation, Revitalization, and Transformation (A.R.T.) program.
Literature to Life (LTL) is a performance-based literacy program that presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of American literary classics. Founded as the educational program of the American Place Theatre more than three decades ago, LTL carries forward the legacy of founder Wynn Handman, who championed American writers of diverse backgrounds as “voices worth hearing” - a pioneering notion in the 1960s. Now under the leadership of Literature to Life co-founding Artistic Director, Elise Thoron, this mighty collective of artists and educators brings the voices of diverse authors to thousands of students and audiences nationwide, giving them the tools to become the empowered “voices worth hearing” of our future.
