Literature to Life Taps New Actor for The Great Gatsby
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 21, 2025
Literature to Life Taps New Actor for The Great Gatsby
NEW YORK, NY, November 21, 2025 —Literature to Life (LTL) is excited to announce they cast a new actor for their solo-adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Simon Rabatin, a New York City-based actor and visual artist, will take on this true American classic, which has become one of LTL’s most popular Signature Titles, touring nationally in performing arts venues, libraries, and schools. Last season, LTL’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby took the stage in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Tennessee.
Taking place on Long Island and in New York City during the roaring twenties, the story follows WWI veteran Nick Carraway as he is drawn into the world of his wealthy cousin Daisy, her domineering husband Tom, and their mysterious neighbor Jay Gatby. Behind the dazzling parties and lavish lifestyles, Nick uncovers a story of obsession, betrayal, and longing; revealing the fragility of love and damaging pursuit of wealth.
Rabatin embodies multiple characters from the novel, conveying the lengths each will go to attain their desires. His recent production credits include Tom in These Shining Lives with Poor Mouth Theatre Company and a supporting role in Aiden Cronin’s film The Birds Tell Me All There Is To Know. Training: BFA, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Shakespeare and Company.
Gatsby is adapted and directed by Kelvin Grullon, a Dominican American actor from Washington Heights, New York City. Grullon is a seasoned performer himself, having spent eight years as the actor for LTL’s stage adaptation of Junot Díaz’s novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
“What excites me most about returning to the director’s chair is the idea of rediscovery,” says Grullon. “It's a hundred-year-old text, the words on the page have not changed, and many of us know it from reading it in high school and through the film adaptations. And yet this production feels completely new because of Simon’s perspective and his deep care for the material. In the auditions he took charge of the story, and his work showed a deep understanding of the world of the play. That's the coolest aspect about solo-shows for me, that the actor completely reshapes it simply by being who they are. The whole project now feels like a kind of paradox, familiar and entirely new at the same time, and I find that very exciting.”
The Great Gatsby is currently available for booking in schools, performance venues, libraries, community centers, and correctional facilities nationally. LTL is pleased that this title is once again on the NEA’s Big Read list. The goals of the NEA Big Read are to inspire meaningful conversations, celebrate local creativity, elevate a wide variety of voices and perspectives, and build stronger connections in each community. For booking inquiries, please email info@literaturetolife.org or visit literaturetolife.org/contact.
Literature to Life (LTL) is a performance-based literacy organization that presents professionally staged verbatim adaptations of American literary classics. Initially conceived as the educational program of the renowned American Place Theatre, LTL is now an independent organization with a mission to perform great books that inspire young people to read and become authors of their own lives.With a roster of books by authors such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin, Junot Díaz, Kao Kalia Yang, and more, LTL performs nationally in performing arts centers, schools, libraries, and correctional facilities.
To learn more about Literature to Life, visit literaturetolife.org or find LTL on social media @lit2life.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Alyssa Monte
Marketing and Outreach Manager, Literature to Life
Email: alyssa.m@literaturetolife.org
Note to editors: High-resolution images and additional information about Literature to Life's performances are available upon request.