Newtown High School students have been busy working to prepare for the school’s fall drama, The Great Gatsby, which will be presented on the school’s stage Thursday through Sunday, November 12 to 15.

The production is student directed, with NHS teachers Janice Gabriel and Brian Tenney acting as advisors.

The Great Gatsby tells the story of an aspiring writer who gets sucked into a life of luxury, decadence, and drama in the 1920s. The play is based on the book by the same title by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Performances will be in the high school’s auditorium,12 Berkshire Road, at7 pm Thursday through Saturday. The Sunday show is set for2 pm.

Tickets are $7 for students and faculty, $12 for adults, and $10 for senior citizens, and will be sold at the door.

Co-directors for the production are Cal Creeden and Sean Dalton.

Sean said he wanted to direct the play because he thought it would give him a new experience with responsibilities and a leadership role. He said co-directing has delivered on his expectations.

“It’s been a lot of fun though,” said Cal, just before a rehearsal began on Wednesday, November 4.

Cal said he has a number of friends who have student-directed plays at the high school in the past, and he knew from them that it would be an “amazing experience.”Cal has also helped with productions at Newtown Middle School.

“The kids have been working really hard,” said Mr Tenney, as students fixed costumes, worked on the set, ran lines, or spoke with the co-directors around him.

Mr Tenney said NHS students have been involved in every aspect of the production, from designing the set to Cal and Sean’s directing. Mr Tenney said he is looking forward to see the play performed by students because of its connections to the high school’s curriculum. The 2013 movie release of The Great Gatsby, Mr Tenney said, has added to the hype around the story.

Ms Gabriel said the cast and crew for the production have been doing “amazing.” While Ms Gabriel said a recent visit by representatives of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) created a calendar crunch, due to the use of the auditorium, she said the students have been putting in late nights and working hard to meet fast deadlines.

“They’re incredible,” said Ms Gabriel about her students, adding that she and Mr Tenney are “the luckiest people” to get to work with such talented students. “They blow me out of the water every time they stand on stage.”

NHS cast members for the production are Joseph Verga, Claire Swanson, Julia Bogdanoff, Olyvia Shaw, McKenzie Iazzetta, Tom Coppinger, Michael Killeen, Charles Soto, Jacob Schultz, and Brooks Petershack.

Cam Vazquez is the assistant director; Monique Dubois is the stage manager; Harrison Hoffert is the assistant stage manager; Jaden Albrecht and Emily Charash are co-producers; Catie Ingersoll and Arline Almeter are co-costume heads; Amanda Tramposch is the technical director; Kaitlyn Crumb and Sam Zakur are the co-construction heads; Brittany Meisenheimer is overseeing scenic design; and Molly Dardine is the production’s props master.