Casting

The Guides:

• ONE (female, 30s). A stern woman unafraid to take a stance, stuck with her most difficult client yet.

• TWO (male, mid to late 20s). An astute perfectionist with a heart of gold. Burdened with love and loss, he finds himself confronting his own memory when a client unexpectedly reminds him of his past.

• THREE (male, early 40s). A strict, old-fashioned Guide who sticks to the rules.

• FOUR (female, 17). A feisty, quick-witted teenager who struggles to control her emotions and abide by the “no-judgement” code.

• FIVE (male, 50s). The leader of the Guides. Clever and charismatic, yet leads with compassion and sincerity. Often speaks directly to the audience as a narrator throughout.

The Guided: 

• BEATRICE KILLICK (female, 91). An old lady struggling to come to terms with her complicated feelings for her late brother. Stern but kind, often worried about what she left behind. 

• HIROKAZU MOCHIZUKI (male, 78). A serene and timid man who approaches his relationships with great care (sometimes a little too much). He has an unexpected – and technically illegal – connection to his Guide. This character is of East Asian descent. 

• OBAFEMI TAYLOR (male, 21). A headstrong, dynamic young man driven by impulse who has spent the last seven years of his life terminally ill. He is too angry to even engage with what is being asked of him. This character is of African descent. 

• JILL SMART (female, 13). A sweet and innocent girl, unsure of her instincts and desperate to create an original memory. 

• HENRY THOMPSON (male, 30s). Adamant about not speaking to the Guides as he struggles to open up about his memories.

• JAY GATSBY - About 30-40. A hopeful, desperate chameleon. Elegant and refined until he’s not, his optimism is his greatest strength and his biggest flaw. Gatsby is willing to do anything and everything to gain social currency to regain Daisy’s attention and favor. An introvert who has trained himself not to be. He has never been able to shake his need for affirmation, and that comes from someplace deep. Most of what he does and says is incredibly calculated because he is so easily rattled by the unexpected. 

• NICK CARRAWAY - About to turn 30. Honest and authentic. Introverted? Nick is a nonjudgmental, trusted confidant for almost everybody who meets him. Open-minded, quiet, and a good listener but also very attracted to the glamour and fast pace of wild parties. Has probably never felt truly at ease or at home anywhere, and recognizes the safety in spending time with Jordan; probably not into women–or equally into men and women, but it’s the 1920s. He is a curious, detailed observer of the real truth regarding the people he spends time with.

• DAISY BUCHANAN - About 25-30. Zelda Fitzgerald. So charming and so magnetic, it’s dangerous. Uses humor and affection to deflect and diffuse, and nothing is more painful to her than being uncomfortable or uncouth. Flirting is her default mode. Could rescue herself (maybe) if she really had to, but she never has had to and probably never will. Daisy was raised in a world where her only currencies were her reputation and her femininity. She would love nothing more than to throw those ideas to the wind, but that would mean being uncomfortable and we can’t have that now, can we?

• JORDAN BAKER - About 20-30. Calls it like she sees it (unless it’s about herself) and deeply competitive. Witty. Recognizes something in Nick that is just like her. Assertive and commanding before it was cool or acceptable for women to be so. Good at flirting with everyone in the room, but in a way that catches people off guard rather than puts them at ease. Probably not into me–or equally into men and women, but it’s the 1920s. Nothing disappoints Jordan more than a woman trapped in a marriage with a man like Tom; she sees Nick as Daisy’s only lifeline to an authentic life.

• TOM BUCHANAN - About 30-45. Wears his old money as his identity. We would call him arrogant, but Tom would describe himself as confident. After all, there isn’t a bad situation he hasn’t been able to work his way out of. He knows how the world works. Proud of his worldview—we would call it intolerant but he would call it traditional. Expects others to live by a moral code he leaps over. Wields money, power, his physical size, and all the charm he can muster up to ensure things go his way. He doesn’t like that Daisy calls him brutish because there is something brutish about him, but he would never admit that. Only by the end of the play do we see how much he deeply needs Daisy and what losing her would cost him. 

• MYRTLE WILSON - About 25-35. The polar opposite of Daisy. “Not mindful. Not demure,” but honestly that’s what’s so appealing about her. She flirts in caps lock and curved shapes and outuendo rather than innuendo. She doesn’t hold her cards close to her chest and she’s not afraid to speak her mind—ever. Myrtle fell in love with George because he was in love with her, but she wants a lot more. She’s also very insecure, especially about Daisy, and that’s often what causes her to lash out. Desperate to get out of her current situation.

• GEORGE WILSON - About 35-45. The polar opposite of Tom. Myrtle is this man’s everything. He has translated that into a lifetime of sweat and grease to build a better life for her because that’s what she deserves. Is making the best of what he’s been given, and is decent. George lives a deeply moral life because he believes that means only good things will come his way. When he is betrayed by those noble ideals and ultimately loses the woman who was his whole world, that’s what pushes him to his violent and tragic end.

• MEYER WOLFSHEIM - About 40-65. What a weirdo. Helped Gatsby acquire his fortune so he feels like he’s owed something. There is definitely something vaguely threatening about him, but also it feels like some of that is all bark and no bite? Sure, he’s in the mix of powerful men willing to do anything to make a buck, but that means he’s also constantly falling at the feet of men like Gatsby. Has a habit of sneaking up on you at a party and then you’re trapped in a conversation with him.

• MR. MCKEE - About 35-50. “He was a real artistic guy. Sensitive. A Painter.” Probably super into Nick. Probably not subtle about it. He might be a good photographer, he might not be? Talent aside, he lives his life artistically, and that’s what counts, right? Always up for a really fun and really messy night. 

• MRS. MCKEE - About 35-50. Unrefined, but not if you ask her. Today she would read gossip magazines and blind items and feel like she’s connected to that world because she is in the know. Loves being the one to spill the tea because that makes her feel powerful. Buys into Tom’s charm because of his money. Always up for a really fun and really messy night.

• ENSEMBLE