The Gloucester County Institute of Technology’s (GCIT) junior drama production of “The Great Gatsby” took to the stage earlier this month at Levoy Theatre in Millville from Feb. 18 to 20.
The play, which sold out tickets at GCIT’s own theater two weeks before, was directed by school alumnus Caitlin Geisser, who acts as an artistic director for the Triple Threat Workshop theater organization.
“When I was asked to come on board as the director of ‘The Great Gatsby,’ I knew I wanted to make this show special for them,” she said. “This class in particular has lost so many performance opportunities because they were freshmen when the pandemic hit.
“I wanted to pull out all the stops and to use as many industry professional artists as possible.”
Geisser employed professional wigs and costumes from the costume department at her alma mater, Wright State University in Ohio, and thematic vintage furniture. While the show was a hit at GCIT, Geisser still had one more thing up her sleeve: exposing the students to the performance opportunity of a lifetime.
“I recently joined the staff at the Levoy Theatre as the assistant director of education and outreach, and the owner of the theater called and asked if I was working on anything right now … And the rest was history,” Geisser recalled.
The play filled up a time slot the weekend of Feb. 18 and the junior drama production performed four times. It was not only the students’ Levoy Theatre debut, but Geisser’s directorial debut on the Millville stage.
“It’s important to show young talent that they should continue to dream big and the Levoy Theatre stage is a stepping stone for that,” said Amanda DeAngelis, executive director of the Levoy. “We are excited to give these students an opportunity to perform in a state-of-the-art facility and allow a completely different audience to appreciate their talents.”
The performing students in the junior drama production remain grateful for the direction of Geisser and the opportunities provided by the GCIT program.
“Caitlin leads our cast with (the) diligence and strength every cast wishes they could find in a director,” noted junior drama lead Amron Slagado. “I know I don’t just speak for myself when I say I have truly learned so much from her, and honestly wouldn’t be the actor I am now without her.”
“Being a part of this production has been so special and it is one that I will never forget,” said Talia Muzzuca, who played Daisy in ‘The Great Gatsby’ production. “It not only made something that we learned in class come to life, but it also pushed me to look deeper into my character and the many themes presented in the show.”
“The theater program at GCIT shaped me into the industry professional that I am today, and is one of the reasons I think it is so important for me to give back as an alum of the drama department,” Geisser said.
“I give so much credit to this department for the reason I have the endurance, attention to detail, the skill set to break boundaries within our art form, and most of all to love what I do every single day,” she added.
