Queensland Theatre Company (QTC) and Shake & Stir Theatre Co throw “the greatest party ever written” with an audacious reimagining of The Great Gatsby this February.

Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic Jazz Age novel takes to the stage in a first-time collaboration between Queensland’s state theatre company and the boundary-pushing, Shake & Stir.

Continuing a new and beloved tradition, this fever dream of prohibition, broken dreams and romantic love opens at QPAC’s Playhouse from 12 February – 8 March.

Set in the upper echelons of New York society in 1922 summertime and narrated by recent Long Island arrival, Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby centres on a mysterious, self-made millionaire, Jay Gatsby, and his obsession with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan.

What unfolds is a ruthless dissection of the American Dream and an unapologetic homage to old-world glamour, decadence, status, notoriety and extravagance.

“This exciting theatrical collaboration will provide important employment opportunities for the state’s creative workforce and contribute to Queensland’s reputation as an outstanding cultural tourism destination.”

QTC Artistic Director Daniel Evans co-directs The Great Gatsby with Shake & Stir Co-Artistic Director Nick Skubij.

Evans says the century-old story of aspiration and abandon exemplifies QTC’s Season 2026 themes of living, loving and yearning bravely.

“This season is about giving audiences something big, heart-filled, warm and generous, and we start with a story about a boy and girl, the past and the present and the agony and ecstasy of love and longing,” Evans says.

“The Great Gatsby is something of a mirage; it shifts and changes with each reading and retelling over time and that’s what cements its status as a classic.”

Shake & Stir co-founders Nelle Lee, Ross Balbuziente and Nick Skubij understand the intricacies and artistry of reimagining classics for new audiences and mediums better than most.

Their 2026 collaboration with QTC marks 20 years of Shake & Stir adapting literary masterpieces, with a repertoire spanning Shakespeare to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.

“When we are bringing something from page to stage, we want to do it with respect to the text because the reason these stories have endured and why they are beloved is because so many people feel an attachment or a resonance with them,” Lee says.

“Gatsby is a story set in the definitive party era and follows a gentleman famous for his celebrations. We’re talking big characters and bigger dreams and we’re so excited to give it a new life for a modern audience.”

For more information and to buy tickets, visit at Queensland Theatre Company | The Great Gatsby or Shake & Stir Theatre Co.at The Great Gatsby – Shake & Stir