The Great Gatsby – The Great Debate. In Conversation with Derby Theatre & Civic Lab [2025]

1925 Long Island New York, 2025 Derby, UK: an exploration of the enduring themes of The Great Gatsby and how they resonate today. The dazzling, decadent world of the Roaring Twenties or the moral decay, and unattainable dreams of the Jazz Age? Either way, what does this fascinating era teach us about our own society? F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, offers a window into an era defined by excess and illusion, as symbolised by the distant green light in the story. The University of Derby, proudly hosts a panel of experts to discuss the question of how, a century later, we still are navigating our own age of social media, celebrity culture, and economic anxiety. The panel, chaired by Callum Bate, has invited experts to discuss the promises and pitfalls of the American Dream during a time of immense change and contrast it with the social mobility challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century. Panellists include: Sarah Brigham, CEO and Artistic Director of Derby Theatre, and Director of The Great Gatsby Professor Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, and author of Careless People: Murder, Mayhem, and the Invention of The Great Gatsby, which explores the true story behind F. Scott Fitzgerald’s masterpiece and the extravagant, scandalous, and chaotic world in which he lived. Don’t miss this journey into the past to explore our present.