Bailey Dunn

The cast of HB’s Great Gatsby paints a welcome sign for their audiences. The production is making the weekend for the HB theater department one to remember as they wrap up after a two-night run. “We’re excited for people to come see this show” says Amera Coveno 25’.

If you’re familiar with literature, chances are you’ve heard of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Not only is this piece of work considered one of the most influential on the English scene, its prominence has now traveled into theater. For HB’s school play, they have chosen Lexi Klain ‘25—who fellow castmate Amera Coveno ‘25 describes as “amazing, hardworking, and expressive”—to play Daisy Buchanan, the main female in the play. Luckily, the talented Lexi agreed to answer some questions so we could get to know her better as well as her character. 

How has your experience been playing a main role in The Great Gatsby?

It’s been emotional but in a good way. It’s made me have a deeper understanding of people and psychology. 

Compared to other roles you’ve played, what is so special about this one?

It’s really complex because Daisy is a really complex lady. She wants to be loved and she wants status so she allows these things to kind of battle each other in her life. She feels a lot of pressure to be the perfect woman but she also has her own desires. 

How do you connect with your character? 

Like her, I’ve found myself in situations where I can’t seem to choose to do the right thing and I know what it’s like to feel that way. 

Can you talk us through your process of memorization? 

I guess I looked for subtext in the script and subtext on what she’s saying to people, why she makes the decisions she does, and why she’s indecisive. I would read her lines and think, why is she saying that? What is happening beneath the surface that’s making her say that to this specific person, that’s making her express herself in this way, and that’s how I got to know her. 

What is your dream role to play? 

Either Regina George in Mean Girls or Rizzo in Greece.

If you could choose any period, would you choose to live in the 1920s? 

No, because it was a very oppressive time for women. It’s depicted in this play how miserable the women were in this time period and how much they had to pretend. I think that’s part of the lesson in this play. So no, I would not live in the 1920s. 

When did you start doing theater and what made you choose to do theater in general?

I’m a late bloomer when it comes to theater. I didn’t even start doing actual plays until my junior year of high school. I’d been kind of insecure to do it, I was insecure about my acting abilities. Last year I thought to myself, I’m passionate about this play about the Holocaust and I want to do this. Then after that, I was like, you know what this is a rewarding experience, I’m finding myself understanding my emotions more and it’s a different kind of art that I really like. 

What is your favorite thing about theater?

The way it opens you to new experiences. It opens your heart to try new things, to stretch yourself out.

What are you most excited about revolving around this performance?

Well, I really like my 1920’s costumes. But, more seriously, I’m excited for people to see an adaptation of these characters in real life that’s different from the movie. We all worked to understand the characters that we were playing. I think people will be pleasantly surprised and have a new perspective on the story from our performance. 

Can you describe your thoughts on the theater community at HB?

I think that is very closely knit, we pretty much do everything together, we’re thrown together all the time. You have to be mature about everything and treat people as not only your friends but your coworkers. I think we have a great director who supports us emotionally, we all get support from this place. 

Why should we come to see The Great Gatsby?

Because it’s entertaining, dramatic, and exciting. I’d say it’s sort of similar to watching a reality TV show. This play is like reality TV. but the 1920s version. If you like reality TV. and drama, you should come see it. 

The cast of HB’s Great Gatsby is looking forward to their next shows and continues to encourage the community to show up for their productions. The cast hopes their hard work can be recognized outside of their tight-knit group in which some people’s efforts are already being recognized. “Seeing her working hard up there every day has inspired me to do my best and make sure this is a really good production,” said Coveno about Klain’s work.