The National Trust will host an outdoor theatre performance of The Great Gatsby at Nymans in Handcross, West Sussex, on 23 July 2026. Located approximately five miles south of Crawley, the historic garden provides a professional show setting for local residents and visitors.
The production is set to run from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the estate’s main lawn. It will use the ruins of the manor house as a backdrop, which have remained as a skeletal structure since a major fire in 1947.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their own picnics, blankets, and seating to enjoy the evening outdoors. The show is part of a wider summer schedule at the gardens, which includes the Summer of Play programme for visitors.
This adaptation of the classic story is performed by the Tethered Wits Theatre Company, a group known for touring open-air events at National Trust properties. The performance marks the continued popularity of the Jazz Age story a century after it was first published in 1925.
Nymans was originally the home of the Messel family before it was donated to the National Trust in 1953. The gardens now serve as a regular venue for outdoor theatre and community events during the warmer months.
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