I Am Zelda
Original Play about the Woman who Inspired The Great Gatsby
Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is often remembered as the “crazy wife” of F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby. As one half of the Golden Couple of the 1920s, she was a dazzling icon of the Jazz Age and the inspiration behind many of Fitzgerald’s flapper heroines.
But Zelda was far more than a glittering party girl or muse. She was a deeply creative and complex woman — a devoted mother, accomplished ballet dancer, published writer, and visual artist — who struggled with mental illness for much of her life.
This original one-act play pays tribute to Zelda as she truly was: a vibrant, misunderstood woman striving to define herself beyond the myths.
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👉 “Learn more about the play”
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“Rita’s portrayal of Zelda Fitzgerald is a poignant study of a talented free spirit who became eclipsed by her famous author husband and gradually succumbed to her inherent demons. A sensitive and compelling journey into the life of an iconic American woman.”
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— Marc Clopton, Executive Director
The Actors Studio of Newburyport
"Your performance of Zelda was so compelling that I found myself reading more about her life afterward. Your play is phenomenal — you captured her conflicted, gifted, and biochemically unbalanced life with extraordinary depth. Today is Day Two, and Zelda continues to haunt me.”
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— Audience member, Brick Library, New Jersey
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A Note from the Playwright, Rita Parisi
Why Zelda?
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The idea for I Am Zelda began on a late night of research, when I found myself drawn not to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s characters, but to the woman behind them — Zelda Fitzgerald.
The more I read, the more I felt a connection with her wit, imagination, and restless creative spark, as if I were discovering a kindred spirit across time.
But something else kept tugging at me — a little voice insisting that the books and films didn't tell Zelda's whole story. I wanted to know more.
So I looked deeper.I read every biography, every letter, and Zelda’s own stories. I wrote and rewrote the play. I workshopped it for over a decade in front of audiences. I listened to my intuition and let artistic exploration guide me deeper into her world.
And now I present to you, I am Zelda, The Play — an intimate, human portrait of Zelda Fitzgerald, finally told on her terms and my own.
Upcoming Performancessy.
More performances to be announced in 2026.