Gaslight

By Patrick Hamilton

Bella Manningham lives in a constant state of fear and doubt. When her husband Jack leaves the house she hears strange noises above, objects seem to go missing or change location, and most importantly the gas lamps seem to be getting more and more ineffectual. Is there something unnatural at work here, or as Jack insists, is she simply losing her mind...? When a stranger comes into her life, everything she thought she knew gets turned on its head and she begins to question everything about her reality.

Todmorden Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society is proud to present Patrick Hamilton's psychological drama, set in Victorian times, which is just as relevant today as when it was written in 1938.

The term "gaslighting" – psychological manipulation intended to make the victim question their sanity – has now become embedded in our language, and Hamilton could never have imagined that his drama would give today's world such a powerful term.