DECEIVED
JUNE 19 - JULY 4
A GRIPPING ADAPTATION OF THE 1938 THRILLER “GASLIGHT” BY PATRICK HAMILTON
By Johnna Wright & Patty Jamieson
Directed by Jackson Gay
ABOUT THE PLAY
Before “gaslighting” was a term, it was a weapon.
In fog-bound 1901 London, a young bride begins to notice unsettling changes in her home: dimming lights, footsteps overhead, whispers in empty rooms. Her charming husband insists it’s all in her imagination. But as the strange incidents escalate, so does her dread. Is she losing her mind — or is someone carefully, deliberately unraveling it?
Trapped in a house filled with secrets and suspicion, she must cling to her sanity and uncover the truth before it’s too late. If no one is coming to save her… will she save herself?
Based on Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 thriller that gave us the term gaslighting, this gripping new adaptation by Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson delivers pulse-pounding suspense, shocking twists, and a chilling reminder of how easily trust can turn deadly.
You’ll question everything — until the final, breathtaking reveal.
“[Deceived] will entertain you with new twists and turns as the victim discovers and resolves the situation through finding clues, sheer determination, and strength of character.”
“Deceived is a great thriller, and shows us that sometimes the scariest things can come from the most unsuspecting places… kept me guessing until the show’s satisfactory conclusion.”
SCHEDULE
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FRIDAY, JUNE 19 - 7:30 PM (PREVIEW)
SATURDAY, JUNE 20 - 7:30 PM (OPENING NIGHT)
SUNDAY, JUNE 21 - 2:00 PM
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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 - 2:00 PM
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 - 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, JUNE 25 - 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, JUNE 26 - 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 27 - 2:00 PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 27 - 7:30 PM
SUNDAY, JUNE 28 - 2:00 PM -
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 - 2:00 PM
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1 - 7:30 PM
THURSDAY, JULY 2 - 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, JULY 3 - 2:00 PM (MATINEE PERFORMANCE)
SATURDAY, JULY 4 - 2:00 PM (CLOSING)
MEET THE CAST
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ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM
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(1904-1962) was born in Hassocks, Sussex, in 1904. He and his parents moved a short while later to Hove, where he spent his early years. He published his first novel, Craven House, in 1926 and within a few years had established a wide readership for himself. Despite personal setbacks and an increasing problem with drink, he was still able to write some of his best work. His plays include the thrillers Rope (1929) – on which Alfred Hitchcock’s film Rope was based – and Gaslight (1939), also successfully adapted for screen in the same year. He also wrote the historical drama The Duke in Darkness (1943). Among his novels are The Midnight Bell (1929), The Siege of Pleasure (1932), The Plains of Cement (1934), a trilogy entitled Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky (1935), Hangover Square (1941), and The Slaves of Solitude (1947). The Gorse Trilogy is made up of The West Pier, Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse, and Unknown Assailant, which were first published during the 1950s.
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has always been drawn to theatre for the chance to tell a story that moves and connects people, both to each other and to the storytellers. The daughter of director John Wright and novelist L.R. “Bunny” Wright, she grew up and began her career in Western Canada. In 1990 she and her sister, actor/producer Katey Wright, were co-founders of Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival (now Canada’s largest Shakespeare festival outside of Stratford). Johnna received her BA in Theatre from UBC, and MFA in Directing from the University of Alberta. With collaborator Aaron Bushkowsky, she then co-founded and ran Vancouver’s Solo Collective Theatre, premiering more than 25 new works by Western Canadian playwrights over nine years. Johnna is a two-time recipient of Vancouver’s Jessie Richardson Awards for both Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Production, as well as other directing awards. Directing projects include Much Ado About Nothing for Bard on the Beach (2025), Sheridan’s The Rivals for Blackbird Theatre in Vancouver, and Tomson Highway’s The (Post) Mistress, with himself as Musical Director, for Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre. As a dramaturg, Johnna has supported the development of dozens of new Canadian plays and playwrights. She also works as an editor for writers of long-form fiction and memoir. The Three Musketeers, Patty and Johnna’s next play after Deceived (originally titled Gaslight), is now in development. Johnna also wrote The Suspect, an adaptation of her mother’s novel of the same name. After the many complex challenges faced by live performance in recent years, Johnna believes more than ever in the power of theatre to change the way we see the world, and in the need for audiences to have that experience together.
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is an actor/singer/dancer/musician and teacher whose career has taken her to theatres across Canada, the U.S., and Germany. Notably, she has been a member of the Acting Ensemble at the Shaw Festival, Canada’s second largest repertory theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, for 26 seasons. There she has played roles in over 60 plays, including Ragtime, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Light in the Piazza, The Sea, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, Rope, Happy End, Cabaret, The Women, Major Barbara, and Pygmalion. Patty works with many local arts organizations in her hometown as producer, writer, and performer, and she teaches arts, music, and theatre for Brock University, Music Niagara, and Yellow Door Theatre Project. She received her M.Ed. in 2018 and has seen firsthand the power of supporting arts education for students at all levels, teaching in both of Canada’s official languages. Patty and Johnna continue to collaborate on various writing projects with an interest in bringing out voices that have often not been heard. They are extremely grateful for the support of their families, Playwrights Guild of Canada, Shaw Festival Artistic Director Tim Carroll, and their hardworking literary agent, Colin Rivers.
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For Dorset Theatre Festival: Slow Food by Wendy Macleod, Wait Until Dark, Misery, The Book Club Play, and Sidekicked by Kim Powers. Upcoming work includes: Cyrano (NYU); Hedda Gabler (Juilliard); A Christmas Story (Cleveland Play House); Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women adapted by Lauren Gunderson (Guthrie). Recent work includes: Art (American Players Theatre), King Lear (REP); Dial M for Murder (Gulfshore Playhouse); The Happiness Gym by Ken Weitzman (New Neighborhood newneighborhood.net and Theatre Lab), Hard Road to Heaven, a new country music musical - book by Willy Holtzman with music by Nashville’s Marty Dodson and David Spangler (Bucks County Playhouse); A Christmas Story (Cleveland Play House); Christina Anderson's the ripple, the wave that carried me home (world premiere co-production Berkeley Rep and Goodman Theatre); Lucy Thurber’s Transfers for Audible, MCC, and New York Stage & Film; These Paper Bullets! by Rolin Jones with music by Billie Joe Armstrong (New Neighborhood, Atlantic, Geffen, Yale Rep). Jackson also offers private acting and directing training. jacksongracegay.com MFA Directing Yale School of Drama.As a Director credits include: Huntington Theatre Company, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Cleveland Playhouse, Geva Theatre, Kitchen Theatre Company, SpeakEasy Stage, Company One, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Lyric Stage Company, Central Square Theatre, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, New Repertory Theatre, Boston Conservatory, Emerson College, and others.
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Joe Gery has worked extensively in theater with Caparelliotis Casting since 2014, as well as with Meredith Tucker Casting in film & television. His most recent theater credits include the Broadway productions of Good Night and Good Luck, Grey House, Ohio State Murders, Sam Gold's Macbeth, and The Minutes, as well as off-broadway productions at Signature Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, The Vineyard, and Ars Nova. Television credits include all three seasons of The White Lotus (HBO), Godfather of Harlem (EPIX), Ray Donovan (Showtime), and the final season of The Bold Type (Freeform).
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ADVISORY: TBA
RUNTIME: Deceived runs approximately 2 hours, including one 15-minute intermission.
DECEIVED is produced by Dorset Theatre Festival.
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Support for the 49th season is provided by Legacy Donors, the Rodgers Family Foundation, The James H. & Irene M. Hunter Charitable Trust, The Shubert Foundation, and the members of the Festival’s World Premiere Circle.
DECEIVED is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
NEWSROOM
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