If you’ve ever questioned your reality of a situation based on someone else’s account of it, you may have been “gaslit.” In 2022, Merriam-Webster crowned “gaslighting” as the Word of the Year, defined as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage.” Its origin reaches back over 80 years to a tense stage thriller: Gaslight, written in 1938 by British novelist and playwright Patrick Hamilton.

Set in a Victorian London home, the plot centers on a woman whose husband is subtly undermining her grasp on reality, insisting that the strange occurrences she notices – footsteps in the attic, missing items, the dimming of the gas lights – are all figments of her imagination.

An immediate success in London, and later, on Broadway, Gaslight’s suspenseful structure moved to film, first in a 1940 British version, followed by the more famous Hollywood in 1944.

Fast-forward to 2024, when playwrights Johnna Wright and Patty Jamieson revisited and adapted Hamilton’s classic through a modern lens. While faithful to the suspense and period setting, Deceived makes deliberate changes to reflect contemporary conversations about believing lived experiences, relationship manipulation, self-sufficiency, and resilience. Lean in, pay attention, and watch the gaslights. Are they dimming or are your eyes playing tricks on you?

Almost, Maine is a romantic comedy play consisting of a series of interconnected vignettes exploring love, loss, and human connection in a small, imaginary town in Northern Maine that is so far north, it’s almost not in the U.S. Set in the titular town on a cold wintry night, as the northern lights hover in the sky above, the play is structured in two acts consisting of multiple short scenes, each focusing on different characters experiencing moments of love, heartbreak, or revelation.

The show blends humor, magical realism, and emotional insight, sometimes being compared to The Twilight Zone. Characters confront misunderstandings, confess feelings, or experience sudden emotional shifts, all under the mystical influence of the aurora borealis.

Written by John Cariani, the play premiered in 2004 and became a major success. It offers a sweetness and decency that’s become a welcome breath of fresh air, delighting audiences worldwide.