Theatre Students to Present Suspense Thriller “Gaslight” at SCF, Manatee-Sarasota

Studio 84 Productions at State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) will present “Angel Street (Gaslight)” in April at the David S. and Anne V. Howard Studio Theatre at SCF Bradenton, 5840 26th St. W. Performances will be at 8 p.m. April 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22; and at 2 p.m. April 23.

The suspense thriller “Angel Street” by Patrick Hamilton was first produced on Broadway and later filmed twice under the title “Gaslight.” The 1944 movie starring Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman and Joseph Cotton was nominated for seven Academy Awards and garnered Bergman the Oscar for Best Actress.

The play tells the story of the Manninghams, who live on Angel Street in New York in 1880. Mr. Manningham is slowly driving his wife to the edge of madness by sowing seeds of doubt that cause her to question reality. The term “gaslighting” has come into modern use as a word that means to manipulate someone by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.

The Studio 84 Production is directed by Amanda Schlachter and the cast includes SCF students Rosemarie Messina-Adam, Anthony Hartmann, Nick Catanzara, Melanie Waters, Connee Therieau, and Samuel Echevarria Jr. General admission is $12; students and SCF employees, $6. Tickets, which go on sale April 4, can be purchased by calling the box office at 941-752-5252. The Howard Studio Theatre is in Building 11 West, off 60th Avenue West between 26th and 34th streets, accessible from parking lot I. Maps and directions are online at scf.edu/maps.