Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Writer: Shaira Berg
Director: Arianna Muñoz
“Intriguing Concept”
3 / 5
When University student Scarlet is assaulted after a party she is in shock – devastated that someone close to her would do something so unthinkable. While assault is traditionally invisible trauma, Gaslight explores what it could be like if this trauma was a physical wound on display for everyone to see, understand and be confronted with.
The concept of Shaira Berg’s imaginative narrative is an intriguing one – sexual assault is often explored in shows but never normally with a metaphorical lens such as this. Taking the psychological impact of assault and displaying it as a bleeding wound automatically captures the audience, a bold exploration into unpicking attitudes and reactions towards trauma, both from the victim themselves and others they confide in around them. Berg uses this metaphor well to put her point across, broaching the subject of assault head on yet sensitively. The choice to not showcase the abuse itself is a successful one – not only removing a potential trigger for an audience, but also to keep the focus more on the aftermath rather than the act itself. It is also powerful having a partner as the person committing the sexual assault as opposed to a stranger – taking away a lot of the ambiguity and ‘what if’s’ that often arise from unknown predators and instead making the narrative unflinchingly realistic.
At points, the show could be pushed further, the subject matter is strong and important, so including more dialogue surrounding the aftermath, and removing the sub-plot of the boyfriend’s infidelity would work better in honing in on the message and really elaborating on the ripple effect of assault as well as the process of trying to come to terms with and repair the internal pain that the victim has suffered. Another aspect that could be improved on for future performances is the flow of each scene. The cast leave and return to the stage multiple times throughout the 60-minute show which slightly diminishes the suspense and tension that is built throughout previous encounters. Finding a way to interlink each scene to reduce the ‘stop start’ nature of the show would really help to strengthen the performance and add depth to the drama.
The young cast work well on stage together – George Prentice (Tate) effectively conveys the misogynistic villain well, and Shaira Berg (Scarlet) cleverly showcases the confusion, distress and struggle of experiencing sexual assault within her character. An intriguing way to dissect the aftermath of abuse within a sensitively broached debut script.
Runs until 20 August 2023
RatedReviewed 
Completed… 😘
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