Deceived At Maltz Jupiter Theatre Is a Lesson in Gaslighting With Gaby Tortoledo

By Britin Haller

“I love thrillers. Both as spectator and an actor,” enthuses Gaby Tortoledo who gets to explore it in Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s current play Deceived.

“There is so much to dig into and figure out. Both as an actor throughout the entire process, as an audience member for as long as the story takes to unfold. When done right they are, literally, thrilling to watch and perform,” she writes in a Q&A interview.

It’s a classic tale and in researching the role, she uncovered aspects of the heroine’s personality that were not addressed in the script.

“I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say this version shows a very different side of Bella than what audiences have seen in the previous iterations. Uncovering each layer and color was a wonderful process, expertly guided—or calibrated as she likes to say—by our director Marcia Milgrom Dodge,” she said.

But before the interview, is there a word more used, and less understood, in the last few years than gaslighting? You may have even said it yourself to a spouse, child, or friend in the heat of the moment when they left you feeling especially vulnerable, as in “Don’t you try to gaslight me!”

But the origin and true meaning of the term is a key theme in the play that Tortoledo must deal with in a play that continues her personal  rise that began in Venezuela but has thrived in South Florida.

The familiar psychological drama began with British playwright and novelist, Patrick Hamilton. In 1938, his psychological thriller Gas Light (two words), opened in London and only lasted six months, but inspired a number of reincarnations, one of which made it successfully on Broadway. A 1940 film version, by then called Gaslight, and another in 1944 starring Ingrid Bergman as the gaslightee, and Charles Boyer as the gaslighter, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and won Bergman the Oscar for Best Actress.

The phrase then faded into cultural obscurity until Gracie Allen on The Burns and Allen Show used it thusly “I’m really going to gaslight everybody by making perfect sense today.” Decades later in 1995, an article written by Maureen Dowd entitled “The Gaslight Strategy” made it into The New York Times.

And then suddenly pop culture became enamored and made gaslighting the sensation it is today.

But first, it’s important to know what gaslighting isn’t. Merriam-Webster defines it as “the act of psychologically manipulating someone over time to make them question their thoughts, memories, or reality.” That goes way deeper than just lying to your spouse so as to not get caught in an affair, or disagreeing with a friend about how a particular conversation happened.

At times, gaslighting from a true narcissist can be so sneaky and insidious, you may not even realize it’s happening until you’re in the full-blown thick of it. It’s one of their favorite tools in their toolbox.

Gaslighting is emotional abuse times ten and can happen anywhere. If you think you may be experiencing gaslighting, please reach out for help. You don’t have to live this way.

There are different levels of it, but true wicked and evil gaslighting requires premeditation. Just ask Bella, the wealthy heroine of Deceived, whose husband is doing everything within his power to destroy her mind with manipulative trickery. Why are all the gaslights dimming? she wonders.

Now running at the Maltz through Nov. 10th, this new adaptation of the classic story is written by Patty Jamieson and Johnna Wright and first premiered at a playwright’s festival in Ontario in 2022. The Maltz is presenting the U.S. premiere production of this gothic mystery-thriller that promises to leave audiences on the edge of their seats.

We caught up with Deceived’s lead actress who wrote down answers about her past and her role as Bella.

Tell us your background such as parents’ occupation, marital status, that darling baby of yours.
I am from Venezuela born and raised. My dad is an architect (he still runs his real-estate company there) and my mom is the Artistic Director of a Classical Ballet Foundation (also in Venezuela, and the reason I was in a tutu by age two). I lived in Caracas until I graduated from college (for Graphic Design and Business Administration). Moved to London in 2010 for grad school and that’s where I discovered my love for theater and decided to pivot careers. I did a small detour back to Venezuela because I reconnected with my hubby (Gabriel Delgado) at our five-year high school reunion and we’ve been together ever since. I used to attend summer camp in Boca Raton when I was younger so I always loved SoFlo and wanted to live here. So Gabriel and I made the move in August of 2012. I needed a student visa to stay here so I went back to college for Musical Theatre, and then grad school for my M.S in Interdisciplinary Arts Education and my MFA in Acting. After graduating from the latter in 2018 I’ve been very much enjoying working in this beautiful, vibrant community and all the varied opportunities it has to offer for stage and screen. As far as my son Kai, he was a huge surprise to all of us when we first learned about him (the first week of rehearsals for Slow Burn’s Honeymoon In Vegas) and thanks to him I got the role I never knew I wanted and would find so fulfilling: motherhood. He is a divinely joyful and charismatic little boy, who is already very well versed in the act of melodrama.

What drew you to acting in the first place?

I was very lucky to grow up surrounded by music, dance, and visual arts. Everyone in my family had an affinity for one or the other and, because my mom was a dancer, I spent most of my childhood either in dance class with her or binge watching TV while she was in class. The TV thing really changed my life! And as ill-advised as that is nowadays, thanks to all that bingeing I learned English (we had satellite TV) almost at the same time as I learned Spanish. It was also incredibly useful because, unknowingly, I was getting an intensive course in the American acting style and technique (as opposed to the highly stylized Telenovela style acting that monopolized Venezuelan programming). So, by the time I was 11 (and saw Titanic and was very much in love with Leo DiCaprio), I was convinced I was going to be an actor! I just had no idea how I was going to get there at the time.

What about acting spoke to you?

Ooh, this is a hard one because there is so much! I suppose the superficial answer was “being seen,” but digging deeper, the escapism that comes from embodying a character and telling a story different than your own. As I have grown as an actor, now, it is always the next challenge, and how much further the commitment and specificity of that character and story can be taken.

I believe you described Bella as your dream role. Why?
Well, I have professionally done two roles that are considered Principal roles (Sally Bowles in Cabaret and Betsy in Honeymoon), but this is definitely the most demanding role I have ever played. Why is this an absolute dream role? Well, I love period pieces (my husband jokes that every time I watch a period piece I start wearing period clothing on a regular basis… like to Publix!). My grandmother was English so I have always gravitated towards English period pieces, especially 1800s to early 1900s, and I don’t know if it’s because I love it or I love it because of it, but we (those periods and I) make a really nice fit! Additionally, Bella’s psychological journey in this version is astonishing! I don’t want to give anything away, but I just love her arc, and am so proud of everything she overcomes and the woman she walks off stage as at the end of the play

In preparing for this role, what was your process? And what is your process for other roles?

I try to get my hands of the material ASAP. My memory is pretty good but I like to get off book ASAP. Parallel to that I start looking for the psychological journey of the character, finding how we can relate to each other and where we are different. I will rehearse on my own daily before starting company rehearsals and if I find I am struggling to find something I will workshop it with my mentor Michael Leeds beforehand. This allows me to fully focus on collaborating with the director and the cast once we start working together, and have the freedom to really play and explore in the short weeks before opening.

What about this role was so appealing?
Aside from everything I mentioned before, the fact that this is a U.S. premiere of an adaptation of such a well-known classic. It being produced at The Maltz with a glorious creative team and fine production value doesn’t hurt either! Have I mentioned Bella wears three custom made wigs, and nine custom made Victorian costumes? The set is also a dream to live and breathe in, the detailing is exquisite!

What is your favorite role to date—aside from this one?
I played Jo March in the musical Little Women in college and Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility in grad school. I say they are tied as favorites in my heart. Unfortunately, because of the high production values that accurately depicting another period entails, period pieces are not as popular as I would hope. I’m eagerly waiting for the first South Florida company to do Emma by Kate Hamill, I’ve had my eye on that one for quite some time now, have even considered producing it myself.

What about your acting in Deceived will surprise your audiences?
The playwrights have done an amazing job at fleshing out a timeless Bella who is real and relatable. So I don’t know whether the audiences will be surprised by my rendition or not (I will share that I did surprise myself, and that was wonderful!), but I expect they will certainly be surprised by this Bella and how her story unfolds.

Do you have a day job?
Yes! I’m a theater professor at Nova Southeastern University and Miami Dade College. I also do freelance graphic design and marketing for several of our theatre organizations.

When you are not acting, what are your interests?
Bingeing TV has been my lifelong friend and continues to be (only now I get to call it research and write it off as a tax deduction). And since Kai came into our lives, nothing makes me happier than spending time with my little family and making that kid laugh!

Do you prefer comedy or drama roles?
Both! They each have their unique challenges and I am fascinated by both equally. A local artistic director asked me recently what roles I would like to do, and I said “contemporary comedy or period drama” I’ve been very lucky this year to have done both back to back!

Britin Haller is a mystery author and an editor for Turner Publishing. Her latest short story “So Many Shores in Crookland” can be read in the 150th issue of Black Cat Weekly. Britin’s latest edit, a cozy mystery novel called Dumpster Dying is by Michelle Bennington and available where books are sold. Find Britin across social media.

Deceived plays through November 10 at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, 1001 East Indiantown Road, Jupiter. Shows are nightly Tues-Fri @ 7:30 p.m. and Sat @ 8 p.m. Wed, Sat and Sun matinee at 2 p.m. Limited tickets still available. Running time approx. 110 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. Tickets starting at $74. Call 561-575-2223, or visit jupitertheatre.org.