The Effect
The Effect is a 2012 play by Lucy Prebble that delves into the complexities of love, depression, and the influence of neuroscience.
Set in a clinic where paid volunteers participate in pharmaceutical drug trials, the story follows Tristan, a boisterously flirty Ulsterman, and Connie, a bright psychology student.
As they take ever stronger dosages, they are closely monitored by a psychiatrist, Lorna, and another doctor, Toby. Despite the clinical setting, Tristan and Connie begin to fall in love, raising the question: is their newfound passion instinctive or a byproduct of dopamine?
reviews
The Guardian
“It’s an absorbing, if slightly diagrammatic, drama immaculately directed by Rupert Goold”
The Telegraph
” Billie Piper, an actress with an amazing ability to tap into deep and apparently entirely spontaneous emotion, is superb as the drugs triallist awaking to love”
The Arts Desk
“Billie Piper and Jonjo O’Neill deliver beautifully contrasting performances as Connie and Tristan”
