Tristan (Andy Kalirai–Gemini, 2025 Monsoon Festival)and Connie (Paige Louter–The Wolves—Jessie nomination for Outstanding Production)sign up for a clinical trial testing a new dopamine-regulating antidepressant.
As doses increase, so does their attraction. But as desire intensifies and side effects ripple through the study, one unsettling question emerges: “is this love or is placebo or chemical effect or just chemistry?
The Effect explores notions of mental health and how medications can effect or alter perceptions of understanding how the mind works. It also looks at how attachment and attraction are related.
The play shows how the two participants of the clinical trials relate to each other but also how the doctors relate to them and their peers. The doctors are played by Meghan Gardiner (Dissolve—850+ performances across North America; screen: Motherland, The Good Doctor, Supergirl), and Anthony Santiago(Stratford Festival, The Citadel, Arts Club; screen: Sonic the Hedgehog, Motherland: Fort Salem) lead the luminary ensemble.
The play is very dynamic and entertaining, funny and intense. The actors are brilliant playing and brilliant script written by Lucy Prebble an Emmy-winning writer of HBO’s Succession.
The play is also about a relationship between Rumble Theatre and ITSAZOO who produced this play in collaboration and with partnership with the Culch at its historic theatre where it runs until October 25th.
Underlying the success of this play is it’s director Jiv Parasram. “We’re inviting audiences to experience the trial as fly-on-the-wall witnesses—close enough to feel every doubt, every dopamine spike, and the hard questions about consent and control, while the doctors log the data and the dose climbs,” says Parasram.
Rumble Theatre creates, presents, and produces contemporary performance. Working in a decentralized collective model, Rumble is committed to prioritizing projects and initiatives that utilize art to expand collective imagination, collaboration, and build a deeper understanding of relationality and community.
ITSAZOO Productions creates immersive, dynamic theatre events for daring audiences. Based in Vancouver, ITSAZOO is known for its award-winning, site-specific productions that invite spectators to step directly into the world of the play. Guided by core values of Immersion, Challenge, Fun, Integrity, and Community, the company produces everything from fly-on-the-wall indoor dramas to participatory outdoor adventures. Audiences don’t just watch an ITSAZOO show – they experience it, living through the story alongside the performers. From gripping modern tales to reimagined classics, ITSAZOO consistently delivers theatre that is bold, engaging, and unlike anything else in the city.
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