The Effect at Commonweal Theatre Company

When Connie and Tristan meet as patients in a clinical trial, they are pulled together by magnetic chemistry, skyrocketing dopamine, and a rush of endorphins. As their relationship develops at break-neck speed, the validity of their feelings for each other comes into question. Is their connection organic, or can it be attributed to a side effect within their antidepressant? The pharmaceutical team controlling the trial debate the illicit nature of Connie and Tristan's relationship, leading them to examine the ethics of the trial itself. This mind-bending play examines the uncertainty of love, the terrifying wasteland of depression, and the limitations of neuroscience.