Mad Horse Theatre Company Presents THE EFFECT by Lucy Prebble

Mad Horse Theatre Company presents The Effect by Lucy Prebble, directed by company member Christine Marshall. A witty, thoughtful exploration of the nature of love and the treatment of depression, The Effect runs January 9 - 26, 2020 at Mad Horse Theatre, 26 Mosher Street, South Portland, ME.

When two volunteers for an antidepressant clinical trial start to feel the tell-tale signs - sweaty hands, thumping hearts - they know they have fallen for each other hard. Or are their bodies processing a chemical romance? The question at the heart of The Effect is one for our medicated time: is love the sum of our chemical selves or something more? Four characters, two participants in the trial and two supervising doctors with a collective past, are center stage in this investigation of the brain and mood chemistry.

The cast includes company members Jake Cote, Allison McCall and Mark Rubin, and guest artist, Amanda Eaton. The crew includes Janice Gardner (Production Manager), Chris Defillip (Lighting), Savannah Irish (Costume Design), Caitlin Wold (Set Design/Tech Direction), and Christine Marshall (Prop Design).

"The Effect is a profound and beautiful play about love and feeling: their creation, endurance, and incalculable costs." - Tim Teeman - Daily Beast

"...[a] funny and heartbreaking play...a knotty drama, dealing with scientific objectivity, guilt, the mysteries of the human heart and brain and what makes us who we are, wrapped up in a deceptively simple and constantly entertaining package" - The Guardian (UK)

Director Marshall says: "Lucy Prebble's smart and slyly witty script presents a wonderful challenge to the actors, asking them to balance and convey all the emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual intentions that can be at work in the seemingly simplest of interactions. While we as humans are always working from a simultaneous array of perspectives when we communicate, this play, by adding the possible effects of an artificial enhancement to that complicated stew, really compels us to examine just how many intentions can live within just three short words: 'I love you.'"

Lucy Prebble writes for film, television, games and theater. She is probably best known for her play Enron, about the infamous corporate fraud. She often writes for TV in the U.K. and the U.S. and is the co-executive producer and writer for the HBO series, "Succession." She was head screenwriter for Bungie's first-person shooter video game, Destiny.

The Effect runs January 9-26, 2020, at the Mad Horse Theater in the historic Hutchins School, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland.

Performance times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, and Sunday afternoons at 2 pm. There will be an Opening Night Reception immediately following the Friday, January 10 performance. Everyone is invited to stay after the show, enjoy light snacks, and mingle with the cast, crew, and fellow theatre lovers.

A Talkback is scheduled for Sunday, January 19, immediately following the 2pm matinee. This is an opportunity to discuss the play with the director and actors.

Tickets are $23 for adults and $20 for seniors. If you are under 25, tickets are pay-what-you-can for all performances. Pay-what-you-can dates for The Effect are Thursdays, January 9 and 16 and Sunday, January 12. Pay-what-you-can tickets are only available at the door on a first come, first served basis.

Reservations are strongly recommended. Purchase tickets online at www.madhorse.com or call 747-4148 for more information. Please call for group rates.