The Effect
A play about love, dopamine, and what we choose to believe.
The Effect follows Connie and Tristan, two young volunteers who fall for each other during a month-long clinical drug trial testing an experimental antidepressant. As their feelings intensify, so does the question at the heart of the play: is what they feel real, or is it chemistry? Their relationship puts pressure on the two doctors overseeing the trial, Dr. Lorna James and Dr. Toby Sealey, whose own fraught history begins to surface alongside the ethical crisis unfolding in front of them.
Sharp, funny, and quietly devastating, The Effect asks what love actually is, and whether the answer changes anything.
RÈVEAL. Theatre Amsterdam's production of The Effect by Lucy Prebble is currently in preparation, with performances planned for spring 2027 in Amsterdam.
Crew call is open. If you are interested in joining our team, you can register your interest using the form below.
The Effect premiered at the National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre in London in November 2012, co-produced by Headlong and directed by Rupert Goold. The original cast featured Billie Piper as Connie and Jonjo O'Neill as Tristan.
The Play (2012)
The play was revived at the National's Lyttelton Theatre in 2023, directed by Jamie Lloyd, with Taylor Russell and Paapa Essiedu in the lead roles. That production transferred to The Shed in New York City in 2024, cementing the play's status as one of the defining works of contemporary British theatre.
The Revival (2023)
Ezmeralda Sallaku is a Greek film & theatre actor and director based in the Netherlands.
Ezmeralda is a highly artistic person. Her love for theatre and storytelling flows from her Greek blood, a land where theatre is a strong part of cultural life and where she first stepped onto the stage.
After moving to Amsterdam, she has spent the past four years training in acting and production.
Alongside theatre, she has directed a documentary and produced short films.
This will be the first year Ezmeralda directs with RÈVEAL. Theatre Amsterdam, with its focus on the stage, where theatre creates a more direct and deeper human connection.