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For two weeks in September, the Town Players of New Canaan will present “The Effect” – a production that Patricia Spugani, co-president of TPNC, calls “intellectually and emotionally challenging.”
“The Effect” centers on two volunteers, Tristan and Connie, who fall in love during a clinical trial for a dopamine-based antidepressant. Their romance disrupts the trial, leaving their doctors, Dr. James and Dr. Toby, to grapple with ethical questions about their work. The play explores questions about sanity, love, and the limits of medicine.
“It blends ethics, romance, and neuroscience into one play,” Spugani said.
The play’s director, Tyler Small—who some may recognize as Andy Dufresne in the TPNC production of “The Shawshank Redemption”—said, “It’s a really important story living in today’s age.
He added: “I think it’s really important. It touches on love – there’s two different types of love stories – both platonic and romantic, but it also touches on the ethics of medical and scientific research. There’s a lot of universal themes. I think there’s something for everybody in this. There’s touching moments, there are sad moments, and the whole time it’s asking important questions.”
Performances will run for two weeks, from Sept. 4 to 14, at the Powerhouse Theatre in Waveny.
Small said he’s excited “to do a show that is a little bit different than I think what places around here do – I think there’s a hunger for it.”
Though mostly in acting or producing roles, Small decided to take on the role of director for this play.
“I have a limited background in directing. I have only directed at one small event prior to this,” Small said. “This is my first full-length directorial moment. I directed at a 24 hour playfest in Brewster, New York, once before, but I’ve been producing shows since 2023.”
After years in other roles, Small sought more control and direction over his work.
“You want to put your stamp on things,” he said.
TPNC’s tagline for this season is “something for everyone,” Spugani said. “Tyler proposed doing this play. We thought that it was an intriguing story that would be current in that it was written in 2012. It is an award-winning play by a contemporary playwright and we thought it would be a good addition to our season to do something that was a little challenging.”
She added: “Some people might call it edgy. It is a love story, but it also deals with themes that have a little bit more substance to them than just romantic comedy.”
The play is said to be provocative and present questions about the ethics of medicine,” she said. “It is contemporary in terms of its relevance, because as a society, we get more and more reliant on medications for our health. This play raises questions about medication for mental wellness.”
Ultimately, the decision to pursue this production connects back to TPNC’s mission statement, according to Spugani.
“Like other community theaters, we are community focused, but we want to be artistically bold. Our mission statement is to create exceptional theatrical experiences that inspire, challenge, and connect to people of all ages. We do that in a nurturing and vibrant community through storytelling, education, and artistic collaboration. Within that context, we believe that it’s important to offer varied plays and various stories,” she said.
The production is currently in the rehearsal stage with a month until curtain call.
“Auditions went awesome,” Small said. “I was shocked at the level of talent we got. I know that there’s obviously a lot of talent in this area, but I know that theaters have trouble getting a lot of younger people to come out for a lot of the shows. I was blown away by the talent of people I had never seen before and I think it’s a testament to the fact that some of these people wanted to do newer and more interesting modern plays as far as rehearsals go.”
He continued: “We’ve been in rehearsal for two weeks and they’ve been going really well. We spent the first week really just doing text work, diving into each scene, motivations, thoughts on characters, finding moments. Now this week, we got a chance to put it on its feet a little bit, which is nice. We’re in the space full time now on the stage, moving around and it’s been a really, really great time. It’s a new experience for me, so it’s been really exciting.”
“The Effect” will be the first show of TPNC’s 79th season and the 42nd year of the Powerhouse.
People can enjoy the show Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm or the Sunday matinee at 2 pm.
The play deals with more adult subject matter than the average play at the Powerhouse.
“It’s not appropriate for children because it has adult themes and should be considered adult performance,” Spugani said.
Despite the suggested audience of this production, TPNC will be presenting other plays throughout the year that will be geared to larger audiences – including children.
“We are doing a dark comedy, and then we’re doing ‘Charlotte’s Web’ for the holidays, which is certainly a family show and then we’re doing a classic period comedy called ‘One Man Two Governors,’ ” Spugani said.
Following those productions, TPNC is also slated to perform “The Father,” a mental drama, and “Once,” which is a charming musical love story.
To see “The Effect,” tickets are currently on sale at TPNC.org