Review: Verb Theatre’s THE STARLING EFFECT exposes the science of self-preservation

As both a science and arts major, I was keenly interested in how this performance aimed to blend these worlds together. The world premiere of ‘The Starling Effect’ was highly anticipated, riding on the wings of its 2022 Alberta Playwrights Network Novitiate Prize win. The show pushes theatre boundaries by blending science fiction, polycules, professional ambition, and animal behaviour to tell the story of four, hopelessly intertwined characters.

We are first introduced to our scientific pioneers, Ravonna and Dr. Beetle in an immersive public disclosure of their ground-breaking research. It is clear from the start that something is not quite right with Ravonna and we spend the remainder of the show trying to understand what physical and mental affliction is haunting her. The use of scientific innovation to transport the audience into the memories of the characters was a great way to present these relationships in a non-linear fashion, and make the audience work to understand the history among them.

I am a fan of the Netflix series ‘Black Mirror’, so I appreciated the use of cutting edge technology to reveal a darker side of human nature and just how far we would go to survive and protect those we love. The cast did a fantastic job of jumping quickly from memory to memory in a way that tugged the audience along for an increasingly chaotic journey. Through the writing, Lara Schmitz was able to provide just enough context for the audience to piece together each character’s relationship, but kept it ambiguous enough that we had to work to understand the outcome of each action in a disjointed way. I really appreciated that she gave the audience that chance to flex some mental muscles, although another audience member confided that they felt lost in the story and never really understood the events and what eventually unfolded. 

I would recommend this show for anyone with an interest in science, especially the study of consciousness and behavioural psychology, and enjoy the challenge of solving a mystery. Since the journey of these characters is tied directly to the narrative framework, I won’t go into any detail about the content, but just say that if you are a fan of films like ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’, ‘Ex Machina’, and ‘Transcendence’, you will enjoy this show.

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