PicksInSix Review: SHEEPDOG Shattered Globe Theatre
“THERE IS AN EXPLANATION FOR EVERYTHING.”
Kevin Artigue’s compelling “Sheepdog” is set mostly in a suburban home in Cleveland. It’s 2017, and the two central figures in the gritty drama—Amina (Leslie Ann Sheppard), an African-American woman, and Ryan (Drew Schad), a white man—are both patrol cops and partners for the Cleveland Division of Police. Amina narrates the story of the relationship between the two in Shattered Globe Theatre’s Chicago premiere production, which is directed by Wardell Julius Clark and opened Sunday at Theater Wit.
What starts out as a love story quickly turns into a complex reflection of urban life on the streets. “Sheepdog” refers to the relationship of law enforcement to the wolves and the sheep. Ryan points out that their line of work requires a mix of wolf and sheep, a viewpoint that he gleaned from veterans in the department. Amina, who has considerably more time on the job, thinks Ryan has a lot of work to do. As the story progresses, and as their relationship blossoms, she wonders if he is sincere and whether she can trust him.
The tragic consequences of split-second decisions is central to this murky mystery story and involves a startling juxtaposition of the characters in it. The drama hinges on truthfulness—to ourselves and everyone around us—and the capacity of human beings to know right from wrong, understand ethics and morals, and use all the rest of those acquired skills we learn from an early age and that form the basis of who we are. “Sheepdog” offers a lot of gray area to explore, and director Clark artfully taps into Artigue’s fierce narrative and the notion that “there is an explanation for everything.”
For those in positions of authority—which includes cops right up to the top of the criminal justice system—the path is clear. There is extensive training for all situations, regulations to follow and, above all, respect for the system, the personnel in it and the public at large…but it is not enough.
So, when Ryan shoots and kills a young black man after a routine traffic stop, Amina recognizes that in an instant, something has changed in their relationship. It is her empathy for the victim—and Sheppard’s fine balance between courageous will, loving compassion and hopelessness—that drives her forward to discover the painful truth about the man she loved. Schad finds both the tender path into the relationship and the equally powerful unravelling of a man haunted by guilt and remorse.
The versatile scenic design by Sydney Lynne Thomas—with lighting by Jason Lynch and projections by Smooch Medina—keep pace with the spatial requirements of the piece, which shifts in time and place. There are other voices, heard but unseen, courtesy of sound designer Christopher Kriz, that add a chilling dimension to the story, but it is the unheard voice of the victim that you will be thinking about on the way home.
PHOTOS|Lowell Thomas
SHATTERED GLOBE THEATRE
Chicago Premiere
SHEEPDOG
through February 29, 2020
THEATER WIT
1229 W. Belmont Ave.
(773) 975-8150
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