Review: Contemporary American Theater Festival's SHEEPDOG A Gritty, Moving Tour-de-Force

OK, so maybe police procedurals aren't your style when it comes to playgoing. Or maybe the ongoing agony, the daily drumbeat of young black men dying needlessly at the hands of law enforcement, has left you emotionally spent. Sometimes, there's simply too much to take in.

But there is a raw necessity in watching a singular performer, who grabs you by the scruff of the neck and shakes you to your core: someone who inspires compassion and understanding, and whose character reminds you of the messiness of the unfinished work that lays before us. "Sheepdog," one of the six productions on offer at this year's Contemporary American Theater Festival, gives you a rare opportunity.

Sarah Ellen Stephens delivers a passionate, nuanced performance as Amina, a black Cleveland police officer whose relationship with a fellow, white officer is dealt a huge blow when a late-night confrontation with a suspect leads to a shooting, under murky circumstances. The couple's commitment to each other and to their diverse community is challenged at every turn, and playwright Kevin Artigue does an admirable job of laying out the complexities, leaving enough room for all of us to contemplate how easily even the best of intentions can implode.

Stephens guides us flawlessly through the dawn, full flight and decline of her character's love affair, as she jumps backward and forward in time to show us the full extent of the tragedy that has befallen them. Claire Deliso's simple, modular set enables Stephens to own the entire Studio 112 space, making direct eye-contact with everyone and leaving nobody free from her probing, but vulnerable gaze.

As Ryan, Amina's partner in the force and in life, Doug Harris gives us the simple yearning to be more than just a good person, but to be a healer, who actually makes life better and safer for everyone. Given his white-bread upbringing, in a bigoted household in a bigoted small Ohio town, he knows he has some work to do; but even his desire to set things right is no match for the hardened culture of the Blue Line, in which officers systematically cover for each other, lying and planting evidence as needed, no matter what. All it takes is one incident, and one cover-up, to leave everything in ruins.

The thing is, both officers, both Amina and Ryan, understand the need to go along with this conceit, to some extent. We know that law enforcement has to deal with the worst society has to offer, and has to clean up the mess we have all created through our neglect, our willful ignorance of the needs of others, and our systematic refusal to do what's needed in order to truly level our society's playing field. The need for cops to rally to each others' defenses, and to regard the rest of society as an adversary, is a direct result of our willful neglect of society's needs.

Watching Artigue's "Sheepdog," your heart will break; but you'll be grateful for being here to witness Stephens' stellar work. And if you're open to it, you might come away with a deeper understanding of what needs to be done.

Production Photo: Sarah Ellen Stephens and Doug Harris in Sheepdog by Kevin Artigue. Photo by Seth Freeman.

Running Time: 90 minutes without Intermission.

Sheepdog runs as a part of the Contemporary American Theatre Festival, through July 31 in Studio 112 at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

For tickets visit https://catf.org/buy-tickets/ . You can also email the box office at boxoffice@catf.org or call them at 681-240-2283.

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