Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended

"...Clark also has the benefit of two fine and vulnerable performances, each residing firmly in the present. Sheppard nearly twists herself into a pretzel to go on this character's journey and come out the other side. But it's actually Schad who has the hardest job: we intuit early on that he is going to be a problem, but he commands enough mystery to inject tension and enough sympathy to prevent anybody going directly to their default position. It's a quietly superb piece of acting at the core of a piece of Chicago theater that all of the parties involved in police reform in this city, from the Mayor on down, should sit down and watch together."
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Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Directed with care by Wardell Julius Clark, the setup is as poetic and terse as a good headline: Amina (Leslie Ann Sheppard) and Ryan (Drew Schad) are interracial partners on the Cleveland police force who eventually become partners in life. When Ryan pulls over and shoots a Black citizen, however, Amina finds herself pulled in myriad directions while her white, male partner leans into her for support and affirmation."
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Windy City Times - Highly Recommended

"...Under the direction of Wardell Julius Clark, Leslie Ann Sheppard and Drew Schad resist their well-made play's potential reduction to symposial disputation, instead navigating Artigue's eloquent dialogue to deliver exemplary performances steeped in discovery commanding our attention amid the never-seen, but vividly invoked, environment conjured by Christopher Kriz and Smooch Medina, whose on-point replications of crime-scene footage forever dispel the myth of cameras never lying."
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Chicago On the Aisle - Recommended

"...“Sheepdog” is not a happily-ever-after story. It’s a fleeting moment on the mean streets, a compound calamity. Ryan’s ultimate justification for pulling the trigger may echo both intrinsic fear and conditioned racism. But the play’s slice of societal malignancy strikes me as too thin for compelling theater. It is more like a neatly molded and packaged political statement. It is too abrupt for tragedy, too slight to match up with the scale of human drama."
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Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended

"...Under the astute and meticulous direction of Wardell Julius Clark' Sheepdog,' a heart-pounding story of the discourse of the men and women in blue was brought to an intimate stage. There is no disputation; instead, there's Artigue's well-expressed dialogue told through one person so there wouldn't be any confusion. Clark, who has a wide range of directorial talent, who directed "Hoodoo Love" at Raven's Theatre, and will soon be directing "Kill Move Paradise" at Timeline Theatre, continues to show the audience why he's a rising star."
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Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Impressive, timely, and provocative, the Chicago premiere of "Sheepdog" is nothing short of amazing! Meticulously scripted by Kevin Artigue and expertly directed by Wardell Julius Clark, this intense 90-minute roller coaster ride of emotions will leave you breathless."
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NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"..."Sheepdog" is a show for Chicago, a play that shows us the ugly truth of the world in no uncertain terms. It's a show that speaks truth to power in an age when power rarely speaks the truth. Luckily Chicagoland has directors like Wardell Julius Clark, who not only proudly raise those truths up but specialize in doing so. Clark's work has shown us time and again how to evoke powerful sentiment between two people while never minimizing the messages of the show. Unlike Sydney Lynne Thomas' brilliant scenic design, these characters can't get away with compartmentalizing."
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Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended

"...Kevin Artigue’s riveting drama is being given a must-see Chicago premiere production by one of Chicago’s finest ensemble-driven theatre companies. Under the deft direction of Wardell Julius Clark, and starring two of the Windy City’s most talented and charismatic actors, this is a truly unforgettable theatrical experience, sadly based upon so many news stories, that support the compassionate plea that Black Lives Matter."
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The Fourth Walsh - Highly Recommended

"...The storytelling is intriguing. The acting is superb. And Director Wardell Julius Clark masterfully unravels this relationship story with a messy authenticity. SHEEPDOG is a perspective to understand."
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Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended

"...Clark's direction is absolutely crucial to the timing and movement of Sheepdog. Both actors are capable but Sheppard's performance is stunning. She speaks, gestures and moves as if she's been a cop forever. Her performance is nuanced and emotive, as she struggles to make sense of her love for Ryan and her realization that perhaps she is not always black before she's blue."
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The Hawk Chicago - Recommended

"...There’s no doubt, though, that this production is hugely impactful. “You’re black before you’re blue,” Amina explains to Ryan when questions why she frequently brings up race. Classifying people or systems into wolves or sheep (or in this case, sheepdogs) ignores the oppression and discrimination ingrained within our society, and Shattered Globe Theatre’s Sheepdog illiuminates this with a story you won’t soon forget"
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Storefront Rebellion - Highly Recommended

"...Playwright Kevin Artigue complicates the narrative around a police shooting and cover-up in Sheepdog, a 2019 drama that's now onstage in a fascinating Chicago premiere at Shattered Globe. But while Artigue's plot hinges on the shooting (which isn't directly depicted), his play deals more directly with the complicated nature of modern policing culture. Oh, and it's also a smart and engaging love story."
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Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...We’re barely halfway through January, and I have already seen a play that feels destined to be one of the best shows of the year. Shattered Globe Theatre’s production of Kevin Artigue’s Sheepdog is a challenging, provocative, timely two-hander that moves beyond the headlines to examine the personal and professional costs of the terrifying and divisive national epidemic of young black men being killed by police officers."
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PicksInSix - Highly Recommended

"...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.”"
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Picture This Post - Highly Recommended

"...SHEEPDOG leaps directly onto the third rail of race in America.For this viewer, all involved in this production – the author, the director and the cast – succeed without electrocuting themselves. Blending personal and public issues boldly but without sensationalism, the result is a complex story about America’s stubborn racial divide."
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