The Mark presented by Babes With Blades Theatre at The Edge Theatre

Chicago Reader - Recommended

"...Directed by Richard Costes, The Mark fulfills its mission, presenting the trickiest of balancing acts between action and moral quandary in a divided world. Raina (MJ Handsome) is up for her military evaluation in a postapocalyptic and authoritarian outpost. Handsome transmits an inspiring mix of youthful optimism and feisty resistance to restrictive norms. But Raina's father, Jonas (Tamarus Harvell), seems to have only the worker bee instincts to protect her. As an elder existing in the system they are in, he knows the options are few. You're either a no-status laborer or a military officer abusing power in the name of security. If that's the only choice, then the game is already rigged."

Stage and Cinema - Recommended

"...Babes With Blades, a theatre company that uses stage combat to create striking, thought-provoking theatre, presents a world premiere production at the Edge Theatre in Edgewater. Ensemble member Jillian Leff's The Mark is a dystopian drama that examines a society that descended into martial law in the aftermath of unspecified events that have destroyed society as we know it. In the chaos of surviving humanity, those with militaristic skills have risen to take charge and as is usual in these situations, once power has been obtained it is not yielded and in the present time of the play, the country has stayed in stasis for multiple generations after control was first yielded to the army."

Buzz Center Stage - Highly Recommended

"...THE MARK is set in a post-apocalyptic dystopian stratocracy. The Mark decides who gets how much of the strictly rationed food and other essentials. Obviously. members of the Army who have earned The Mark are entitled to special benefits, highly valued in this hardscrabble society."

The Fourth Walsh - Recommended

"...The future is divided. The military oppress. The laborers submit. Raina works for her dad at the district bakery. They fulfill ration orders for the community. When soldiers harass a local woman, defiance bubbles up in Raina. She questions everything... their right to persecute, her father's passive attitude, and her own conflicted future. Does she join The Selected in power or unite the laborers by resisting? THE MARK showcases class division and authoritarian reign in a dystopian society."

Third Coast Review - Recommended

"...The lights come up and a fight begins. A Recruit chooses to fight an officer as a test of her fitness to join the Army. Members of the Army look on, pounding poles and feet as they add intensity to the scene. Army members wear motley uniforms but all have The Mark, an upside down capital Y slashed in red across their faces."