A fascinating and rich play that tells the story of a heartbreaking experience where hope and strength continue on through the worst. Well done.

Abbey writes fascinating self-contained little worlds whose rules slowly, and often devastatingly, reveal themselves over time. This piece is no different, merging both history and her own unique voice. It is both darkly comic and irreverent. And let's not forget: devastating.

I had the pleasure of seeing SICKLE at Red Theatre in Chicago. Fenbert takes on a difficult, important topic, but does so through skillful characterization and plotting rather than didactic docudrama. The fact that she does so with an all female cast makes the play that much more commendable. But what I'm going to take away from the play is its realistic portrayal of these people in an impossible situation. Fenbert finds a way to make a satisfying script out of an unbearable topic, with sardonic humor, a Slavic sensibility, and politics based in human beings' suffering.