Violence is not an easy subject to tackle onstage. Although it takes many forms, violence is deeply personal in nature, affecting people in very specific ways. With Copperhead last October, Karen Sherman delved into the dark world of a cult-like colony, transforming all of the Southern Theater—stage and audience seating alike—into a sort of purgatory where humanity's darkest impulses played out in small yet significant ways amongst a cast of lost souls. Time passed in a different, deliberate manner over the course of the show, and familiar performers took on personas that made them unfamiliar and even unsettling. Sherman is one of the most daring and insightful artists working in our community, and she creates work that is not only relevant to our time but memorable—even if the memories are the sort we feel uncomfortable keeping.