A Cool Dip offers glimpses into the lives of Abebe, a young Ethopian man with a passion for the unlikely combination of Christianity and ecology, and the family that houses him during his college studies in Maryland. Through their interactions, the play uncompromisingly tackles the issues of drought and social injustice, combining a realistic evocation of human emotion with the fantastical to bring attention to the scarcity of something we so often take for granted: water.

Reviews of A Cool Dip in the Barren Saharan Crick: 

“Ms. Corthron can write lively, spiky and funny dialogue and create reasonably lifelike characters. Abebe in particular is compellingly drawn, endearing and exasperating in equal measures.”
–The New York Times

“…when the play is waxing its most lyrical, whether about activism of the environmental or evangelical varieties, it’s one of the most refreshing of the season to date.”
–Talkin’ Broadway

“Half family drama and half sociopolitical exposé, Cool Dip makes the socialand ecological issues surrounding water both compelling and fascinating, shedding new light on this most basic of necessities.”
–Show Business

Photo by Carol Rosegg