Sarcophagus: A Tragedy

Set in an isolation clinic receiving victims of the explosion at the nuclear power station in Chernobyl, this moving play -- which has been performed in the United States and England as well as the USSR -- takes us to the center of the disaster and into the heart of a terrifying new human predicament. The play takes place in the medical experimental section of the Institute of Radiation Safety in the USSR, where some of the victims of the Chernobyl disaster have been brought for observation and treatment. The interaction among the physicians, researchers, and surgeons with those victims portrays the horrible potential for suffering that is ever present in the nuclear age. Vladimir Gubaryev was sent to cover the Chernobyl accident and was the first journalist on the scene. His experience there was so devastating that he found straight news reporting to be inadequate to the situation; he felt compelled to speak directly to an audience. The result is "Sarcophagus". -- From publisher's description.