Sanctuary City, a critically acclaimed, timely, and moving new drama by Pulitzer Prize-winner Martyna Majok, opens March 1 at TheatreSquared (477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville) and runs through April 9. Tickets, from $20-$54, can be purchased by calling (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org.
In this New York Times Critics’ Pick for Best Theatre of 2021, two teenagers struggle with two kinds of unreciprocated love: the kind they feel for each other and the kind they feel for their country. Majok’s powerful portrayal of the complex issues faced by two young teenagers as they navigate the challenges of living in a city that claims to be a sanctuary, but often fails to live up to that promise.
Critics across the country have been superlative in their praise for Majok’s work. "Trenchant, gleeful, disorienting, Sanctuary City snaps with surprises, incandescence, and rage," wrote New York Times Critic Jesse Green. "No one who cares about contemporary drama," wrote L.A. Times Critic Charles McNulty, "should miss this gripping, compassionate play."
Brennan Urbi (B), Ana Miramontes (G) Photo: Wesley Hill
"Something that really moved me was how these teenagers are stuck with no status, and living their lives in constant fear," said director Esteban Arévalo Ibáñez (Miss You Like Hell). "And yet they constantly use humor, facing challenges together with a laugh, and take care of each other when things get harsh. I found hope in this kindness and empathy—in how they create a home and a safe place and are willing to give up for each other."
The creative team for the production includes actors Ana Miramontes, Brennan Urbi, and Nima Rakhshanifar; the design team includes Emely Zepeda (stage management), Kimberly Powers (scenic design), Jennifer McClory (costume design), Nita Mendoza (lighting design) and Cricket S. Myers (sound design).
Sure to leave audiences both entertained and enlightened, Sanctuary City is a timely reminder of the need for empathy, compassion, and action in our communities and beyond.
"Martyna Majok always refers to her plays as ‘hear me out plays’, because she brings the immigrant stories to the stage, and hopes people will meet her in the middle to listen and, by doing so, become more empathetic," notes Ibáñez. "The end goal would be for them to become just a historical account of something long gone—but not yet."
Tickets
Performances of Sanctuary City are scheduled from March 1 until April 9, with 7:30 pm performances Tuesday through Saturday and 2:00 pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. The play is in the intimate, 120-seat Spring Theatre at TheatreSquared, 477 W. Spring Street in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tickets range from $20-$54. All fees are included, with no additional charges at checkout.
Subscription packages for TheatreSquared include full five-play packages starting at $125, with four-play flex packages starting at $89. Benefits for season ticket holders include savings of up to 20% on every show, free unlimited exchanges, discounted reserved parking, and same-day discounts in The Commons Bar/Café and other T2 Restaurant & Hotel Partners.
Through T2’s Lights Up! For Access program, with lead support from the Walmart Foundation and the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, SNAP benefit recipients can purchase $1 tickets, while students and patrons under the age of 30 can purchase $10 tickets. Fully subsidized, free tickets are also available for clients of a number of local community service organizations. For more information, visit theatre2.org/lights-up.
Subscription packages and single tickets can be reserved by calling TheatreSquared at (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org.
About TheatreSquared
TheatreSquared’s signature offering of bold new plays in an intimate setting has driven its growth to become the state’s largest theatre, welcoming more than 80,000 community members to 350 performances and events each year. The company offers a unique audience experience of immersive, professional productions in an intimate setting. Its work has been recognized with critical acclaim by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, NPR’s All Things Considered, and the American Theater Wing, founder of the Tony Awards. The playwright-led company is one of mid-America’s leading laboratories for new work, having launched more than 70 new plays. Notable collaborators have included Bryna Turner, Candrice Jones, José Cruz Gonzáles, Sarah Gancher, The Kilbanes, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Anne García-Romero, Rachel Lynett, Tony Meneses, Lisa D’Amour, Qui Nguyen, Mona Mansour, Karen Zacarías, and many others. TheatreSquared’s remarkable expansion—with a twentyfold increase in audience in just the past decade—parallels the emergence of its home region in the northwest corner of Arkansas as a booming population center and destination for American art. Offering far-reaching access and education programs and an open-all-day gathering space, The Commons Bar/Café, TheatreSquared remains rooted in its founding vision, that "theatre—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities."
Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 17 is provided by the Walton Family Foundation; the Walmart Foundation; the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation; the Windgate Foundation; the Shubert Foundation; the Tyson Family Foundation; the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; the National Endowment for the Arts; Bob and Becky Alexander; Jane Hunt; Margaret and Dick Rutherford; Barbara Shadden; the John & Robyn Horn Foundation; Todd Simmons and Melissa Hall Simmons; and Simmons Foods.
Marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 17 is provided by Experience Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, 3W Magazine, CitiScapes, KUAF, MailCo USA, and NWA Daily.