Sanctuary City Was Worth a Return Visit at Theatre in the Round

If Sanctuary City written by the Pulitzer Prize winning Martyna Majok sounds familiar it’s probably because it was staged by Frank Theater just a few months ago. It’s a thought provoking and challenging play that explores the timely topic of immigration. Uniquely structured, the first act contains dozens of brief moments, memories over a course of a couple of years that establish the close friendship between two teenagers G and B, who live in the US illegally. During these scenes which last anywhere from 10 seconds to a couple of minutes each, we learn that G becomes a citizen, and they hatch a plan to marry each other so that B can legally stay in the country as well. Act II is one scene which explores what happens to that plan when a third person, Henry, enters the picture as a romantic partner. Every reveal in the second act clarifies the situation while complicating the issue itself. It forces the audience to constantly reconsider what they thought moments earlier.

Majok’s script is well crafted, seeing it for a second time within about three months is a unique opportunity to consider the different approaches the two companies took. The set design by Christopher Goddard mirrors the differences between the two halves of the show and make tangible the idea of the first being a series of memories. Where Act One is Impressionistic with time fractures and a very simplistic approach to set Design. Act Two is more formalized and structured. If you feel lost or confused at the beginning, hang in there, you’ll come to understand what is happening, and know that the second half will be much more traditional. Majok’s script further distinguishes this fact by the simplistic, almost black and white aspect of the dialogue and emotions in Act One compared to the intricate and often amorphous reality of the final Act. Andrew Vance’s lighting helps to tell the story particularly in Act One in which the lights are visual cues to indicate the jump to a new memory. There are also some nice sound effects added by Sound Designer Eevee Pavey that again, especially in Act One, help to set the stage in our imagination. Like the sound of windows being opened and closed. Director Vanessa Brooke Agnes does a nice job of differentiating the abstract nature of the first act with a much more grounded reality of the second.

The entire cast was new to me, but they were all as strong and in some cases stronger than the Frank production. Ana Paulina who plays G allows the unexpressed emotions of Act I show through the cracks. With her body language and looks we begin to answer our own questions about things that are not said. Diego Symouksavanh approaches the character of B with more energy than his Frank predecessor, where the character was portrayed as more passive and lost. Symouksavanh’s more engaged and active interpretation is an equally interesting and valid take on B. B spends his life in Limbo; as an illegal, his life options if he wants to stay in the US are limited, he can’t get aid for school and he needs to work jobs that don’t enforce certain regulations. Because of the introduction of Henry to the plot, he doesn’t know if he’s still going to be able to escape Limbo with G. If he can’t, should he continue to live this life or return to his birth country? Henry is played by LJ Soudaly and is his stage debut. Soudaly is a natural and hopefully he’ll pursue future roles. Henry is a difficult role, after spending the first Act witnessing the close friendship of B and G, it’s hard to blame Henry for coming between the two friends. He enters the play at a point where a third is unwanted by the audience and first impressions are that he’s just going to make everything fall apart. But he softens and as more is revealed, we find something to appreciate in the character for a time. It is here, that Majok’s script kicks into overdrive, requiring the performers to manipulate the audience’s allegiances from moment to moment.

Sanctuary City runs around an hour and forty five minutes with one intermission. It is a drama, but also contains humor and while it will leave you with a lot to think about and does not end with a super sunny resolution, it’s creativity and performances will leave you feeling excited and engaged rather than depressed. Sanctuary City runs through June 1st at Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://www.theatreintheround.org/sanctuary-city/

Now more than ever in the wake of the most recent election and the hailstorm of stupidity and hate it has unleashed, theater companies need you and we need them. Buy tickets to shows, go out and support work that reflects diversity and inclusiveness. Donate to your favorite theater companies, don’t wait until they are on the brink of shutting down. We all need to stand up and fight for our theaters whose funding is under attack for promoting inclusion, equality and diversity. In short, theaters are being threatened for sharing stories that reflect our countries cultural and racial diversity.

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