New York Times Critics’ Pick and “Best of the Year” Selection "Sanctuary City" at T2
Brennan Urbi and Ana Miramontes in T2’s “Sanctuary City”
Photo by Wesley Hitt
New York Times Critics’ Pick and “Best of the Year” Selection
SANCTUARY CITY
By Martyna Majok
Starts March 1
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS—February 12—Sanctuary City, a critically acclaimed, timely, and moving new drama by Pulitzer Prize-winner Martina 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.”
“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), Jenn 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.
“Martina 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 7:30pm performances Tuesday through Saturday and 2pm 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 visitingtheatre2.org.