“Sanctuary City”

“‘Sanctuary’ has become a concept that applies to so many folks these days,” muses Wendy Knox, director of Frank Theatre’s upcoming production of “Sanctuary City.” Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok, this play grapples with themes that are specific and timely in addition to being universal and evergreen. Knox was kind enough to chat me through what drew Frank Theatre to this play along with details of the upcoming performance.
Just last year, Frank Theatre mounted a production of Majok’s breakthrough work “Ironbound.”
“Through that experience, we found that she’s a very astute playwright, very smart, and her words opened up all kinds of things for us to explore,” Knox says. “So, when we got our hands on a copy of ‘Sanctuary City’ and read that, it felt like a no-brainer. We’re always interested in doing work that reflects the world we live in, and immigration is certainly a topic that is hot right now — and about to get hotter — so it seemed like we had to do the show.”
Frank Theatre puts a high value on mounting works that are thoughtful and relevant to audience members’ lived experiences.
“Almostall of Frank’s work is in conversation with the world we live in. And this piece, I feel, speaks to any and all of us who are perceived, or feel themselves, to be outsiders,” Knox says. “Wanting a base, a home, a place from where you can be yourself and build your life is a universal desire.”
“Sanctuary City” follows the lives of two adolescents over the course of four years, right after 9/11. Knox explains that both characters were “brought to the US as children, who have grown up knowing this place as their only home … It’s coming of age, in that it encompasses about 4 years of their lives, from 17 to 21, as they are going through huge transitions.”
The play is uniquely structured in a way that emphasizes the many themes it explores.
“It’s a memory play for the first two-thirds … and the final third settles into a present where the issues all come to a head,” Knox explains. “Majok manages to bring together — as she did in ‘Ironbound’ — issues of race, class and sexuality in a very potent combination as she asks questions about our world.”
Race is a central part of “Sanctuary City,” but Majok wanted to give theaters the chance to tell this specific story in a way that resonates with their own communities.
“Majok gives a specific direction that that casting could involve any racial/ethnic group except white, Western European groups,” Knox explains. “She’s also crafted the play so that it doesn’t exclusively appear to be about a specific group.”
During casting this left Knox in an interesting place. “In casting the show, I was open to any actors,” she says. “Perhaps the most obvious group, given the contemporary conversation about immigration, may have been actors who are from or descended from, south of the border groups, however, I was curious about a Somali cast or an Asian cast.”
Although the play takes place in New Jersey, both of these choices would give this iteration of “Sanctuary City” an essence of Minnesota given that Minnesota has been a hub for Somali and Hmong immigration. After actors Clay Man Soo and Anna Hashizume participated in a reading last summer, Knox says she made her mind up. “They were fabulous,” she says.
Clay Man Soo is a part of the “Sanctuary City” cast in addition to Stephanie Anne Bertumen and Keivin Vang. All three are new to Frank Theatre. “We’re having a great time digesting the script in rehearsal,” Knox says.
Knox is also pleased to have many members of the creative team returning to Frank Theatre for “Sanctuary City” this year.
“The design/production team is made up of ‘repeat offenders’ at Frank, and I couldn’t be in better hands,” Knox says with a laugh. “Joe Stanley (set), Kathy Kohl (costumes), Tony Stoeri (lighting) and Dan Dukich (sound). Everyone is excited, challenged and eager to figure this thing out.”
The play will be at the intimate Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis.
“We love Open Eye and are excited to be there for the first time since we staged our devised version of Kafka’s ‘Metamorphosis’ years ago,” Knox says. “The intimacy of the space is great … The playwright has noted that there are no props in the first section of the play, so there’s a challenge to make sure that everyone can see what is going on with the characters — the proscenium setup of Open Eye lends itself to that goal.”
“Sanctuary City” will run from January 31 through February 23 at Open Eye Theater. Tickets are $30 with a $5 discount for students and seniors and can be purchased on the website, which is listed below. There is also a pay-what-you-can performance on Saturday, February 1 and masks are required on Friday, February 7 and Sunday, February 16.

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