Full-Length
Drama
1W, 2M

Play

Sanctuary City


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Synopsis

In post-9/11 Newark, NJ, two teenagers who were brought to America as children become one another’s sanctuaries from harsh circumstances. When G becomes naturalized, she and B hatch a plan to marry so that he may legally remain in the country and pursue the future he imagines for his life. But as time hurtles on and complications mount, the young friends find that this act challenges and fractures the closest relationship either has ever had.

Casting & Production


Casting

G — ages 17-21, female

B — ages 17-21, male

HENRY — older, male

G and B were born in other countries and brought to America young.
HENRY is first generation. Born in America of immigrant parents.
All have American mouths. All raised working class.


Setting

Newark and thereabouts.
2001-2006.

A bare stage. And then perhaps a surprise.

Media

"I have rarely seen a play that so effectively embodies the way external forces in this case, immigration policies in the United States—distort the inner lives of actual humans. What love is, and can ever mean, is lost in the muddle between the heart and the law."

- Jesse Green, The New York Times

Upcoming Productions

Jan 23Feb 15, 2026
Dobama Theatre
Cleveland, OH
Mar 2628, 2026
Univ of Alberta
Edmonton, Canada
May 0124, 2026
Chance Theater
Anaheim, CA