Photos: SANCTUARY CITY Extended At Chance Theater
Directed by Oánh Nguyễn, the production is part of Chance Theater’s 2026 season.
Chance Theater in Anaheim will present SANCTUARY CITY, now extended through May 31, 2026, with official production photos newly released. The production is the third show in the company’s 2026 season and is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok and directed by Chance Theater Executive Artistic Director Oánh Nguyễn.
Set in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the play follows two teenagers in Newark as they navigate adolescence while facing the threat of deportation. When one of them becomes naturalized, they attempt to create a plan to secure the other’s future in the country, but their relationship is tested over time by shifting identities, personal choices, and external pressures.
Majok’s script examines the experiences of undocumented youth, focusing on questions of belonging, sacrifice, and survival. The play centers on the emotional and practical realities faced by young people growing up in uncertain circumstances.
Nguyễn said, “Sanctuary City may be set in the early 2000s, but its urgency feels unmistakably present. It asks what it means to grow up knowing that the place you call home could disappear overnight, and what survival demands of love and friendship when the stakes are that high. As someone who grew up in immigrant and refugee communities in Orange County, I’ve seen how vulnerable undocumented youth can be, and the impossible choices people make to stay in the only home they know. Sanctuary City captures that reality with extraordinary intimacy and honesty.”
The design team includes scenic and costume designers Mio Nunez and Fred Kinney, lighting and sound designer Andrew J. Hungerford, stage manager Jordyn Nieblas-Galvan, and intimacy and assistant director Shinshin Yuder Tsai.
The three-person cast features Spike Pulice as B, Vicky Yvonne as G, and Jonathan Keyes as Henry.
Tickets are available at https://chancetheater.com/sanctuary/ or by calling (888) 455-4212.
Photo Credit: Doug Catiller.
Vicky Yvonne, Spike Pulice, and Jonathan Keyes
Spike Pulice and Vicky Yvonne
Spike Pulice and Vicky Yvonne
Vicky Yvonne and Spike Pulice
Vicky Yvonne and Spike Pulice
Spike Pulice and Vicky Yvonne
Vicky Yvonne and Spike Pulice
Spike Pulice, Vicky Yvonne, and Jonathan Keyes
Vicky Yvonne and Spike Pulice
Spike Pulice
Spike Pulice and Vicky Yvonne
Spike Pulice and Vicky Yvonne
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