Establishing Sanctuary Within “Sanctuary City”

Director Zi Alikhan wanted to ensure that the production process of Sanctuary City at Pasadena Playhouse felt “safe” for the three performers. When we discussed what this meant to him, he highlighted his own identity and the identities of the actors involved—many of whom are first-generation US citizens, or the children of immigrants. He noted that this was a “beautiful opportunity to create theatre that speaks our voices, rather than seeing theatre that tries to tell our stories through a white lens.” But, he noted, that meant that working with the material—Martyna Majok’s beautifully crafted, intricately personal, and world-building script—could verge on being too similar to the artist’s own lives to be healthy. In our discussion, we agreed upon a first-week intimacy choreography workshop to introduce the tools of a self-care cue and de-roleing processes, as well as a discussion about boundaries focused on the fact that it is simultaneously normal, healthy, and professional for a person to have physical boundaries, personal emotional boundaries, professional boundaries, and cultural boundaries.

I don’t want to go too in depth into this show, because the tension that Majok embeds in the script and the cast brings to life is deeply linked to the moments I choreographed and to the role of different forms of intimacy within our lives and the lives of these characters. But I do want to highlight something that Ana Nicolle Chavez shared with me.

She said: “learning these tools, having these conversations, would have made my entire education so much… I don’t know… healthier.”

I have advocated for teaching consent-based practices in higher education actor training. Not simply because I want to do that work (although this is also true), but because I truly believe that being taught that they can have agency within the creative process, and being taught that boundaries are acceptable and professional, can support young performers in developing sustainable processes and careers.

Are you interested in seeing Sanctuary City? Buy tickets here.

Ana Nicolle Chavez and Miles Fowler in Pasadena Playhouse’s Sanctuary City running Sept-Oct 2022