Cast Announced for the Los Angeles Premiere of SANCTUARY CITY at Pasadena Playhouse

Pasadena Playhouse will present the Los Angeles premiere of Sanctuary City by Pulitzer Prize-winner Martyna Majok (Cost of Living). Performances are scheduled from September 14 through October 9; the press opening is Sunday, September 18. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $35 at pasadenaplayhouse.org.

The production stars Ana Nicolle Chavez (Apple TV +'s Truth Be Told) as "G," and Miles Fowler (HBO'sWinning Time) as "B." The production will be directed by Zi Alikahn, with scenic design by Chika Shimizu and lighting design by Solomon Weisbard.

Sanctuary City is the provocative, unforgettable story of two life-long friends, their tenuous grip on living in America, and persevering through whatever comes their way with wit and grit. Profoundly human and undeniably universal, it begs the question: how much do we owe to one another?

Recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Theater Development Grant, Sanctuary City "makes for a compelling contemporary drama that has enigmatic characters, rising intensity, vigorous argumentation, timely themes, and an underlying sense of humor and compassion." (amNY). In addition to the Los Angeles premiere of Sanctuary City, Majok's Pulitzer Prize-winning Cost of Living will open on Broadway this fall.

Ana Nicolle Chavez

Ana Nicolle Chavez, an actress born and raised in Arizona, is a graduate of the State University of New York, Purchase College Acting Conservatory (BFA 2021). Television credits: Season 3 character arc on Truth Be Told on Apple TV+. Film work: Forgotten Lovers.

Miles Fowler

Miles Fowler can next be seen in MGM's Orion Picture's feature film Bottoms directed by Emma Seligman. His past credits include HBO's Winning Time, Fox's The Resident, and the ABC Limited Series Women of the Movement. Miles studied at USC, where he received a B.A in the Dramatic Arts. Miles Fowler is represented by Authentic Talent and Literary Management.

Martyna Majok

Martyna Majok was born in Bytom, Poland and raised in Jersey and Chicago. She was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play, Cost of Living. Other plays include Sanctuary City, Queens, and Ironbound, which have been produced across American and international stages. Awards include The Academy of Arts and Letters' Benjamin Hadley Danks Award for Exceptional Playwriting, The Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding New Play, The Greenfield Prize, as the first female recipient in drama, The Champions of Change Award from the NYC Mayor's Office, The Francesca Primus Prize, two Jane Chambers Playwriting Awards, The Lanford Wilson Prize, The Lilly Award's Stacey Mindich Prize, Helen Merrill Emerging Playwright Award, Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play from The Helen Hayes Awards, Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award, ANPF Women's Invitational Prize, David Calicchio Prize, Global Age Project Prize, NYTW 2050 Fellowship, NNPN Smith Prize for Political Playwriting, and Merage Foundation Fellowship for The American Dream.

Martyna studied at Yale School of Drama, Juilliard, University of Chicago, and Jersey public schools. She was a 2012-2013 NNPN playwright-in-residence, the 2015-2016 PoNY Fellow at the Lark Play Development Center, and a 2018-2019 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University. Martyna is currently writing a musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby, with music by Florence Welch and Thomas Bartlett, and developing TV and film for HBO, Plan B, and Pastel.

Zi Alikhan

Zi Alikhan (he/him) is a queer, first-generation South Asian-American, culturally Muslim theater director. Directing: On That Day in Amsterdam (Primary Stages), Snow in Midsummer (Classic Stage Company), The Great Leap (Portland Center Stage), Manik Choksi's The Ramayan (currently in development at Ars Nova), Ragtime (Playmakers Repertory Company). Upcoming: Somewhere at Geva Theatre, A Nice Indian Boy at Olney Theatre Center, and Rent at Paper Mill Playhouse. Zi was named one of TCG's Rising Leaders of Color in 2021, and is thrilled to return to Pasadena Playhouse, where he was an SDC Observer in 2012.

ABOUT The Pasadena Playhouse

The Pasadena Playhouse is a place where people have gathered for 100 years to experience bold and important theater. It is one of the most prolific theaters in American history with a legacy of profound theatrical impact and courageous new work. In 1937, the Playhouse was officially recognized as the State Theater of California for its contribution and commitment to the dramatic arts. Today it continues that tradition of excellence under the helm of producing artistic director Danny Feldman. Dedicated to enriching lives through theater, community programs and learning initiatives, Pasadena Playhouse is a living force in the community.

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