Sanctuary City from Silverthorne Theater

This Powerful Play, Sanctuary City, brings together three impressive actors in a tense and engaging production

We took a last ride last night, past the Hampshire College sign for the final time, to the Emily Dickinson Theater. In the fall, this location will no longer be one of Silverthorne Theater’s homes for productions since the sad announcement of the college’s closing.

Sanctuary City tells the story of a man, a woman, and another man, but only one of the characters has a name: Henry (Elijah Lidonde). “G” is the name of the woman (Athena Jean-Etienne), and “B” is the name of the man (Caleb Koval). All of these actors gave strong performances in this play focused on a timely topic…belonging.

The play is about whatever you call the people in this country without citizenship; some throw the ‘illegal aliens’ derogatory term, others call them undocumented immigrants. What a timely concept for a show, as 2026 has become the worst year ever to be an immigrant living in the U.S.

This play provided very few details about the three characters’ countries of origin, aside from the fact that the year was 2006. With G having citizenship from her mother, and B being in the U.S. illegally, the pair form a bond when she comes to sleep in his bed night after night, fleeing an abusive boyfriend, the kind of bad people her mom attracts.

Caleb Koval is a Valley-born actor based in NYC, whom I’ve seen in several other performances, notably in Silverthorne’s production of The Amateurs, and his singing turn as Richie Valens in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story at the Majestic. He is a solid actor, and this role brought out a side of him I’ve never seen.

Athena Jean-Etienne is also based in NYC, and this is her first Silverthorne production. She is a proud Afro-Latina with Dominican/Haitian heritage. Elijah Lidonde is from Worcester, a professional actor like the others and making his first foray onto a Silverthorne stage.

The play by Martyna Majok was first produced in NYC in Sept 2021. The director, Rose Schweitz Malla, had an interesting concept to work with; the first act was an empty set, and we just saw the actors B and G on stage and nothing else. No set, no props, just these two young adults. One clever effect was when one actor would go over and pantomime opening the fridge, and a light would shine on their faces. The other subtle but effective sound effects were of cars on city streets and passing ambulances mimicking the settings of Boston and New York City.

There is no intermission in this 1-hour 45-minute show. But during a dark break, suddenly we were looking at a complete set, with a couch, table, bookcases, carpet and the entire contents of B’s new apartment in Boston, where he has moved. He last saw G three and a half years ago, when he was wrestling with a challenge: his mother was being deported, and he would have to live alone. G (Athena Jean-Etienne) becomes a regular visitor to his single bed, but the two aren’t intimate; we are assured of that. But they both have problems with ICE, and as we discover in Boston, B would be assured of citizenship if he could pretend/marry G.

But look who walks in? Henry.

Henry (Elijah Lidonde) is a respectable gay man studying to become a lawyer. B has fallen in love with him, lives with him, and that makes his relationship with G tenuous. But she has the one thing that would really help him, a path to citizenship through marriage, IF they could get their stories straight and pretend that they are a straight couple in love. They’re not.

The play uses repetition to enhance the points; often, the characters would double and triple down on the same line. I found the show a little bit long at times; some cutting would have pared down the dialogue and kept everyone on track. But the actors each pushed out their passion when the question/dilemma wrestling with the emotions of belonging, once again, with the situation of B and Henry, adding layers of complication. How would they make their lives work if they returned to B’s (Caleb Koval) unidentified home country? “But I study US law,” Henry shot back, “I can only practice law here.”

Playwright Martyna Majok drew from her own immigrant experience in NYC, writing the play in 2021. She’s a Polish playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for her play “Cost of Living.” She focuses on class, loneliness, and the lives of immigrants.

This show would resonate with anyone who has had to fear ICE of late, or who is interested in the dynamics and challenges of life as an undocumented person. Silverthorne has picked a top-notch script here, and it’s a grand way for the company to open its two-show summer season.

Sanctuary City, by Martyna Majok, Silverthorne Theater, June 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21. Emily Dickinson Theater at Hampshire College, tickets.