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Ironbound & Sanctuary City
Obie Award for Sanctuary City
Two compelling, uncompromising plays about the immigrant experience by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Cost of Living. With humor, grace, and an unsentimental eye, Martyna Majok explores the challenges immigrants face as they strive to carve out a place in a harsh and often indifferent America. In Ironbound , Darja, a Polish immigrant, negotiates the terms for her future at a rundown bus stop in New Jersey. Over the course of 20 years and three relationships, Darja’s initial search for love becomes eclipsed by her desire for security and survival. In Sanctuary City , two undocumented teenagers seek refuge in each other and make a pact to stake their claim in America together. But as their experiences and opportunities diverge, their bonds begin to fray, and each must make a difficult choice about what they are willing to sacrifice for their dreams.
Two compelling, uncompromising plays about the immigrant experience by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Cost of Living. With humor, grace, and an unsentimental eye, Martyna Majok explores the challenges immigrants face as they strive to carve out a place in a harsh and often indifferent America. In Ironbound , Darja, a Polish immigrant, negotiates the terms for her future at a rundown bus stop in New Jersey. Over the course of 20 years and three relationships, Darja’s initial search for love becomes eclipsed by her desire for security and survival. In Sanctuary City , two undocumented teenagers seek refuge in each other and make a pact to stake their claim in America together. But as their experiences and opportunities diverge, their bonds begin to fray, and each must make a difficult choice about what they are willing to sacrifice for their dreams.
- GenresPlays
240 pages, Paperback
Published March 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 15, 2024
sanctuary city unparalleled my favorite piece of theater ever
June 6, 2025
This collection includes two plays set in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark NJ; they're both about the immigrant experience, and though they are formally somewhat different, they're remarkably similar in their approach and style. Unfortunately, the book does not contain any other apparatus—no introduction, interviews, or commentary.
Ironbound is a story of a Polish immigrant to the US told in a series of asynchronous moments in her life—her relationship with her lover, with a stranger, and with her husband. The entire play unfolds at a bus stop. The protagonist role is really excellent, but the whole thing is emotionally impactful, and it moves with propulsive force.
Sanctuary City (this is another neighborhood in Newark) is a play about two young immigrants—one male, one female—and their deep, deep relationship as they help each other deal with the struggles they have with their parents, their legal status in the US, and the possibilities open to them (or lack thereof). The play unfolds as a series of asynchronous memories, chopped up and spliced back together, and because of this one gets a deep sense of the long relationship and memories the couple have together. The play moves into a realist mode in its second half, and (I hate to say it but) Majok is more comfortable in this realm. This long sequence moves along much better, has more tension, and is much richer than the first half.
Both plays are good, and both are dramatically very interesting. But I have a bit of a problem with the approach here. These are plays about the personal feelings and inner turmoil of people dealing with serious economic and legal hardships. In other words, these plays could be about these political or social issues, but these plays are not about those issues. They seem to be about those issues, but they are actually plays about the feelings of people dealing with those issues. Neither Ironbound nor Sanctuary City addresses immigration, homophobia, domestic violence, education, drug use, or sex work as a political problem; the plays have nothing to say about these issues as political issues or economic issues. In these plays, these are emotional issues.
This is especially obvious in Sanctuary City, where one of the chief problems in the play is that same-sex marriage has not been legalized in the United States, even though the play premiered when it had already been legalized. In other words, the political problem of the play had already been solved; the point of the play is the set of emotional problems. I know that there is a political purpose to asking audiences to empathize with people who are dealing with economic and legal hardships, so I am not trying to dismiss completely the emotional work that the plays are doing, but for me the frame doesn't work—it treats these issues as problems that these people have rather than problems created by lawmakers in the U.S. The solutions these plays present are all emotional and never political.
Ironbound is a story of a Polish immigrant to the US told in a series of asynchronous moments in her life—her relationship with her lover, with a stranger, and with her husband. The entire play unfolds at a bus stop. The protagonist role is really excellent, but the whole thing is emotionally impactful, and it moves with propulsive force.
Sanctuary City (this is another neighborhood in Newark) is a play about two young immigrants—one male, one female—and their deep, deep relationship as they help each other deal with the struggles they have with their parents, their legal status in the US, and the possibilities open to them (or lack thereof). The play unfolds as a series of asynchronous memories, chopped up and spliced back together, and because of this one gets a deep sense of the long relationship and memories the couple have together. The play moves into a realist mode in its second half, and (I hate to say it but) Majok is more comfortable in this realm. This long sequence moves along much better, has more tension, and is much richer than the first half.
Both plays are good, and both are dramatically very interesting. But I have a bit of a problem with the approach here. These are plays about the personal feelings and inner turmoil of people dealing with serious economic and legal hardships. In other words, these plays could be about these political or social issues, but these plays are not about those issues. They seem to be about those issues, but they are actually plays about the feelings of people dealing with those issues. Neither Ironbound nor Sanctuary City addresses immigration, homophobia, domestic violence, education, drug use, or sex work as a political problem; the plays have nothing to say about these issues as political issues or economic issues. In these plays, these are emotional issues.
This is especially obvious in Sanctuary City, where one of the chief problems in the play is that same-sex marriage has not been legalized in the United States, even though the play premiered when it had already been legalized. In other words, the political problem of the play had already been solved; the point of the play is the set of emotional problems. I know that there is a political purpose to asking audiences to empathize with people who are dealing with economic and legal hardships, so I am not trying to dismiss completely the emotional work that the plays are doing, but for me the frame doesn't work—it treats these issues as problems that these people have rather than problems created by lawmakers in the U.S. The solutions these plays present are all emotional and never political.
December 30, 2025
my first sem of college this dramatic literature class i was absolutely miserable in (i couldn’t seem to connect with any of the content we were being given or anything about the class and it drove me crazy) took us to see a production of Sanctuary City at the Pasadena Playhouse. that was the best thing to ever come out of that class. this isn’t only one of my personal favorite plays, but also a piece of theater i think is objectively outstanding. after watching it i left the theater inconsolable, crying the entire car ride home, and now after reading it i am again so moved. i think its Martyna Majok’s best work. it’s the type of play that reminds you of why theater is so important, and what its capable of. its so ambicious in what it sets out to do, both in content and structure, and it does it beautifully. i love this play.
Ironbound i had never heard of until literally a few hours ago and i was so pleased by this discovery. not only was it beautiful and heartbreaking, it was So Funny, which made everything land even better. I really liked it, and am surprised it’s not been talked about more.
i think these two, especially the first play, should be required reading/viewing. i’m glad im going to sleep reminded of what art can do.
Ironbound i had never heard of until literally a few hours ago and i was so pleased by this discovery. not only was it beautiful and heartbreaking, it was So Funny, which made everything land even better. I really liked it, and am surprised it’s not been talked about more.
i think these two, especially the first play, should be required reading/viewing. i’m glad im going to sleep reminded of what art can do.
December 29, 2025
4.5 stars but rounding up; logging this only as sanctuary city! oh wowww this play is really incredible. It’s so minimal in almost every aspect aside from the dynamics between the characters — loved the dialogue, conflict, and their relationships. NEED to see this onstage asap
October 13, 2025
G
I’ll punch you in the face.
B
I’d punch you in the face you'd still look good.
I’ll punch you in the face.
B
I’d punch you in the face you'd still look good.
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March 4, 2026Read Sanctuary City
February 20, 2026
"Just leave me something of yourself. Before you go."
- Sanctuary City
No notes. Wonderful play.
- Sanctuary City
No notes. Wonderful play.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews