Harlequin Productions opens "Sanctuary City," by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok, at the State Theater on Friday, Oct. 9. The play joins "Our Town" in a two-show repertory run.
"Sanctuary City" follows two undocumented teenagers who cling to each other for safety and hope until one earns a path to citizenship and the other is left exposed. It premiered at New York Theatre Workshop in 2020 after development at the 2018 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab.
Aaron Lamb, Harlequin's managing artistic director, is directing. In a Sept. 30 press release quoted by Oly Arts, Lamb said the two plays running side by side are meant to spark a broader conversation about American identity.
Performances of "Sanctuary City" run through Sunday, Oct. 25, at the State Theater, 202 4th Ave. E. Tickets are $35–$49, with rush tickets available day-of for $24.50 or $5 for patrons under 20. The full repertory schedule is on Harlequin's website.
Before opening night, Harlequin hosts an artist reception for Olympia ink-and-watercolor artist Katie Harmon on Thursday, Oct. 8, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the State Theater. Light refreshments will be served.
Tig Notaro brings 'Out of Nowhere' tour
Comedian Tig Notaro performs two shows at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Rolling Stone named Notaro one of the "50 best stand-up comics of all time." Tickets are $43–$95.
Peace Choir debuts under new director
The Olympia Peace Choir performs its fall concert, "Nothing Between Us," on Nov. 14 from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda of the Washington State Capitol Building.
Admission is free.
The a cappella program is the choir's first under new artistic director Matthew Melendez, who took over from founding director Kerri Lynn Nichols after her 16 years leading the nonprofit community chorus, ThurstonTalk reported in August. Melendez, who also performs with ChoralArts Northwest in Seattle, chose the rotunda for its acoustics.
"Reverberation actually erases some of the distance between singer and listener … The sound doesn't travel at you there; it arrives around you," Melendez told Oly Arts.
The choir's 2026–2027 season theme is "Through Each Other," and the organization plans to increase performances and collaborations across Thurston County.
