Sanctuary, written and performed by Susanne Sulby, is a poignant and touching look at the impact of war on women over centuries.  The play is a kaleidoscopic view of different wars and the effect they have on several key female characters.  Using actual emails from soldiers in Iraq, video, the poetry of a WWI soldier, Rumi and Auden, as well as her own writing, Ms. Sulby weaves these together to create a complex and heartfelt tapestry that questions the roles and responsibilities of individuals in times of war.  She brings some of the most pertinent issues to life on stage.

Sulby was inspired to create ‘Sanctuary’ after years of watching television coverage of the myriad of wars and ‘conflicts’ in our world. Particularly moved by the Serbo-Croatian conflict in the 1990‘s and then the tragedy in our own country on 9-11-2001, she began to write and examine her relationship to the television and the people it brought into her home, and question her various roles as a woman in these conflicts, as the observer, victim, mother, and wife. She watched, from the comfort of her suburban home, a passive participant, as its horrors unfolded.  “I was compelled to watch but struggled to understand the bleak absurdity of this slaughter.  Although I was mesmerized by the news coverage, I initially felt impotent to respond.  I searched so I could find my own path to sanctuary, simply put action, however small,” says Sulby. 

An established actor, designated Linklater voice instructor, dialect coach and voiceover artist, Ms. Sulby has performed for over 20 years.  Favorite roles include Yelena in ‘Black Russian’ with InterAct Theatre , Molly Bloom in ‘A Dublin Bloom’ based on James Joyce’s Ulysses , directed by Gregory Doran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Queen Elizabeth in Richard III with Novel Stages. Her first film role was playing opposite Billy Crudup in the 2000 award-winning Evenstar feature film, Jesus’ Son. Following a hiatus devoted to home and family, she returned to the big screen this year, in the new feature film, ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ (currently in post-production), directed by David O. Russell, starring Bradley Cooper, Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver.

The Times Square International Theater Festival marks Susanne’s return to the stage in her one-woman play Sanctuary.  Sanctuary was first produced at The Philadelphia Fringe Festival in 2005, and subsequently at various venues in the Philadelphia area to overwhelmingly positive response. Ms. Sulby will reprise her play in this New York City Premiere for three performances on  January 16^th at 9 pm, January  18^th at 6pm, and January 20^th  at 7:30 pm.  The location for all performance is at Theater 500, Roy Arias Studios. Tickets may be purchased online at: www.tsitf.com.