Red Ladder Theatre Company, Theatre Royal Wakefield, and CAPA College Present: 'Sanctuary' – A New and Original Musical Production

A powerful and moving new musical that asks – ‘what kind of society do we want to live in?’

Red Ladder Theatre Company presents Sanctuary, a compelling new musical written 

by Boff Whalley (We’re Not Going Back) and award-winning playwright Sarah 

Woods, charting one man’s plea for help and refuge at a time when not all strangers 

are welcomed. 

The musical – Artistic Director Cheryl Martin’s first Red Ladder production since 

taking the helm in January this year – opens at Theatre Royal Wakefield on 

September 19, before embarking on an eight-week tour to theatres and community 

venues across the country this autumn.  

Sanctuary tells the story of Alland, a young Iranian man who begs to be given sanctuary at a church in northern England, sparking a community to react in all the ways each member believes to be right. 

Molly, a young worker there, joins forces with vicar Fiona to resist both the angry vigilantes

and the hard-hearted authorities beyond the church walls to try to protect Alland. 

Holding a special community service where voices on all sides sing their songs of 

redemption and condemnation, Fiona asks the question to everyone present: “Do we 

give Alland over to the State or live up to our well-versed ideals of compassion?” 

The creative team has worked closely with people hoping to call the UK home, 

shaping Alland’s story.  

This unique collaboration between Red Ladder, Theatre Royal Wakefield and CAPA 

College, featuring a chorus drawn from their brilliant performing arts students, mixes 

hard-hitting ideas with memorable melodic tunes and harmonies. 

Cheryl Martin said: “Sanctuary comes at a critical moment in the conversation about 

immigration, refugees and asylum seekers. I hope this musical helps open up this 

conversation because it’s one that goes to the heart of who we are and the kind of 

society we want to live in.” 

Come on in – the Service is about to begin… 

For more information and to book tickets visit Sanctuary - Red Ladder Theatre 

Company 

Kindly supported by the Mayor of West Yorkshire’s Safer Communities Fund. 

All performances will be captioned via The Difference Engine, a tool that enables 

deaf and hard-of-hearing people to read performance captions on their phone.  

Age guidance 13+ 

This organisation is funded by Leeds City Council through the Leeds Cultural 

Investment Programme. 

Cheryl Martin (director) Cheryl became Artistic Director of Red Ladder Theatre 

Company in January 2024. Alongside her writing and directing, Cheryl has supported 

writers and practitioners at Contact Theatre, Traverse Theatre Edinburgh and 

Oldham Coliseum, and worked with Community Arts Northwest on a series of 

community plays. In 2015, she co-founded LGBTQ+ Global-Majority performance 

arts company Black Gold Arts.  

Tickets: £12.50 are now available from: Selby Town Hall Box Office (01757 708449) 

and the Abbey Shop

Selby Abbey welcomes visitors daily from 10.00am to 4.00pm.

A full programme of all events and services at Selby Abbey can be viewed on the Abbey website:   www.selbyabbey.org.uk