Steppenwolf's 'Sanctuary City' marks dream come true for Waukegan actress
Every year, Waukegan actress Jocelyn Zamudio creates a vision board, which is collage of words and images meant to inspire and motivate.
A few years ago, she included a Steppenwolf Theatre program on her board.
"I looked at it every day," she said. "It was one of the career milestones I wanted to achieve. No matter how difficult it got, I was working toward that goal."
She accomplished her goal, in part, in 2020 when she was cast as an understudy in the theater's production of Erika L. Sánchez's "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter."
Three years later, Zamudio has returned as a principal in Steppenwolf's Chicago-area premiere of "Sanctuary City" by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Martyna Majok.
"The biggest change is having the responsibility of doing the work time and time again, versus being the observer," said the 27-year-old, who traces her love of performing back to a time in kindergarten when she recited a poem.
"I don't remember much about being 5 or 6," she said, "but that moment is real and visceral. I still remember what it felt like, holding the piece of paper, speaking those words."
Her parents encouraged her interest by enrolling her in after-school programs including Mexican folk dance classes.
"They knew I had a lot of energy," she said. "I was always doing something, performing in some kind of way."
But during school, she gravitated toward cheerleading and drill team. She didn't begin studying theater until college. Even then, it took the University of Illinois Chicago graduate a while to inform her family of her career plans because she feared her choice might disappoint them.
By junior year, she told her parents she intended to pursue acting no matter how difficult it might be.
"There are so many highs and lows in this profession," said Zamudio, who has appeared in Goodman Theatre's New Stages series, Paramount Theatre's premiere of "Bull: a love story" and on TV in "Chicago PD" and "The Chi."
"Whatever is meant for you will belong to you," she said.
"Sanctuary City," which centers on two young Dreamers, who arrive in the U.S. as children with their undocumented mothers from an unspecified country, seems an ideal play for Zamudio, a Mexican American whose immigrant parents are naturalized citizens.
Zamudio plays G (for girl) opposite Grant Kennedy Lewis who plays B in Majok's play, which she said is not necessarily about immigration.
"At its core, it's watching young people coming of age," she said. "It's really special to watch these characters become each other's home."
More than anything, Zamudio hopes audience members who've experienced what Majok's characters experience see themselves on stage.
"And if you've never experienced this kind of situation, I hope that you take away more empathy for folks who deal with these challenges on a daily basis," she said.
"We're seeing an influx of immigrants and refugees," she said, "and we need to find a way to not divide ourselves and show up for one another."
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"Sanctuary City"
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday (Oct. 1, 8 and 15 only) through Nov. 18. Also 2 p.m. Oct. 11
Where: Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, (312) 335-1650, steppenwolf.org
Tickets: $20-$114