March 7 through April 1, Theatre Calgary presents the world premiere of Forgiveness. It’s a new stage adaptation of the award-winning 2018 book by Mark Sakamoto, a memoir of his grandparents’ experiences during and after the era of Japanese internment in World War II Canada.
This new stage adaptation, written by the illustrious Governor General’s Literary Award-winning Hiro Kanagawa, is an epic treatment. It clocks in at nearly three hours, and features 13 actors playing 31 characters! Meanwhile, the settings range from the 1940s to the 1970s and back again, and from B.C. to Alberta to Japan. It tells the story of brutality, resistance, resilience, and of course, forgiveness.
CKUA’s Grant Stovel recently spoke with Yoshie Bancroft and Stafford Arima: