During World War II, he refused to report to a relocation camp with thousands of families of Japanese descent, launching a 50-year journey from college to courtroom and eventually to a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

An inspiring true story of conscience amidst conflict, it is a one-man portrait of American character at its best.

When I first heard of Gordon Hirabayashi in the late 1990’s, I was enthralled -- and shocked. Shocked that I had never heard of his story before. Born and raised in a thriving Japanese American community in the Bay Area of California, I had studied Japanese American history as a college student and later became actively involved in the Asian American community as a theater artist.
And yet Gordon Hirabayashi’s fascinating story was entirely unknown to me. Gordon was only a 24-year old college student during WWII, when he had defied and legally challenged US government orders to mass incarcerate all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast without trial or hearing, including thousands of American citizens ---Americans like my own father and aunts and uncles and cousins, who, as children and teenagers, had been forcibly removed from their homes and schools, and penned up behind barbed wire during WWII.
My family never spoke about those years, as it was such a traumatic experience. But as I grew up and became fully aware of what had happened to them, I absorbed that pain as well.
So when I discovered Gordon’s story in the late 1990’s – so full of heartbreak, but also his irrepressible humor and zest for life -- it was a life- changing experience. I knew I had to try to bring his story to the stage, not just as an act of healing for myself, my family, and my community, but also to inspire and give hope to any citizen who has been denied equal treatment under the law promised by our Constitution because of factors such as race, gender, sexual orientation, and who must battle constantly to make those promises a living reality. Gordon's story is a vitally important one that all of us can draw hope from, and his tenacious quest for freedom echoes those of all who hunger and fight for justice -- who "hold the truths" of the Constitution, and refuse to let go.
3x WINNER — THEATRE BAY AREA AWARD
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
OUTSTANDING DIRECTION
Lisa Rothe
OUTSTANDING PRINCIPAL PERFORMANCE
Joel de la Fuente
WINNER — SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA THEATRE CRITICS CIRCLE
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Jomar Tagatac, San Francisco Playhouse
WINNER — SAN DIEGO THEATRE CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Ryun Yu, San Diego Repertory
NOMINEE — DRAMA DESK AWARD
OUTSTANDING SOLO PERFORMANCE
Joel de la Fuente, Epic Theatre Ensemble
NOMINEE — SDCF JOE A. CALLAWAY AWARD
BEST DIRECTION
Lisa Rothe
4x NOMINEE — BROADWAYWORLD BERKSHIRES AWARD
BEST PRODUCTION
Barrington Stage Company
BEST PLAY
Jeanne Sakata
BEST DIRECTOR
Lisa Rothe
BEST ACTOR
Joel de la Fuente
LATEST PRODUCTIONS
Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
People’s Light Theatre
— Encore Run —
University of Alberta
Capital Theatre
San Francisco Playhouse
Virginia Stage Company
People’s Light Theatre
— Streamed on PBS WHYY-TV —
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
— Encore Streaming Performance —
Barrington Stage Company
— 2x Extended Run by Audience Demand —
Cultch Historic Theatre
LA TheatreWorks
— Produced as Audio Play —
San Diego Repertory Theatre
Arena Stage
— Sold Out » Extended Run —
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley
— Extended Run —
Lyric Stage Company
New Century Theatre
Pasadena Playhouse
Perseverance Theatre
Sheen Center
Guthrie Theater
Perseverance Theatre
Portland Center Stage
ACT Seattle
— Encore Run in Mainstage Season —
Coachella Valley Rep
Plays and Players
ACT Seattle
— Sold Out —

Willamette University

Terra Nova Solo Arts Festival

Honolulu Theatre for Youth
— Co-Produced by Daniel Dae Kim
PlayMakers Repertory Company
Epic Theatre Ensemble
Silk Road Rising
East West Players
— Tour II —
East West Players
— Tour I —
East West Players
— World Premiere —
STAGED READINGS (SELECTED)
Boise Contemporary Theatre
Consortium of Asian American Theatre Artists
Marin Montessori School / Angel Island
William J. Clinton Presidential Center
The Old Globe
Chautauqua Theater Company
New York Theatre Workshop
Epic & Lark Play Development Center
Commissioned by Chay Yew, Former Director, Center Theatre Group’s Asian Theatre Workshop
Originally titled Dawn’s Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi