Yoshie Bancroft and Griffin Cork: projection design by Cindy Mochizuki; photo by David Cooper for the Arts Club Theatre Company, Forgiveness, 2023
FORGIVENESS
By Mark Sakamoto
Stage adaptation by Hiro Kanagawa
A joint production with Theatre Calgary (Calgary)
World Premiere
An Arts Club Silver Commission funded by Stan and Kathy Hamilton
Based on the acclaimed memoir by Mark Sakamoto, Forgiveness is the powerful story of his family’s harrowing experiences during World War II. Ralph, Sakamoto’s maternal grandfather, was a Canadian soldier of European descent who spent years in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp. Mitsue, his paternal grandmother, was one of the thousands of Japanese Canadians interned by the government. In the face of tremendous adversity and transgressions, they chose not to live a life of anger but instead to embrace forgiveness—a gift of love they passed down to their families.
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Showtimes
Running time: approx. 2h 50m (including one intermission)
Monday Closed Tuesday 7:30 PM Wednesday 1:30 PM
& 7:30 PMThursday 7:30 PM Friday 8 PM Saturday 2 PM & 8 PM Sunday 2 PM -
Special PerformancesVocalEye Performance
Friday, February 10, 2023 – 8 PM -
Show Materials
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Seat map
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Directions & Parking
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Content AdvisoryThis production of Forgiveness contains racial slurs, scenes of violence, representation of alcohol abuse, and theatrical devices such as water-based haze, sudden bright lights, and prop firearms. Please contact our box office for more information.
Videos
Photos
Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
Griffin Cork, Fionn Laird, and Jacob Leonard in Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; costume design by Joanna Yu; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
Yoshie Bancroft in Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; costume design by Joanna Yu; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
Yoshie Bancroft and June Fukumura in Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; costume design by Joanna Yu; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
Yoshie Bancroft and Kevin Takahide Lee in Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; costume design by Joanna Yu; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
Griffin Cork and Fionn Laird in Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; costume design by Joanna Yu; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
Yoshie Bancroft in Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; costume design by Joanna Yu; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
Jacob Leonard, Griffin Cork, and Fionn Laird in Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; costume design by Joanna Yu; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
The cast of Forgiveness, 2023: set design by Pam Johnson; costume design by Joanna Yu; lighting design by John Webber; video design & animation by Cindy Mochizuki; new media system projection design by Chimerik 似不像 Collective; photo by Moonrider Productions for the Arts Club Theatre Company
The script and production give the story epic theatrical treatment
—Vancouver Sun
See this play
—Vancouver Magazine
An actorly feat of endurance and artistry...deeply moving—with the occasional guffaw
—Stir
Artistic Team
Cast
- Yoshie Bancroft Mitsue Sakamoto
- Jerod Blake Mortimer/Father/Recruiter/Mr. Archibald
- Griffin Cork Ralph MacLean
- Daniel Fong Stan/Pat
- June Fukumura Miyoko/Mrs. Yamamoto
- Manami Hara Tomi
- Alana Hawley Purvis Phyllis/Darlene/Mother/Mrs. Rutt
- Fionn Laird Cooper/Hastings Guard
- Jacob Leonard Deighton/Adams/Wedding Officer
- Isaac Li Ron/Ichiro
- Allison Lynch Diane/Socialite/Nurse/Woman on Train
- Jovanni Sy Yosuke/Kato/Launderer
- Kevin Takahide Lee Hideo Sakamoto
Creative
- Stafford Arima Director
- Stephen Drover Dramaturg
- Pam Johnson Set Designer
- Joanna Yu Costume Designer
- John Webber Lighting Designer
- Joshua D. Reid Sound Designer
- Reza Jacobs Original Compositions
- Cindy Mochizuki Video Designer & Animation
- Chimerik 似不像 Collective New Media System Projection Design Team
- Sammy Chien New Media System Projection Designer
- Vanka Salim Chimerik Intern Assistant Designer
- Mike Kovac Fight Director & Stunt Coordinator
- Jessica Anne Nelson Intimacy Director
- Julie Tamiko Manning Cultural Consultant & Dialect Coach (Japanese Canadian)
- Yayoi Hirano Japanese Language Consultant
- Jane Macfarlane Dialect Coach (East Coast Canadian)
- Peter Colenutt Military Consultant
- Howard Dai Assistant Director
- Ryan Cormack Assistant Set Designer
- Melicia Zaini Assistant Costume Designer
- Bronwyn Bowlby Assistant Sound Designer
- Cherry Wen Wen Lu Animation Assistant
- Erika Morey Stage Manager
- Peter Jotkus Assistant Stage Manager
- Evan Ren Apprentice Stage Manager
- Rachel Ross Apprentice Stage Manager