Medicine Hat-born author Mark Sakamoto is excited for his book Forgiveness: A Gift from My Grandparents to be adapted into a stage play in early 2023.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
kking@medicinehatnews.com
Medicine Hat-born author Mark Sakamoto’s bestselling book Forgiveness: A Gift from My Grandparents is coming to life with a stage adaptation, playing at Calgary’s Max Bell Theatre from March 7 to April 1.
“It is really an honour to have my work selected,” Sakamoto told the News.
The first of his work to be adapted into a play, Forgiveness tells the story of Sakamoto’s late grandparents, Ralph MacLean and Mitsue Sakamoto, and their respective experiences during the Second World War.
Born in Canada, Ralph was a soldier in the war serving in Hong Kong, but captured and sent into a Japanese prisoner of war camp where he stayed until war’s end. Meanwhile, Mitsue was one of more than 20,000 Japanese-Canadians forced into a government internment camp for the duration of the war.
Years later, the two both ended up living in Medicine Hat, but their lives became interconnected when Ralph’s daughter and Mitsue’s son fell in love.
“It’s a story of how they not only survived those injurious years but how they went on in with very loving lives; and lives that made space for two half-Japanese, half-Scottish grandsons,” said Sakamoto while discussing the themes of his book, which will carry over to stage.
Titled ‘Forgiveness,’ the stage-adaptation was written by Canadian actor and playwright Hero Kanagawa.
“Trusting someone to bring Mistue, Ralph and much of my extended family onto the stage, was a big leap of faith for me,” Sakamoto said. “But Hiro took it really seriously (so) I felt really confident that he would be deliberate and caring with the people that he was going to turn into characters on a stage.”
Sakamoto, himself, has not yet seen the production – which features a cast of 12 actors and a crew of more than 100 – but he is looking forward to the world premiere on Jan. 12 in Vancouver, then the Calgary premiere in March.
“What a wonderful thing (it will be) to be sitting in an audience and be in communion with my grandparents,” said Sakamoto. “I mean, it will be entirely surreal to watch as the curtains come up to see my grandmother and grandfather come back to life for a fleeting moment. And I’ll be sitting beside my dad Stanley Gene, and he’ll be a character on stage. But I’ll be sitting right beside him and I’m sure I’ll hold his hand and cry. It’s just such an amazing gift that Hiro and (the theatre companies) have given my work, my family and me.”
Playing near to Medicine Hat, Sakamoto hopes Hatters will have a chance to see the show – especially those who knew or know his grandparents, parents and extended family personally.
But Sakamoto feels the show will be enjoyable for all audience members, regardless of whether they knew any of the people depicted in it. And he hopes audiences leave the show carrying with them its message about the power of forgiveness in the face of hate.
“What I hope the audience takes away from this experience is coming to know Mitsue and Ralph,” said Sakamoto. “And the manner in which they used forgiveness to cleanse their hearts after those terrible years and those terrible experiences.”
