Forgiveness by Hiro Kanagawa 

Shortlisted for 2023 Governor General's Literary Award for drama

Image | Forgiveness by Hiro Kanagawa

(Playwrights Canada Press)

Mitsue Sakamoto and Ralph MacLean both suffered tremendous loss during WWII: Mitsue as a survivor of a Japanese Canadian internment camp, and Ralph as a prisoner in a Japanese POW camp. In order to rebuild their lives and their families after the war, Ralph and Mitsue must find the grace and generosity necessary to forgive those who have wronged them. Their paths eventually cross in 1968 when Mitsue's son and Ralph's daughter begin dating, and Ralph is invited to Mitsue's home for dinner.
This soaring adaptation of Mark Sakamoto's award-winning memoir affirms the power of forgiveness and shows us that in our challenging times characterized by political divisiveness, xenophobia, and race hatred, the story of Mitsue and Ralph's personal triumphs over hatred, injustice, violence, and bigotry remains vitally relevant and urgently necessary.
(From Playwrights Canada Press)
Hiro Kanagawa is a Vancouver-based writer and actor. He received the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama in 2017 for his play Indian Arm.