By Chris Brown

Former Hatter’s award-winning book Forgiveness headed to the stage

Dec 30, 2022 | 12:21 PM

Mark Sakamoto’s book about his grandparents’ experiences in Canada around the Second World War was published in 2014, four years after he wrote an essay for the Globe and Mail.

The story of the book Forgiveness will get a new chapter in 2023.

“After it was published it did pretty well and then four years later it did really well, Sakamoto recalls. “It kind of out of the blue won Canada Reads and so that gave it a whole ‘nother kind of breath of life and from there it’s gone from you know adolescence to adulthood maybe. It’s in development for the screen and it hits the stage in live theatre in a couple of weeks.”

Forgiveness debuts on stage in Vancouver in January and will be at Calgary’s Max Bell Theatre from March 7 to April 1.

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Sakamoto, who was born and raised in Medicine Hat, says when he first started the project, the nationalism and racism of the 1940s seemed a long way away.

“Unfortunately, Forgiveness sort of, I think, evolved from a family memoir to a bit more of a warning signal of some sort. It’s a cliche but history can and does repeat itself. So I think that’s a part of why the book has sort of taken on a life of its own in a pretty large way.”

He says being able to sit with Ralph MacLean and Mitsue Sakamoto are some of the most sacred nights of his life, and they were both shocked that “anyone would really give two hoots” about their life and how extraordinary they were as people.

He adds that people who have read the book tell him they are grateful to have learned of his grandparents’ strength and fortitude through the pages of Forgiveness, and hopes the same feeling comes across on the stage.

“That is really coming to know Ralph and Mitsue as humans. Just sort of ordinary humans living in rather extraordinary times and responding to those injurious years in ways that you know, really, really don’t pass on the transgressions that were sort of committed against them,” he says. “Both extraordinary acts in their hearts to do that.”

Sakamoto expects he’ll be emotional when he sees the play with family.

“Sitting beside my dad in Vancouver or in Calgary watching his character walk across the stage I’m sure I’ll you know, I’ll probably just hold his hand and cry a little.”