Hold These Truths at Arena Stage

There is a Japanese proverb that says, “The nail that sticks out is the one that gets hit.” In 1941, one American, the son of Japanese immigrants, was the nail threatened by the hammer of the United States government. Reeling from the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and driven by fear and prejudice, America placed its own citizens of Japanese ancestry in internment camps. A play for our times, Hold These Truths tells the true story of Gordon Hirabayashi, the American that defied an unjust court order to uphold the values on which America was founded. Filled with hope and buoyed by unquenchable patriotism, Hirabayashi’s unflinching defiance will leave you cheering the strength of the individual and his dedication to his own unalienable rights. “Surprisingly humorous and openhearted.” (Seattle Times)