Silk Road Presents Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi 1/13-15

Silk Road Theatre Project in association with the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Chicago and Millennium Park presents Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi

By Jeanne Sakata
Directed by Jessica Kubzansky
Starring Ryun Yu

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Support our Neighborhood Partners
Three Performances Only!
January 13, 14, & 15 at 7:30pm
Performances to be held at Millennium Park on the enclosed
(and heated!) Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage
All Tickets $10.00

Ryun Yu as Gordon Hirabayashi
Photo by Michael Lamont
Inspired by a True Story

Jeanne Sakata's
Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi
January 13, 14 and 15 at 7:30
Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi chronicles the true story of one Japanese American's enduring fight for his constitutional rights. Gordon Hirabayashi was a happy-go-lucky twenty-four-year-old college student living in Seattle when Pearl Harbor was attacked in late 1941. The government's decision to remove and imprison all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast - mostly American citizens - without due process of law - turned Gordon, a Quaker, into a crusader. Dawn's Light faithfully documents Gordon's historic decision to heed his conscience and pursue his faith in the protections of the Constitution all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Patrons of Silk Road Theatre Project will immediately recognize how deeply this play relates to our mission. In many respects Dawn's Light is an epic love story between one man and the U.S. Constitution. SRTP was founded in response to the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the ensuing backlash against Arab and Muslim Americans. In dramatizing the tragedy faced by Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor, Dawn's Light poses questions as relevant to today as they were to that dark episode in U.S. history.

Special Thanks to Our Exclusive Hotel Partner, the Comfort Suites Michigan Avenue,
for generously providing housing to the artistic team of Dawn's Light.

Playwright Jeanne Sakata

What the critics have said about Dawn's Light
LOS ANGELES TIMES: Thoughtful new one-actor play...Ryun Yu...a fine-grained tour-de-force. (Lewis Segal)

STAGE SCENE, LA: Powerful and moving story of one man, who, in his own words, "could not give up on the Constitution".(Steven Stanley)

LA.COM: A most enlightening look at a man who gave patriotism a very good name indeed! (Evan Henerson)
PRESS FEATURES, LTD: This whole unfortunate period in American history is illuminated with force and insight. One is impressed by (Ryun Yu's) portrayal to the extent that it becomes difficult not to believe that we are actually seeing Mr. Hirabayashi himself. (Bob Roberts)

BACKSTAGE.COM: An absolutely lovely show. A moving portrait brought to life inside of a quaint, 1940's bubble. Ryun Yu delivers a fantastic performance as Gordon Hirabayashi. (Jennie Webb)

LOS ANGELES DOWNTOWN NEWS: DAWN'S LIGHT is not only a remarkable piece of entertainment, but serves as an important lesson that should be seen. (Jeff Favre)
Visit www.srtp.org for more information about Dawn's Light
January 13, 14, & 15 at 7:30pm
Performances to be held at Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion
All Tickets $10.00
Call 312-742-TIXS (8497) or
Purchase online at http://www.millenniumpark.org/parkevents/event.aspx?id=1220

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