PALO ALTO — TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents “Hold These Truths,” a one-man show written by Jeanne Sakata and directed by Lisa Rothe, is being presented at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Rd. in Palo Alto, through Aug. 5.
An unsung American hero, Gordon Hirabayashi (1918-2012), fought passionately for the Constitution against an unexpected adversary: his own country. During World War II, he refused to report to camp with thousands of families of Japanese descent, launching a 50-year journey from college to courtroom and eventually to a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. An inspiring true story of conscience amidst conflict, it is a one-man portrait of American character at its best.
Hirabayashi is played by Joel de la Fuente, who has appeared in “Hold These Truths” across the country. His TV credits include “Space: Above and Beyond,” “Hemlock Grove,” “The Man in the High Castle,” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Originally titled “Dawn’s Light,” the show was first produced at East West Players in Los Angeles in 2007 with Ryun Yu as Hirabayashi.
Final preview: Friday, July 13, at 8 p.m.
Opening night: Saturday, July 14, at 8 p.m.
Post-show discussions:
Wednesday, July 18, at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 25, at 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
Thirsty Thursday (free drinks and snacks pre-show):
Thursday, July 19, at 8 p.m.
Open captioning for the hearing-impaired:
Sunday, July 29, at 2 and 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 1, at 2 p.m.
Visual Voice for the visually impaired:
Friday, Aug. 3, at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 4, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m.
For complete schedule and tickets: http://bit.ly/HoldTheseTruthsTWSV
Children 5 and under are not permitted. Persons 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Every person, regardless of age, must have a ticket.
Latecomers will not be seated until appropriate intervals, and may not be seated in their exact seat locations until intermission.
The show runs approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission. The Lucie Stern parking lot is under construction. Visit this link for more info: http://bit.ly/TWSVParking