Resource Guide for Educators: Photographs in History
Japanese Incarceration History and Gordon's Journey in Photographs
“Deru kugi wa utareru.” Dad first said it to me. “The nail that sticks out is the one that gets hit.” It’s an old Japanese proverb. To stay out of danger or harm’s way, one must conform. One must obey. One must be...inconspicuous."
From Hold These Truths, Jeanne Sakata
This center is a converted racetrack. Shown here are horse stalls that were remodeled into living quarters for families.
Dorothea Lange/Courtesy The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
From NPR's study--Follow for all images
"After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the U.S. War Relocation Authority made a decision it would soon regret. It hired famed photographer Dorothea Lange to take pictures as 110,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans were removed from their homes on the West Coast and interned at remote military-style camps throughout the interior.
The agency had hoped Lange's photos would depict the process as orderly and humane.But the hundreds of photos that Lange turned over did the opposite. She considered internment a grave injustice, and her photos depict it that way."
More about Hold These Truths:
Resource Guide For Educators: Further Resources
Educators: Further Resources on the History of the Play
Resource Guide for Educators-Timeline of the Japanese American Story in WWII
Educator Resource- Timeline following the Japanese American Story
Reviews of "Hold These Truths"
"Hold These Truths is what theater should be: instructive, entertaining, thought-provoking, eye-opening."
"Hold These Truths": A Message from the Playwright
"Gordon's story is a vitally important American one ... his tenacious quest for freedom echoes those of all who hunger and fight for justice ..."
"Hold These Truths" Cast and Creative Team
Hold These Truths features some of the artists who collaborated on the world premiere production of this powerful play.
The New York Times Remembers Gordon Hirabayashi
“Surprisingly, even though I lost, I did not abandon my beliefs and my values,” he said. “It is an American case, with principles that affect the fundamental human rights of all Americans.”
The Armory Open House: Celebrating 10 Years!
It's our 10th birthday in The Armory and we're celebrating! Join us for live music, a special costume retrospective, backstage tours and more!
Current & Upcoming
Art Exhibit: ¡Soy Yo! by Mika Martinez
¡Soy Yo!, is a multi-media project, created by Mika Martinez, that examines and celebrates Latinx identity featuring more than 50 portraits of the Hispanic/Latino community in Portland.
Piano Bar with Courtney Freed and David Saffert
Join us for this monthly event with local songstress Courtney Freed and Portland-based pianist David Saffert as they host a good old-fashioned PIANO BAR.
NASSIM
From Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour (creator of the Off-Broadway smash hit White Rabbit, Red Rabbit) comes an audacious new theatrical experiment, presented in collaboration with Boom Arts. Each night, a new, unrehearsed local performer joins the playwright on stage, while the script waits, unseen, in a sealed box... Touchingly autobiographical yet powerfully universal, NASSIM is a striking theatrical demonstration of how language can both divide and unite us.
Art Exhibit: Garam Garam Chai by Yusra Siddiqui
Portland Center Stage will host Garam Garam Chai, an art exhibit by Portland-based multidisciplinary artist Yusra Siddiqui, featuring a series of hand-sewn teabag printmaking pieces that serve as a contemplation of the communal tea times shared between Desi and British culture.
Coriolanus
Shakespeare’s tragedy about the war hero Coriolanus and the fight between the elite and the deprived masses will be fueled by a dynamic female and non-binary ensemble with a muscular, movement-focused staging.
May First Thursday with Adriana Wagner Quartet
May First Thursday will feature live music by the Adriana Wagner Quartet in the Main Lobby, joined by Garrett Baxter on bass, Matthew Sazima on piano and Ken Mastrogiovanni on drums.
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
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