Joel de la Fuente will star in a reading of Jeanne Sakata's solo play, Dawn's Light: The Journey of Gordon Hirabayashi , to be held at The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, on Monday, February 22 at 7pm. Lisa Rothe will direct.

Inspired by a true story, the piece is set during World War II in Seattle, where University of Washington student Gordon Hirabayashi agonizes over U.S. government orders to forcibly remove and mass incarcerate all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. As he fights to reconcile his country's betrayal with his passionate belief in the U.S. Constitution, Gordon journeys toward a greater understanding of America's triumphs -- and a confrontation with its failures.

The play is being presented as the first staged reading in the First Throws Play Reading Series, John Jay's first playwright salon featuring new theatrical works and readings in a casual setting. First Throws is dedicated to new works that examine issues of justice with an artistic perspective.

Admission to the reading is free of charge, and reservations are requested at dawnslightppc@aol.com.