The Thanksgiving Play

The Thanksgiving Play is a satirical comedy written by Larissa FastHorse in 2015. The play follows a linear structure and incorporates informative moments to provide the audience with background knowledge on important events related to Native Americans. In 2017, it was recognized by the Kilroys as an underproduced play by a female playwright. The play had its off-Broadway debut in 2018.

Production history 
The development of The Thanksgiving Play started in Ireland when Larissa FastHorse received the Joe Dowling Annaghmakerrig Fellowship in 2015. She began writing the play during her stay at Tyrone Guthrie's estate. The play then went through readings and workshops at U.C. Berkeley and the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon. It was also part of the fall Play Lab at Center Stage in Baltimore, Maryland. The play had its world premiere at the Artists Repertory Theatre followed by the California premier at Capital Stage in Sacramento, CA.  before its off-Broadway production at Playwrights Horizons in New York City in 2018. Subsequent workshops and productions took place in Minneapolis and Los Angeles.

The Thanksgiving Play made its Broadway debut at the Hayes Theater in 2023, directed by Rachel Chavkin. It features a cast that includes Katie Finneran, Scott Foley, D'Arcy Carden, and Chris Sullivan. This achievement marked Larissa FastHorse as the first female Native American playwright to have a play produced on Broadway.

The play revolves around four white individuals who attempt to create a politically correct First Thanksgiving play for Native American Heritage Month to be performed in schools. They hire a Native American actor as their cultural compass, but later discover she is white and only plays Native American roles when she isn't portraying other ethnicities. The play explores themes of privilege, historical accuracy, and the challenges faced by the protagonists in navigating these complexities.

The Thanksgiving Play aims to provoke thought by presenting a completely Caucasian cast attempting to create a respectful and politically correct play about Native Americans. Larissa FastHorse wrote the play in response to the difficulties she faced in finding Native American actors for her previous works. Through satire and humor, the play addresses the misrepresentation of Native Americans, the lack of indigenous casting, and the challenges of accurately representing indigenous people in American society.

Larissa FastHorse, a Native American playwright, director, and choreographer from South Dakota, has made significant contributions to Native American drama. She started her career in ballet but later transitioned to writing for TV and film before finding her passion in theater. She is a member of the Playwright's Union and serves on the board of directors for Theatre Communications Group. Larissa FastHorse has also established Indigenous Direction, a consulting company, and is involved with Native Voices at the Autry Museum.

Characters 

Casting Note: All ages are open and actors that "look white" may be played by POC passing as white.

Logan

Female, Caucasian looking, the director as well as an actor. Earnest about theater and doing the right thing, but wants everyone to feel part of the collaboration so much that it derails the actual play.

Caden

Male, Caucasian looking, the academic. Teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School System with dramatic aspirations but no clue how things work on stage.

Jaxton

Male, Caucasian looking, the LA surfer actor. Politically correct to a fault, a big one. He’s that guy everyone loves, but his logical PC thinking takes weird turns.

Alicia

Female, brunette Caucasian but has looks that would have been cast as ethnic in 1950’s movies. Hot, but not bright. That actress whose every script note ends with her being allocated more lines.

Plot 

The Thanksgiving Play is a one-act satirical comedy that revolves around four white individuals attempting to create a politically correct First Thanksgiving play for Native American Heritage Month in schools.

In their endeavor, the director, Logan, hires a Native American actor to provide cultural guidance. However, it is later revealed that the actor is actually white and only portrays Native American characters when not playing other ethnicities. Without an authentic Native voice, the four white individuals must navigate the challenges of privilege, historical accuracy, and adherence to school district rules. Their journey through this intricate terrain forms the crux of the play's comedic narrative.

Main ideas 
The main ideas explored in The Thanksgiving Play involve the attempt of an all-white cast to create a respectful and politically correct Thanksgiving play that includes Native American themes. This idea is paradoxical, considering the play is written by a Native American playwright. Larissa FastHorse wrote the play in response to the common notion that her works couldn't be produced due to the perceived difficulty in finding Native American actors. To challenge this casting limitation, FastHorse crafted a play that tackles Native American issues without relying on Native American actors.

In the play, white characters take on the task of writing and producing a play about Native Americans without consulting them directly, highlighting the complexities and impossibilities of the endeavor. The play sheds light on issues such as the underrepresentation of indigenous actors, misguided attempts to represent Native Americans in American society, the presumption of a homogenous Native American identity instead of recognizing diverse tribal identities, and other challenges faced by indigenous people in America.

Through its satirical tone, The Thanksgiving Play humorously delves into the conflict of creating a politically correct portrayal of Thanksgiving without involving Native Americans. Beneath the humor and satire, the play subtly critiques the historical and ongoing misrepresentation of Native Americans by referencing past portrayals involving redface and the inaccurate portrayal of indigenous culture.

Playwright 
FastHorse is a Native American playwright, director, and choreographer who has written and produced numerous contributions to Native American drama, plays involving issues with indigenous people in American society and issues in theater. She is originally from South Dakota and is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Lakota Nation. She began as a ballet dancer, but after an injury, always loving to write, she started working in TV and film as a TV executive and writer. While she achieved some success in the TV world, FastHorse preferred the collaboration of the theater world. Her play Average Family was commissioned and produced at Children’s Theatre Company of Minneapolis and she has been writing for the theatre ever since. FastHorse is currently a member of the Playwright’s Union and on Theatre Communications Group board of directors. She and Ty Defoe also have a consulting company, Indigenous Direction and she is a part of Native Voices at the Autry Museum.

As of 2016, Fasthorse worked on a one-act commission with The Eagle Project in New York City. She also workshopped What Would CrazyHorse Do? with Kansas City Rep with a production in May 2017.

References 

2015 plays
American plays
Native American drama