Directed by Dani Mann.
Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play is a sharp and very funny satire about good intentions, cultural sensitivity, and what happens when people become so afraid of doing the wrong thing that they can barely do anything at all.
The story follows a group of well-meaning teaching artists who have been tasked with creating a politically sensitive Thanksgiving pageant for elementary school students. Their goal is to honor Native American Heritage Month while avoiding the stereotypes and inaccuracies that have long shaped traditional Thanksgiving stories. The problem is that the group has no Native American participants, very little practical guidance, and an increasingly complicated idea of what their production is supposed to accomplish.
As rehearsals unravel, the group’s attempts to be respectful lead to awkward compromises, misunderstandings, and escalating absurdity. Through fast-paced comedy, The Thanksgiving Play takes aim at performative allyship, historical myths, and the difficulty of telling stories about cultures that are not your own.
Funny, uncomfortable, and intentionally provocative, The Thanksgiving Play uses comedy to examine representation, privilege, and the stories Americans continue to tell about Thanksgiving.