The Thanksgiving Play

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Thanksgiving Play

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  2w, 2m

Larissa FastHorse

Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire.

Image: 2023 Second Stage Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

The Thanksgiving Play

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary
Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally woke teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month.
History
The Thanksgiving Play premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in New York City on October 12, 2018.
Keywords
Performing Groups

LOGAN – Female, Caucasian looking, the high school drama teacher that’s always pushing the envelope in potentially inappropriate ways. Earnest about theatre and proving herself.

JAXTON – Male, Caucasian looking, yoga practitioner/actor. Politically correct to a fault, a big one. He’s that confident guy everyone loves, but his logical PC thinking takes weird turns.

ALICIA – Female, brunette, Caucasian looking but has looks that would have been cast as ethnic in 1950s movies. Without guile. Sexy and hot, but not bright.

CADEN – Male, Caucasian looking, the academic. Awkward elementary school history teacher with dramatic aspirations but no experience.

  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting A high school drama classroom anywhere but the Los Angeles area.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes

Media

“Very, very funny... this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” – Hollywood Reporter

“The familiar, whitewashed story of Pilgrims and Native Americans chowing down together gets a delicious roasting from expert farceurs.” – The New York Times

“A satirical and visual punch.” – New York Stage Review

“Very, very funny. Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play skewers liberal pretensions with glee – this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” – Hollywood Reporter

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

From the Desk of Licensing: Collegiate Edition Vol. 2
by Becca Schlossberg
September 6, 2019

Scene Study and Classroom Reading: Plays for Colleges and Universities
by Becca Schlossberg
August 23, 2019

From the Desk of Licensing: February Edition
David Kimple
February 20, 2019

Videos

  • The Thanksgiving Play at Playwrights Horizons youtube thumbnail

    The Thanksgiving Play at Playwrights Horizons

  • Capstage Theatre: The Thanksgiving Play youtube thumbnail

    Capstage Theatre: The Thanksgiving Play

Photos

  • The Thanksgiving Play

    Image: 2018 Playwrights Horizons Production (Joan Marcus)

  • The Thanksgiving Play

    Image: 2023 Second Stage Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

  • The Thanksgiving Play

    Image: 2023 Second Stage Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Larissa FastHorse

Larissa FastHorse

Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota Nation) is an award-winning writer and 2020-2025 MacArthur Fellow. Her satirical comedy The Thanksgiving Play made her the first known female Native American playwright on Broadway, at the Helen Hayes under the direction of Rachel Chavkin. He ...

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