SDSU presents "The Thanksgiving Play" Nov. 1-10: Satirical comedy by Broadway’s first Native American woman playwright
Listed among 2019’s top 10 most-produced plays in the U.S., Larissa FastHorse’s work earned a place on Broadway becoming the first play by a Native American woman.
The San Diego State University School of Theatre, Television, and Film presents The Thanksgiving Play, a satirical comedy from playwright Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota Nation), on Nov. 1-10 in the Main Stage Theatre. The production is directed by Randy Reinholz (Choctaw Nation).
The Thanksgiving Play humorously follows a group of well-meaning theatre artists attempting to produce a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving school pageant, only to find their efforts hilariously backfiring.
Since its debut at the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon, the play has resonated with audiences nationwide and quickly built momentum becoming one of the top 10 most-produced plays in the U.S. by 2019. In 2023, The Thanksgiving Play made its Broadway debut, making FastHorse the first Native American woman to have a play produced on Broadway.
Reinholz is a professor, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Native Voices at the Autry. Native Voices is the only Equity theater company in the U.S. dedicated to developing and producing new plays by Native American, First Nations, and Alaska Native playwrights.
“In the beginning, folks wondered if this comedy about Thanksgiving — the most misunderstood Native American holiday traditionally told by non-Native Americans — could have this many race observations and still be funny,” said Reinholz.
“It turns out that The Thanksgiving Play has lots of laughs and plenty of medicine. We hope that audiences have a great time, and perhaps come away wondering: what if Native people had more forums for stories, what else might we know, what laughs might we share, and what harm might be prevented?”
Tickets are available for purchase at ttf.sdsu.edu. General admission is $20, with a discounted rate of $17 for students and seniors.
Performance Information:
- What: SDSU School of Theatre, Television, and Film presents The Thanksgiving Play
- Where: Main Stage Theatre, SDSU Performing Arts District
- When: Nov. 1-10, with a preview performance on Oct. 31
- Tickets: ttf.sdsu.edu
The Thanksgiving Play is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.
