The Thanksgiving Play

The Ensemble Company, the repertory theatre company in residence at Imagine Performing Arts Center (previously Penguin Point Productions), continues its sixth season with Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play–a hilarious satire where good intentions collide with absurd assumptions.

The Thanksgiving Play follows four white individuals who are determined to create a politically correct First Thanksgiving play for Native American Heritage Month in schools. Logan, the director, hires an actress named Alicia, believing she is Native American, to provide cultural authenticity. However, it is soon revealed that Alicia is actually white and only portrays Native American characters when not playing other ethnicities. Without an authentic Native voice, Logan and her team – which includes her partner Jaxton, an overly earnest actor, and Caden, an enthusiastic yet clueless history teacher – are forced to confront the complexities of privilege while adhering to historical accuracy and school district rules. Meanwhile, they begin to understand the challenges…