FARMINGTON —The University of Maine at Farmington is presenting the satire “The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa FastHorse as its fall Mainstage show. It is one of the top-ten most produced plays in America this season.
Performances take place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24, 25, and 26 at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m., in the UMF Alumni Theater.
FastHorse, a member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, became the first known female Native American playwright to produce on Broadway with “The Thanksgiving Play” at Second Stage’s Hayes Theater in 2023. She is the co-founder of Indigenous Direction, the nation’s leading consulting company for Indigenous arts and audiences. She is also a 2020 MacArthur Fellow and an award winning writer and choreographer.
Directed by Melissa C. Thompson, UMF associate professor of visual and performing arts, “The Thanksgiving Play” tells the story of a group of well-meaning but culturally insensitive white theater artists who attempt to create an elementary school play about the first Thanksgiving while struggling with their own biases.
Without an authentic Native voice, the group makes many missteps and are forced to deal with the complexities of privilege in the face of the historical facts. As the group struggles to create a politically correct play without Native American actors, they are faced with the comedic, then unsettling results.
FastHorse portrays these instances first as humorous, followed by the realization of the unimaginable truth of what really happened. Beneath The Thanksgiving Play’s humor and satire, FastHorse challenges the historical presentation of Native Americans and the inaccurate portrayal of Indigenous culture.
“FastHorse is masterful in using humor to engage the audience in preparation for understanding the underlying truth of the brutal treatment of Native Americans throughout history. This play has become an important learning experience for my students to be aware of biases and think critically for themselves. Everyone makes cultural mistakes, but education, theater, art and the written word are all important opportunities to learn together,” said Thompson.
This play contains graphic imagery and is not intended for children.
Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for UMF students with I.D. A “Talk Back” will be featured immediately after the show on Friday, Oct. 25, with the director and cast.
This production is part of the UMF 2024 Indigenous Peoples celebration to promote awareness, and foster a deeper understanding of history, tradition and challenges of Indigenous people.
Reservations can be made by calling Shari Witham with the Department of Arts and Humanities at 207-778-7425.
Cast and crew:
Jazmin Esparza–stage manager, Farmington
Reilly McCabe–Logan, Monmouth
Vivian Rice–Alicia, Rumford
Cam Veach–Jaxton, Penacook, New Hampshire
Chloe Allen–Ensemble, Windham
Dante Capone–Ensemble, Stevensville, Maryland
Lilly Johnson Roy–Ensemble, Connor
Tristan Samuelson–Ensemble, Vassalboro
