The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse

MIT Music & Theater Arts Presents:

The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse

Directed by Anna Kohler

April 7-9 and 14-16 @ 8pm

W97 @ 345 Vassar Street

“The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa FastHorse is a bitter and wildly funny reflection on one of the most treasured holidays in America. That is, it’s a day for celebration for one part of the population only, for another it’s a painful reminder of what was the beginning of near–extinction.

The play is about a group of high school teachers who make a very sincere effort to create a play that will do “the honorable thing” of bringing Thanksgiving into the right and “politically correct” perspective, and how whatever they attempt fails miserably. It is interspersed with chapters from online pedagogical websites, some of the current, some of their past, that show how callous language can be used in the context of race; also, how uncaring our society has been dealing with racial issues, particularly in the past. Still, playwright Larissa FastHorse does not assign villains in this play: the characters are only guilty of expressing their principles in endless talk instead of action: in the end, Thanksgiving is nothing but an empty concept.

We, as a community here at MIT, are aware and confronted with the ongoing racial inequality in the world that surrounds our campus. Regardless of who we are, we need to look at ourselves to find a way to make our mark on diversity, equality, and inclusion in the present world. This play will hold a mirror up to all of us, with lots of humor and understanding, but definitely criticism as well.

Open to the MIT Community and Public