Company of Fools Presents THE THANKSGIVING PLAY

For its first production opportunity of its 25th Season, Company of Fools (CoF) will present a rehearsed reading of "The Thanksgiving Play" by Larissa Fasthorse. So that the community can participate in-person or virtually, CoF will offer two in-person readings at the historic Liberty Theatre on Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. along with simultaneous livestreams. Tickets are free (with a suggested donation) and available now at svmoa.org for both the in-person readings (limited seating) and the livestream performances.

A satirical comedy by celebrated playwright Larissa Fasthorse, "The Thanksgiving Play" is one of the top 10 most produced plays in America. CoF's production of FastHorse's work, which premiered in 2018 at Playwrights Horizons, Inc. in New York City, will be co-directed by CoF Core Company Artists Andrew Alburger and Claudia McCain.

The setting for "The Thanksgiving Play" is a high school drama classroom where a group of mismatched teachers and actors have been charged with devising an ethnically sensitive play that celebrates both Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month. In an attempt to be as respectful and accurate as possible, the three white actors defer to the only Native American in the room for guidance, only to find that their expectations of her insights are wildly misguided. In this wickedly funny satire, this foursome must find their way through a hilarious thicket of assumptions, historical perspectives and school district policies to bring the absurd pageant to the stage.

Playwright Larissa Fasthorse started as a ballet dancer and later worked in film and television before moving into theatre, where in addition to writing, she also directs and choreographs. FastHorse says the No. 1 reason she hears her plays don't get second or third productions is because of their casting requirements. This time, she set herself the challenge of writing an easily castable play - one where all the characters could be white or mistaken for white - that still deals with the issues of what it means to be an Indigenous person in contemporary America.

"Fortunately, the play is something I really love and it says so many of the things I've always wanted to say in the world," said FastHorse. "I think it truly is what it's like to be me walking through the world today as an Indigenous woman. It's exactly what I experience, only what I actually experience is worse. I think if we wrote down everything I've experienced as an Indigenous person in this country just walking down the street, it would be such a depressing tragedy that no one would want to watch it. Instead, I made it a comedy, within a satire, to make it a little more fun for everybody."

FastHorse continues, "'The Thanksgiving Play' is a funny, satirical look at how in this age of trying to learn to be appropriate (or PC), we frequently find ourselves going too far the other way. The play shows us how far we have to go to understand the struggles of BIPOC communities, in this case those of Native Americans. Most of us as white people, particularly of a certain generation, have been taught to have viewpoints that don't always reflect the truth. It is more important that we be factually correct than politically correct."

POST-READING DISCUSSIONS

Immediately after the readings, there will be a conversation with the artists and facilitator Randy Reinholz, founder and Producing Artistic Director Emeritus of Native Voices at the Autry Museum of the American West. An enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Reinholz is a producer, director, actor and playwright, with over 100 productions in the United States, Australia, England and Canada. Reinholz has received ATHE's Ellen Stewart Career Achievement in Professional Theatre Award, been recognized by Playwrights' Arena, Los Angeles Drama Critics, MAP Grant, McKnight Fellowship, and received multiyear support from the NEA, Ford Foundation, Shubert Foundation, City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, Disney, Sony, and Los Angeles County Arts Commission. He is a professor at San Diego State University, where he served as Head of Acting; Director of the School of Theatre, Television, and Film; and Director of Community Engagement and Innovation.

CAST

CoF's reading of "The Thanksgiving Play" features longtime Company Artists Chris Carwithen (Caden), Melodie Taylor-Mauldin (Logan), Aly Wepplo (Alicia) and CoF Founding Member Joel Vilinsky (Jaxton).

SHOW NOTES

Patrons should note that "The Thanksgiving Play" discusses white privilege, racism and institutional racism in a frank and adult manner, and also includes themes of an adult nature. For these reasons, the play is most appropriate for patrons 14 and older. The approximate run time is 90 minutes. There is no intermission.

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