Curio Theatre Company Honors Indigenous People's Day With Installation At Calvary Center

As Curio Theatre Company will celebrate 20 years of theatre in West Philadelphia this upcoming season, they are honoring the Lenape people ahead of the  company's Philadelphia premiere of Larissa FastHorse's Broadway hit, The Thanksgiving Play.

On Monday, October 14, at 11 am,  in celebration of Indigenous People's Day, Curio is opening an art installation in front of its home at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue. Find tickets and more information at www.curiotheatre.org.

Curio is building an empty octagonal flower bed in front of its building. There will be a sign asking the community to fill it with Leape soil provided near the installation . This would be designed to create a tangible land acknowledgement. With the art installation, there will be information to encourage members of the community to sign a petition to get Pennsylvania to formally acknowledge the Lenape as the first inhabitants of Pennsylvania and a scanner code to allow people to donate directly to the Lenape of Pennsylvania. Chief Bluejay will also be in attendance at the opening on October 14. 

Curio begins its  20th Season with the Philadelphia Premiere of The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse. The play centers around a group of four well-meaning but culturally insensitive white theater artists who attempt to create a politically correct elementary school play about the first Thanksgiving while struggling with their own biases and the lack of Native representation. The Thanksgiving Play was a hit on Broadway and has been one of the most produced plays in the country. Curio Theatre Co-Founder, Tim Martin, is directing this smart and funny premiere which runs October 23-November 9. Opening Night is Saturday, October 26.

“We want the participants to have a more visceral connection to the land acknowledgement of the Lenape by literally getting your hands dirty and actively contributing to this experience, said Curio Artistic Director and the designer of the exhibit Paul Kuhn. “Also, we want some tangible actions with the art installation by inviting the participants to sign a petition to give state recognition to the Lenape nation of Pennsylvania and to be able to make a financial contribution to its non profit organization.”

About Curio Theatre Company

Curio Theatre Company's mission is to serve audiences in West Philadelphia and beyond with high quality, affordable theatre performances geared towards our community, to develop artistic talent through ensemble based programming, and to further academic,social and personal development through arts education.

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