Playwright Larissa FastHorse makes theater history. Next year, she’ll be the first Native American female playwright to have her work showcased on Broadway. Her play The Thanksgiving Play is going to be produced by Second Stage in the Spring of 2023. The Thanksgiving Play will go up at the Hayes Theater in New York City. Rachel Chavkin, known for her Tony-winning direction of Broadway’s Hadestown , will direct Larissa FastHorse’s work.
The Thanksgiving Play
Larissa FastHorse’s play, The Thanksgiving Play, focuses on a group of well-intentioned white theater artists who strive to create a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving school pageant that amplifies Native American voices. The Thanksgiving Play can be classified as.
Before Broadway: Larissa FastHorse’s Award-Winning Work
According to her personal website Larissa FastHorse is of the Sicangu Lakota Nation. She is both a writer and a choreographer. She has won awards for her work in the American Theatre.
Furthermore, FastHorse co-founded Indigenous Direction which her website describes as, “the nation’s leading consulting company for Indigenous arts and audiences.” Her upcoming Broadway run of The Thanksgiving Play comes after many previous productions across the country. Her website affirms that The Thanksgiving Play is one of the top ten most produced plays in America this season. In 2020, FastHorse became a MacArthur Fellow.
“I will fiercely advocate for the community.”
In an interview with Bruce Norris for American Theatre , FastHorse discusses her playwriting as well as the audiences she intends to reach. She explains: “As an Indigenous person, once I enter the theater, it becomes my responsibility to support the play, represent myself as an artist, and stand up for my community. I cannot be the only Native person to have this opportunity. Therefore, I am committed to fiercely defending and preserving their access, doing whatever it takes.”
