THE THANKSGIVING PLAY The First Broadway Play By Native American Woman To Have Houston Premiere At 4th Wall Theatre Company

4th Wall Theatre Company begins 2024 with the Houston Premiere of THE THANKSGIVING PLAY, a hilarious, satirical comedy about performative wokeness and white storytelling. The play runs March 8 to March 23 at Spring Street Studios (1824 Spring Street). Tickets, discount bundles, and more information can be found at https://www.4thwalltheatreco.com/the-thanksgiving-play.

Written by MacArthur Genius Larissa FastHorse and directed by 4th Wall Artistic Director Philip Lehl, THE THANKSGIVING PLAY follows an elementary school teacher assembling a group of four well-meaning white creatives to write and produce a Thanksgiving play that is both historically accurate and culturally sensitive. However, their attempts to do so are repeatedly foiled by their own ignorance and lack of understanding of Native American culture and history. Silly, smart, and timely, THE THANKSGIVING PLAY exposes the absurdity of well-intentioned attempts to address cultural sensitivity and diversity.

The play is also known for being the first Broadway production written by a Native American woman. The New York Times reviewed, “The familiar, whitewashed story of Pilgrims and Native Americans chowing down together gets a delicious roasting…”

A member of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, FastHorse spoke to the tone of the piece in an interview with The Interval:

“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…The comedy is the sugar to make the medicine go down. We get to all laugh at ourselves in this show. To me, that is really important. We get to have fun and enjoy being together and having that communal experience of theatre, but at the same time it doesn't let us off the hook.”

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY will feature returning 4th Wall actors Santry Rush (JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A' TRAIN, THE GOOD THIEF), Brandon Hearnsberger (GLORIA), and Faith Fossett (FAIRVIEW, THE THIN PLACE), along with 4th Wall newcomer Alicia Beard.

The creative team includes Kirk Domer (Set Design), Alan Gonzalez (Costume Design), Rosa Cano (Lighting Design), Robert Leslie Meek (Sound Design), Kalin Menzel (Production Stage Manager), Frankie Outlaw (Properties Design), and Summer Shakes alumnus Bob Beathard (Assistant Director). 

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY

THE THANKSGIVING PLAY is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Written by: Larissa FastHorse 
Directed by: Philip Lehl

Featuring: Faith Fossett, Brandon Hearnsberger, Santry Rush, and Alicia Beard
Dates: March 8 – 23, 2024 
(7:30pm evening performances; 3:00pm Sunday matinees)
Duration: Estimated 90 minutes, with no intermission. NO LATE SEATING.

Location: Spring Street Studios, 1824 Spring Street, Studio 101, Houston TX 77007 
Tickets: $30 - $60; purchase online at www.4thwalltheatreco.com or call (832) 767-4991; special discounts available, call for more information.

Special Performances:  
Preview: Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 7:30pm 
Opening Night: Friday, March 8, 2024 at 7:30pm 
Open-Captioned/Talkback: Sunday, March 17, 2024 at 3:00pm 
Pay-What-You-Will: Monday, March 18, 2024 at 7:30pm

4th Wall Theatre Company is a professional Equity theatre in Houston, TX, founded in 2011 by Philip Lehl and Kim Tobin-Lehl. 4th Wall maintains an eclectic range of programming, producing standards by Shakespeare and Strindberg, American classics, and several regional premieres.  

The mission of 4th Wall is to produce extraordinary professional theatrical experiences and to set a high standard for excellence in acting, direction, and design. 4th Wall believes that the highest quality theatre promotes an aesthetic of performance that is truthful, and that only by paying artists a fair wage can Houston grow and sustain its community of professional theatre artists.   

The company has garnered many accolades, including the Houston Press's "Mastermind Award" as well as four “Best Production” citations in the annual Houston Theater Awards (GOD OF CARNAGE in 2013, LOBBY HERO in 2017, JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A' TRAIN in 2019, THE REALISTIC JONESES in 2020). The Artistic Directors have been nominated several times for the “Best Artistic Director” award, winning once. 4th Wall is a registered 501(c)(3) with the IRS. 

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