A fully staged production of the wickedly funny satire“The Thanksgiving Play – a play by Larissa Fasthorse” will be produced at The GhostLight Theatre beginning Thursday, November 13th through Sunday, November 23rd. Stage Directed by Michael Alan Herman, The Thanksgiving Play features a 4-person cast including Kip Bartloff, Shane Blair, Josie Eli Herman and Rebecca Maxey.
A group of mismatched teachers and actors have been charged by the school district to devise an ethnically sensitive play to somehow celebrate both Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month. In order to be as respectful and accurate as possible, the three white actors defer to the only Native American in the room for guidance and find 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 as the absurd pageant must go on!
"Working with the cast has been a dream…,” says director Michael Herman, “I am blown away by their group chemistry and all the funny character details they bring to their hilarious performances. It's a wonderful ensemble piece, and I couldn't have asked for a better group of thespians. They bring these characters to life in a way I have never seen before, and it's pure joy to watch their relationships unfold. They have heart, humor, and joy, what else could you ask for this holiday season?"
"Returning to the GhostLight has been such a homecoming for me. I have known Paul for years - I first worked with him through his BEST Performance Summer Workshop, where he helped me take my first steps as a performer, and I was so grateful to be welcomed back to lead this production as the director. The entire administration team of the GhostLight welcomes you like family from the minute you step in the door; it feels like home, and that is because of the love Paul and his team have put into this beautiful gem of a theatre."
In addition to the cast of The Thanksgiving Play, the crew consists of Julie Peterson (Assistant Director), Lane Alsup (Stage Manager – u/s Jaxton), Megan Myers (Costume Design), Andy Sawyer (Set Design), Cindy Jakeway (Paint Design), Collin Wagner and Elena Hewitt (Light Design), and Curtis Munson (Sound and Light Board operator).
The Thanksgiving Play Sponsors include Season Sponsor Chicago Records Management, On Base Productions, Dan and Kristin Harrigan as well as through a special grant from The Pokagon Fund.
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The Thanksgiving Play will play at The GhostLight Theatre Thursday through Sunday from Nov. 13th-23rd with ALL evening shows at 7:30 p.m. except for the Sunday matinees at 3.pm. 2-person VIP tables are available for purchase for an additional $40 add-on price, otherwise all seats are General Admission. Doors open every night at 7pm or 2:30, and tickets range from $20- $75 and are available at www.GhostLightBH.com. Additionally, The GhostLight Theatre will host a special post-show talkback discussion after the Sunday, November 16th matinee with panel guests from the Pokagon Tribe as well as other cast members to discuss the didactic themes of this play production.
“Very, very funny... this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” – Hollywood Reporter
“The familiar, whitewashed story of Pilgrims and Native Americans chowing down together gets a delicious roasting from expert farceurs.” – The New York Times
“Very, very funny. Larissa FastHorse’s The Thanksgiving Play skewers liberal pretensions with glee – this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” – Hollywood Reporter
PROVISIONAL LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE GHOSTLIGHT THEATRE –
We collectively acknowledge that The GhostLight Theatre occupies the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary Lands of the Anishinaabek – Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi peoples. More specifically we acknowledge that The GhostLight Theatre resides within the traditional homelands of many Indigenous nations: Mascouten (Mascoutin, Mathkoutench, Muscoden, Musketoon) Kiash Matchitiwuk (Menominee) Meshkwahkîha (Meskwaki) Asâkîwaki (Sauk) Myaamiaki (Miami), Waayaahtanwaki (Wea), and Peeyankihšiaki (Piankashaw) Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe), Odawak (Odawa), and Bodéwadmik (Potawatomi)*. We recognize, support, and advocate for the sovereignty of Michigan’s twelve federally-recognized Indian nations, for historic Indigenous communities in Michigan, for Indigenous individuals and communities who live here now, and for those who were forcibly removed from their Homelands. By offering this Land Acknowledgement, we affirm Indigenous sovereignty and will work to hold The GhostLight Theatre more accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous peoples. We are committed to bringing Native American voices to the forefront. As part of an ongoing effort to celebrate and tell the histories and contemporary experiences of Native American people, we also recognize the Native American presence on the land where our building is located.
For more information, visit: www.ghostlightbh.com or call
Paul Mow directly at (646) 406-6856.
The GhostLight Theatre, an innovative playhouse with a mission to enlighten, inspire,
and illuminate Benton Harbor and the surrounding region,
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
101 Hinkley Street, Benton Harbor, MI 49022
