ISSUED: 5 October 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Costa
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Contemporary Theater Studies program announces the regional premiere of “The Thanksgiving Play” October 7, 8, 14, and 15 at 7 p.m., and October 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. in the Marinoff Theater. The comedy will be professionally performed on Broadway in 2023.
In Larissa FastHorse’s play, a troupe of “woke” artists struggle to find the meeting point of celebrating both Thanksgiving and Native American Heritage Month. FastHorse, a Native American playwright, addresses various absurd approaches to cultural sensitivity.
kb saine, assistant professor of theater and the director of “The Thanksgiving Play,” says this production highlights the idea that, “We’re all trying to be good people. But the rules of being a ‘good person’ change so quickly, especially with social media’s impact.”
“The more we learn about ourselves, our world, and our histories, the more those rules need to change. And there’s never a one-answer-fits-all solution,” saine said.
The cast of “The Thanksgiving Play” includes Shepherd students Avery Copenhaver, Nathan Craig, Alex Whitler, and Olivia Stevens, all of Martinsburg, West Virginia; Kayla Davis, Charles Town, West Virginia; Seth Morris, Hedgesville, West Virginia; Sarah Ward, Kearneysville, West Virginia; Jason Whitaker, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; Margaret Clugston, Monrovia, Maryland; Jack Dempsey, Myersville, Maryland; and Courtney Bell, Manassas, Virginia.
Dempsey and Bell are the co-director and stage manager, respectively. Trent Kugler, production manager, Contemporary American Theater Festival, is the lighting designer, and Chase Molden, technical director and production and props supervisor, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, is the technical director, scenic designer, and prop master.
The production team also includes Shepherd students Jami Hartman, Charles Town, West Virginia; Rebekah Smith, Frederick, Maryland; Emma Williams, Washington, D.C.; and Nathan Zwart, Torrington, Connecticut.
Admission is free for Shepherd students with a valid Rambler ID. Tickets for the public are pay-what-you-will. To support the contemporary theater studies program, donations are accepted online and at the door. “The Thanksgiving Play” contains mature themes.
For more information and ticket reservations, visit the theater Get Tickets webpage.
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