NEWS RELEASE
MARIPOSA ARTS THEATRE
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A true test of one’s sense of humour is whether they are willing to laugh at their own expense. With Mariposa Arts Theatre’s The Thanksgiving Play, running Feb. 6-16 at the Orillia Opera House, audiences are invited to do just that.
The biting satire, written by Indigenous playwright Larissa FastHorse, shines a light on performative activism in the theatre world and, by extension, our own communities.
It follows four well-meaning, but culturally misguided, white theatre artists attempting to create a politically correct school play about the first Thanksgiving while struggling with their own woke hubris and lack of Indigenous representation. Forced to confront the complexities of privilege and their unconscious biases, they learn the challenges that come with trying to address cultural issues without a true understanding of them.
FastHorse’s intention is for audiences to have a good time and re-examine Indigenous history through a new lens. “I do have faith that [audiences] are actually well-meaning,” she said in conversation with CBC Q's Tom Power last fall. “As hard as The Thanksgiving Play is on white folks and well-meaning folks in general, it's also a love letter… I give them a lot of laughter [and] silliness. I want people to be rewarded for coming to this show."
Co-directors Samantha Cole and Alyssa LaPlume believe The Thanksgiving Play will encourage people to laugh at themselves, and their sometimes misguided good intentions, as they strive to be allies in their communities. “My hope is [the characters] can inspire a little self-reflection in anyone who resonates with them,” LaPlume says. “We’ve been using the term ‘failing forward’”, referring to the acceptance of one’s failure as a stepping stone to future success, “and that is exactly what I think the audience will relate to when watching these characters fumble”.
Fumble they do, and spectacularly, as they workshop their way through a first rehearsal rife with inappropriate stereotypical depictions, cultural assumptions, and moments of pure slapstick sure to make theatre-goers gasp, cringe and, yes, laugh out loud.
“We need to be able to laugh at our follies,” Cole adds, “but also lean into the uncomfortable feelings that come with being wrong, the discomfort of not knowing, and understand the need for us to listen and learn about Indigeneity and how to do our part in Truth and Reconciliation. This play sheds light on a ‘beloved’ holiday as historically much more than simply breaking bread.”
FastHorse describes her work as one-act plays where “the first act happens here in the space… the second act happens after you leave.” She says the audience should, “leave thinking and questioning and wondering why they didn’t know some of these things, why they’re offended… [and] why is this new information?” (The Broadway Show). The prospect of sparking this curiosity in community members was an exciting one that made The Thanksgiving Play what MAT President Stevie Baker calls “a perfect fit” for the 2024-2025 season.
“We're excited to bring our primarily non-Indigenous audience into discussions about our relationships with Indigenous people and history that doesn't put the onus of facilitating that discussion on Indigenous people,” she says. The comedic aspects of the show are optimal for combating the February ‘blahs’, while also possessing a “razor sharp commentary that is nuanced, but extremely clear.”
Baker says, “it pushes us as artists, and community members, to really look at the parallels of what the play is saying and how ‘well-meaning’ people can get it so wrong in their pursuits of equity and inclusion.”
“I do believe that MAT is capable of taking a big swing like this in the name of diversifying its roster,” LaPlume says, “Over the years, I’ve seen the solidarity for Indigenous peoples and cultures grow across Canada, and Orillia is no different. As a long-time resident, I believe this town and its people are ready to laugh at themselves and sit in a little discomfort in the name of advocacy for Indigenous rights.”
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THE THANKSGIVING PLAY runs Feb. 6-16 at the Orillia Opera House Studio Theatre. Evening shows 7:30 p.m., Sunday matinees 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 each ($25 for students) and can be purchased through the Orillia Opera House website or by calling their Box Office at 705-326-8011. Recommended for ages 14+.
Formal Opening Reception and Q&A to take place post-show on Saturday, February 8. A second Q&A will be held post-show on Saturday, February 15. A silent auction for an original art piece by Windigo Army will take place in the OOH Green Room throughout the run of the show.
To learn more about the show, visit: www.mariposaartstheatre.com/thanksplay. Presented in arrangement with Concord Theatricals
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