The Thanksgiving Play

What is the significance of the characters’ romantic relationships? How do those relationships evolve over the course of the play, and how does this develop the play’s overall meaning?

What is the play satirizing? Choose three moments of clear satire in the text and explain what makes them satirical.

In the stage directions, Fasthorse says that the odd-numbered scenes can be presented in a multitude of different ways: puppets, videos of children, performed by the actors, etc. How would you produce those scenes, and why? Explain your decision with reference to the work’s themes.

How would you characterize Logan as opposed to Jaxton? How are they different and similar? How do they affect each other?

What is the significance of the empty space? What does it mean to Logan and the other characters? What is it intended to mean to the audience? What do you think the playwright is saying about it?

Choose one of the odd-numbered scenes and analyze it. What is it doing? Where is it getting its information?

What is white privilege, and how does it appear in the play? Choose three instances in which a character is exercising their white privilege and explain how they function.

What are some of the ways Indigenous people are characterized and stereotyped by the characters? What do these stereotypes say about the status of Indigenous Americans? What is the stereotypes’ function in the play?