David Henry Hwang And The Thanksgiving Play By Larissa Fasthorse

Throughout America’s history, white people have committed many injustices that continue to affect descendants of the oppressed. Even if it’s unintentional for some, white Americans preserve this racist oppression on a systemic and social level. The plays “Yellow Face” by David Henry Hwang and “The Thanksgiving Play” by Larissa Fasthorse tackle these issues. “The Thanksgiving Play” is a satire about four white people who try to put on a middle school play that follows the events of the First Thanksgiving. Logan, Caden, and Jaxton all try to appear “woke,” which affects how they handle this play. At first, the three believed they had cast a Native American actress in their play to guide them as a “cultural compass” (Fasthorse 32). Later on, yet, they find out the actress is, in fact, 100% white and deliberately plays other races. This causes the playwrights to spiral as they try to salvage the Thanksgiving Play.

Although the bulk of the play revolves around white playwrights struggling to depict the real First Thanksgiving, the idea there was a First

Moments before the theater group realizes Alicia is white, she discloses she has six different headshots to represent the various ethnicities she can play. For the Native American headshot, Alicia says it has her “in braids and a turquoise necklace” (Fasthorse 32). In popular American culture, braids and turquoise necklaces have been common visual tropes for Native American women. The presence of visual cliches, though, can lead to Native American women internalizing these stereotypes. If they don’t fit the stereotypical image depicted by the dominant culture, they may question their cultural