The Thanksgiving Play
“Very, very funny... this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” – Hollywood Reporter
Written by Larissa FastHorse
Directed by Brian McDonald
About the Play
The 2023 Broadway Hit Play!! Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. Please Note: This production contains depicted graphic violence and sexual innuendo, and is not recommended for those under the age of 13.
Behind the Scenes with the Cast
The Thanksgiving Play ProgramArtists
Cast
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Will Block *
Caden
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Adam Hagenbuch *
Jaxton
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Ashley Platz *
Alicia
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Devin Sidell *
Logan
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WILL BLOCK (Caden) is thrilled to be returning to Ensemble Theatre Company after previously appearing as Brian in The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley. Will’s regional credits include All’s Well that Ends Well at A Noise Within; The Two Noble Kinsmen with the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company; Murder on the Orient Express at La Mirada (directed by Sheldon Epps); Hally in Master Harold…and the Boys, Young Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, Jim Hawkins in Treasure Island with the Sacramento Theatre Company; and Flute in A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the LA Philharmonic directed by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Nancy Meckler. His TV credits include two whole words on the season six premiere of “This is Us”. Will is the Artistic Director of The Porters of Hellsgate Theatre Company in LA. Credits with the Porters include Romeo, Posthumus in Cymbeline, Ferdinand in The Tempest, and various roles in Pericles. He has directed productions of The Two Noble Kinsmen and All is True or Henry VIII (StageRaw Award) for the Porters, and will be directing All’s Well that Ends Well with the company in the fall. He is a graduate of UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film, and Television. More information can be found at www.willblockactordirector.com
ADAM HAGENBUCH (Jaxton) hails from Texas which he somehow escaped to become an actor. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and member of The Actors Studio. He plays a loveable doofus in real life and on TV in such shows as “Fuller House”, “Switched At Birth”, “Undateable”, “Trial and Error”, and plays less of a doofus in films like “The Perks Of Being a Wallflower” and “American Horror Stories”. In his spare time Adam likes to direct and shoot feature films, shorts, commercials and music videos and has a total blast going completely broke while making them. He’s thrilled to be working in his first play at the Ensemble Theatre Company.
ASHLEY PLATZ (Alicia) was born and raised in central New Jersey and has a B.F.A. in theatre from Pace University in Manhattan. Some of their TV credits include: “Yellowstone,” “NCIS,” “GLOW,” “Atypical,” “9-1-1,” “Hawaii 5-O,” “The Morning Show,” and more. Ashley has also produced and starred in several award-winning short films, most recently Fight Like A Mother about an amateur boxer’s return to the ring after becoming a parent. Some of Ashley’s LA theatre credits include: Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, Our Lady Of 121st Street, Last of The Red Hot Lovers, Cafe Society, The Assassination Of Leon Trotsky: A Comedy, Never Ever Land, and Group Therapy. If you’d like a better sense of who Ashley is, her instagram says it all: @ashleyplatz.
DEVIN SIDELL (Logan) graduated from Princeton University and subsequently returned to her hometown of Los Angeles. Devin’s regional credits include Far Away (Odyssey Theatre), Bermuda! opposite Josh Gad and Bryce Dallas Howard (The Broad Stage), Land of the Tigers (Sacred Fools/Burglars of Hamm) – LA Weekly Award, and The Behavior of Broadus (Sacred Fools/Burglars of Hamm/Center Theatre Group) – Stage Raw, LADCC, and Ovation Award nominations. You might recognize her from the viral “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” singing criminals cold open. Devin’s other TV and film credits include Rob Zombie’s “31”, “Parks and Recreation”, “Ray Donovan”, “NCIS”, “The Young and The Restless”, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”, “Truth Be Told”, and “Mayans MC”. Devin is a recurring sketch performer on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and can be heard as Tamra in Shudder’s “Video Palace” podcast. A carrier of the BRCA1 gene mutation with a family history of ovarian and breast cancers, Devin decided in 2017 to undergo both a preventative double mastectomy and a preventative hysterectomy/oophorectomy, earning her the label of “previvor.” She is in post-production on a feature film, in which she stars alongside Lesley Ann Warren and Jaime King, about her experience. For more about her, please visit www.devinsidell.com or find her on Instagram (@devin.sidell).
Events & Talks
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Opening NightOctober 7, 2023 at 8:00pm
Immediately following the performance of The Thanksgiving Play, opening night attendees are treated to a festive post-show wine and hors d’oeuvre reception with the artists. -
Pre-Show TalkOctober 11, 2023 and October 18, 2023 at 6:45pmJoin Dramaturg Ward LeHardy for a free, lively, and informative half-hour talk in The New Vic courtyard before each Wednesday performance of The Thanksgiving Play.
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Martini NightOctober 13, 2024 at 7:15pmMingle with friends and enjoy a complimentary show themed martini with your ticket purchase of The Thanksgiving Play. Held in The New Vic courtyard 45-minutes prior to curtain on the second Friday of the run.
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Wednesday Matinee Tea TalkOctober 18, 2023 at 1:15pm
Join us for a special conversation over tea with invited guest scholars to share their insights on a topic particular to The Thanksgiving Play, as related to Santa Barbara history and culture.
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Thursday TalkbackOctober 19, 2023Immediately following the final Thursday evening performance of The Thanksgiving Play, meet members of the cast and participate in an informal 20-30 minute Q&A about the show.
Immediately following the performance of The Thanksgiving Play, opening night attendees are treated to a festive post-show wine and hors d’oeuvre reception with the artists.
Join Dramaturg Ward LeHardy for a free, lively, and informative half-hour talk in The New Vic courtyard before each Wednesday performance of The Thanksgiving Play.
Mingle with friends and enjoy a complimentary show themed martini with your ticket purchase of The Thanksgiving Play. Held in The New Vic courtyard 45-minutes prior to curtain on the second Friday of the run.
Immediately following the final Thursday evening performance of The Thanksgiving Play, meet members of the cast and participate in an informal 20-30 minute Q&A about the show.The Thanksgiving Play Showtimes
There are several showtimes for The Thanksgiving Play. Opening night will be October 7, 2023 and the show will run until October 22, 2023. View all the showtime offerings and purchase tickets so you will not miss out on this performance.
Sponsors
- Producer
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Kathy Weber
- Associate Producer
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Edie and Scott DeVine, in honor of Bill Kennedy
- Supporting Producer
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Carla Amussen
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Doug and Nancy Norberg