(CHATHAM, NJ) -- Chatham Players present The Thanksgiving Play weekends from September 18 to October 3, 2026. Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire.
What does an ethical play about the first Thanksgiving look like? In this laugh 'til you cringe satire, journey with the four most well-meaning and misplaced white people you know as they explore their place in and responsibility to the First Thanksgiving narrative. Who knows? You might learn something along the way about history you'd rather not remember.
The cast includes Gabi Wagner Mann (Logan), Andrew Froehlich (Jaxton), Alan Ellis (Caden), and Giuliana Sammarro (Alicia).
The Production Team includes Director: Alysia Homminga; Producers: Jessica Phelan and Missy Renwick; Stage Manager: Sarah Pharaon; Assistant Stage Manager: Jordyn Chait; Set Design: Roy Pancirov; Lighting Design: Jackson Gould; Sound Design: Joe DeVico; Costume Design: Jackie Jacobi; Scenic Artist: Joëlle Bochner; Fight Coordinator: Steve Ruskin; and Makeup/Wigs: Alyson Pemoulié Halter.
Performances take place Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00pm and Sunday matinees at 3:00pm. Tickets are available for purchase online. The theater is located at 23 N Passaic Avenue in Chatham, New Jersey.
The Thanksgiving Play premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in New York City on October 12, 2018.
Playwright Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota Nation) is an award-winning writer and 2020-2025 MacArthur Fellow. Her satirical comedy The Thanksgiving Play made her the first known female Native American playwright on Broadway, at the Helen Hayes under the direction of Rachel Chavkin. Her new plays in 2023 are Wicoun (Cornerstone Theater Company), Democracy Project (Federal Hall), Fake It Until You Make It (CTG Mark Taper Forum), For the People (Guthrie), and the national tour of Peter Pan (Networks). Selected past plays include What Would Crazy Horse Do? (KCRep), Landless and Cow Pie Bingo (AlterTheater), Average Family (Children’s Theater Company of Minneapolis) and Teaching Disco Squaredancing to Our Elders: a Class Presentation (Native Voices at the Autry), as well as numerous productions of The Thanksgiving Play, making it one of the most produced plays in America.
Larissa created the nationally recognized trilogy of community engaged theatrical experiences with Cornerstone Theater Company; Urban Rez, Native Nation and Wicoun. She and her collaborator, Michael John Garcés, spend years on each project in an Indigenized community engagement process. “The engagement itself is the art form.” These projects have earned them national funding and an appointment to Arizona State University's Department of English as professors of practice (literature).
Larissa’s company with Ty Defoe, Indigenous Direction, recently produced the first land acknowledgement on national television for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC and continues to consult for them. They also consult for the largest theater organizations in the country.
Larissa also writes in film and television, most recently as a creator for NBC, Disney Channel, Dreamworks, Muse, Netflix and others. She is based in Los Angeles with her husband, the sculptor Edd Hogan, and represented by Jonathan Mills at Paradigm NY. She is especially honored to follow in the footsteps of the last known Native American playwright on Broadway, Lynn Riggs.
Ellis Paul doesn’t just write songs; he’s a guitar-carrying reporter who covers the human condition and details the hopes, loves, losses of those he observes, turning their stories into luminous pieces of music that get under your skin and into your bloodstream. And much like the artists who have influenced him, everyone from Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon to the singer-songwriter who is undoubtedly his greatest inspiration, Woody Guthrie, Paul weaves deeply personal experiences with social issues and renders them as provocative works that are as timely as they are timeless. Born and raised in Maine, Paul attended Boston College on a track scholarship and in the evenings became a fixture on the city’s open mic circuit. After winning a Boston Acoustic Underground songwriter competition, he caught the ear of folk luminary Bill Morrissey, who produced his indie album Say Something in 1993. This led to a sevenalbum contract with Rounder Records and the 1994 album, Stories.
Samara Joy has emerged as one of the most captivating new voices in jazz, bringing a fresh perspective to a beloved tradition. With a sound that feels both rooted in history and uniquely her own, she has quickly drawn the attention of audiences and critics alike. Experience the artistry, warmth, and unmistakable brilliance of a true rising icon—live and in person.
To welcome Fall, renowned organist Ian Fraser will play a selection of Halloween inspired pieces on UCPAC’s “Biggest Little Wurlitzer,” our 1928 organ that is original to our beautiful Main Stage theater, in Illumination – A Haunted Concert by Candlelight!
The 45th Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place between September 4-October 4, 2026. The Festival will be a hybrid as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. Almost all the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VOD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person shows when both are offered.This program is only available Online for 24 hours on this show date!
Musician and historian Bobby Horton combines storytelling, musicianship, history, and a genuine love for the people who settled this nation, fought for our future, and created a new nation in Patriot Songs of the American Revolution.
(PLAINFIELD, NJ) -- Music lovers are invited to experience the artistry of the Wharton Performing Arts School (PAS) faculty at a free Faculty Recital on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at the Plainfield Performing Arts Center (724 Park Avenue) in Plainfield. Showtime is 3:00pm.
(CLARK, NJ) -- Waves of Education's 6th Annual Run Toward a Better Future 5K & Family Fun Event will take place on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at Oak Ridge Park in Clark.
(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- Centenary Stage Company will welcome internationally acclaimed Indian classical musician Ustad Shafaat Khan to the Kutz Theatre at the Lackland Performing Arts Center on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 2:00pm.
(NEW YORK, NY) -- NiCori Performing Arts Academy celebrates the next generation of musical theatre and cabaret talent on Sunday, October 4, 2026 at Triad Theater. The NiCori Youth Cabaret Showcase features an extraordinary group of young performers sharing songs that inspire, challenge, and tell their unique stories. The event begins at 2:00pm.
(HOBOKEN, NJ) -- Mile Square Theatre presents a New Play Reading Series from October 5-14, 2026. Plays include Neither Snow Nor Rain by Erin Mallon; The Halal Brothers by Alaudin Ullah; and Sunshine Madness by Lori Fischer. Admission is free, but tickets are required.
(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- State Theatre New Jersey presents Compagnie Hervé Koubi in Sol Invictus on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 7:30pm. Sol Invictus is a contemporary dance work combining acrobatics, street dance, hip-hop, capoeira, and martial arts with powerful imagery and inspired choreography.
(TOMS RIVER, NJ) -- It's time to ditch the same boring recipes and bring big, playful creativity back into your kitchen! Join Top Chef finalist, Food Network star, and author Joe Sasto to explore his bestselling cookbook Breaking the Rules: A Fresh Take on Italian Classics in a virtual discussion on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, presented by the Ocean County Library. The event begins at 2:00pm.
(RED BANK, NJ) -- The Count Basie Center for the Arts welcomes Tony Award-winning actor, author and advocate Ali Stroker for a Community Conversation exploring mental health, well-being and the power of the arts on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at The Vogel. The event begins at 7:00pm.
(NEWARK, NJ) -- World-renowned artist Bisa Butler and Grammy Award-winning artist Durand Bernarr will headline the 2026 Newark Arts Festival, returning October 7–11 for five days of exhibitions, music, performance, artist conversations, family programming, open studios and late-night arts experiences across Newark.