Larissa Fasthorse

Joining me on this episode of Writers at Work is playwright Larissa Fasthorse, whose timely comedy FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT is currently at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. Larissa, who is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, was the first Native American woman to have a play produced on Broadway.

That satirical comedy, THE THANKSGIVING PLAY, has been produced more than 300 times. Her revision of PETER PAN is currently on tour throughout the U.S. a member of the Sicangu Nation from South Dakota, she began her public career as a dancer and choreographer. After an injury, she began writing with an interest in Native American drama, both film and theater.

She co-founded Indigenous Direction, a consulting firm that helps people and organizations who want to create accurate work by, for, and with Indigenous peoples. She is currently the vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of Playwrights Horizon, a not-for-profit off-Broadway theater in New York City.

There's much to discuss with Larissa, including the plays she's developing for the Public, Second Stage and Yale Rep, among other theaters, and FAKE IT UNTIL YOU MAKE IT, a slapstick comedy with a pointed social and political theme.