Jenn Kirk and Scott Sophos star in Prague Shakespeare Company’s smash-hit comedy The Thanksgiving Play at Divadlo Na Pradle
The Thanksgiving Play is a very funny play about “wokeness” and the obsession with being politically correct. It is an insightful, hilariously painful, examination of attitudes about identity, the arts, and audiences. What is your favorite thing about the play?
JENN KIRK: I’d say the history of the play. The playwright Larissa FastHorse tried writing plays featuring Indigenous characters and just couldn’t get them produced because theatre companies claimed they were “virtually uncastable. ” So, she wrote this sort of protest play that must be performed by “four caucasian looking actors” which is pretty badass. She took a largely problematic topic and made it digestible for audiences. I’d love to meet her one day.
SCOTT SOPHOS: My favorite thing about the play is the absolute earnestness of all the characters. For the most part, they all desperately do not want to offend, they want to somehow tell the truth and they all want to create something special which challenges the myth of the first Thanksgiving, and yet they all selfishly want something more although none of them can admit to that. They all aspire to greatness, and sadly none of them will have greatness achieved or thrust upon them.
Who is your character and what do you love about your character?
JENN KIRK: I play Alicia, an actress flown in from Los Angeles off her Native American headshot. She describes herself as “not smart but definitely not simpleminded.” She has a way of looking at each problem plainly, as she claims she’s never met a smart person who is content. As an actor, it’s been a joy to play someone like this.
SCOTT SOPHOS: My character is Jaxton, an out of work actor. He never had the courage to go to New York or LA to pursue his acting dreams, and that his career is more in his mind than a reality.
What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? And Pavel, as the only Czech in a cast of Americans, what do you make of the American Thanksgiving holiday?
JENN KIRK: There’s no way around it – Thanksgiving is a problematic holiday and deeply rooted in colonialism and bloodshed. Therefore, on Thanksgiving, I always try to take time to be grateful for the life I have. At home, we usually go around the table and say something we are thankful for or write it down. We share a home cooked meal full of gratitude, while also remembering what was sacrificed in order for us to have this opportunity.
SCOTT SOPHOS: As a child and teenager, it was all about family. My very southern Grandmother at every meal would make ambrosia, and creamed oysters. She would always announce at some point during the meal, in her heavy Delta accent, “ I have had sufficient, any more would be superfluous.” But then, you know, the pumpkin pie came out….
What is your favorite place in Prague and what is your favorite Czech food?
JENN KIRK: This is tough! Probably the view from the edge of Střelecký ostrov looking up at the castle. Favorite food is svíčková or plněné knedlíky at the vegan restaurant Střecha. They employ people who have experienced homelessness or served a sentence, while helping them with their debts, foreclosures, housing situation or other problems they face. You can prepay a pending lunch, which is then served to a person in financial need.
SCOTT SOPHOS: My favorite place in Prague is on top of Vyshehrad, with the amazing view and the gorgeous church of St Peter and St Paul. My favorite Czech good is simple- a good grilled Klobasa with mustard and horseradish and chleb.
What is special about reviving The Thanksgiving Play, especially this close to the US Presidential elections?
JENN KIRK: I’m just hoping to help the audience transcend reality for a brief time and make them laugh. This election is really dividing amongst my household, for example, and laughter is a nice medicine to relieve that tension.
SCOTT SOPHOS: I feel that the outcome of this election will determine if pieces which question US History and may give an unpopular view are allowed to even exist and be produced. Whether the US maintains it’s role as a leader of freedom and democracy, a shining beacon which acknowledges that is past is full of both triumph and atrocities, or whether that shining begin will be extinguished to be replace by something far darker, where the history is airbrushed to remove all of its faults and blemishes, sending the truth in the trash heap of history.
What should audiences expect from The Thanksgiving Play?
JENN KIRK: I think audiences should be ready to laugh and leave with more questions than answers, as FastHorse intended. Czech audiences should be ready to see what this crazy den díkůvzdání is all about!
SCOTT SOPHOS: A damned good time, a lot of laughs, and plenty of food for thought.
The Thanksgiving Play
By Larissa Fasthorse
Directed by Josh Morrison
Performed in English
Divadlo Na Pradle
20 & 26 November, 2024
Starring Jenn Kirk, Genevieve Gionet, Scott Sophos and Pavel Caldr
For more information visit www.pragueshakespeare.cz
Email PSC: info@pragueshakespeare.cz
Tickets available through the GOOUT.CZ here:
20 November at 19:00: https://goout.net/en/tickets/the-thanksgiving-play/ohgbb/
26 November at 19:00: https://goout.net/en/tickets/the-thanksgiving-play/qhgbb/