Larissa FastHorse facts for kids

Larissa FastHorse is a talented Native American writer and choreographer. She is a member of the Sicangu Lakota people. Larissa FastHorse lives in Santa Monica, California.

In 2023, she made history. Her play, The Thanksgiving Play, was shown on Broadway. This made her the first known female Native American playwright to have a play on Broadway. That same year, she became a professor at Arizona State University. In 2024, a new version of Peter Pan: The Broadway Musical started touring. Larissa FastHorse helped adapt its story.

Larissa grew up in South Dakota. She started as a ballet dancer and choreographer. An injury made her stop dancing after ten years. She then returned to her love for writing. She became involved in Native American drama and film. Later, she began writing and directing her own plays. Many of her plays are now published.

Larissa FastHorse also co-founded Indigenous Direction. This is a company that helps people and groups create accurate work. They focus on projects about, for, and with Indigenous peoples. Their clients include the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Guthrie Theater.

Her Amazing Career

Larissa FastHorse has had a varied and important career. She has worked in theater, film, and television.

Early Work and Community Plays

In 2000, Larissa FastHorse was a delegate to the United Nations in Geneva. She spoke about how movies can help Indigenous peoples. After this, she moved from dance to focus on writing for TV, film, and theater.

Larissa FastHorse created three special plays with Michael John Garcés. These plays involved the community.

• Urban Rez was about Indigenous people living in Los Angeles.
• Native Nation was the largest Indigenous theater show ever in America. Over 400 Native artists were part of it.
• Wicoun explored the strength, humor, and culture of Northern Plains Indigenous people.

Larissa FastHorse works closely with Indigenous tribes. Her way of including them has earned her many awards and grants.

Broadway Success

In the 2022-23 season, Larissa FastHorse's play The Thanksgiving Play opened on Broadway. This was a big moment in 2023. It made her the first female Native American playwright on Broadway.

The play is a funny story that makes people think. It was first developed at the Guthrie Theater. It had its first off-Broadway show in 2018. Since 2019, The Thanksgiving Play has been one of the top ten most produced plays in America. Larissa FastHorse is the first Native American playwright to be on this list.

Other Important Plays

Two of her plays, The Thanksgiving Play (2017) and What Would Crazy Horse Do? (2014), were on "The Kilroys' List." This list highlights great new plays by female and trans writers of color. What Would Crazy Horse Do? is a comedy. It was inspired by true events where a group tried to recruit Indigenous people.

Larissa FastHorse has also worked on new projects. These include For The People for The Guthrie Theater. She also helped create a new version of the musical Peter Pan.

Changing Peter Pan

In the new Peter Pan production, Larissa FastHorse changed the story. She made sure it showed Native Americans in a respectful way. This new version started its international tour in 2024.

Some of her other plays include:

• What Would Crazy Horse Do?
• Landless
• Cow Pie Bingo
• Average Family
• Teaching Disco Square Dancing to Our Elders: a Class Presentation
• Vanishing Point
• Cherokee Family Reunion

Larissa FastHorse has also written plays for many famous theaters. These include The Public, Second Stage, and the Kennedy Center.

Film and Television Work

In 2019, Larissa FastHorse started working in film and television. She has developed projects for Freeform, Disney Channel, and NBC. She has also worked with Apple TV+, Dreamworks, and Netflix.

Before theater, she trained as a writer for film. She was a fellow at Sundance Native Feature, Fox Diversity, and ABC Native American programs. She also produced two short films: The Migration (2008) and A Final Wish (2002).

Indigenous Direction

In 2020, Larissa FastHorse's company, Indigenous Direction, made history. They produced the first "land acknowledgement" on national television. This happened during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC. A land acknowledgement is a statement that recognizes Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of the land.

Indigenous Direction works with many organizations. They help them create respectful and accurate content about Indigenous cultures.

Supporting Indigenous Artists

Larissa FastHorse believes in supporting other Indigenous artists. When theaters produce her plays, she asks them to hire at least one other Indigenous artist. She also asks them to show the work of another Indigenous artist in the building.

Honors and Awards

• MacArthur Fellows Program, Class of 2020
• PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, 2019
• PEN Center USA Literary Award for Drama, 2016
• Playwrights’ Center Core Writer, 2016-2018
• Center Stage "Wright Now Play Later" Project, 2016
• Joe Dowling Annaghmakerrig Fellowship Award, 2015-2016
• Directors Lab West, 2015
• AATE Distinguished Play Award, 2012
• Center Theatre Group L.A. Writers' Workshop, 2011-2012
• Speaker and Workshop Leader, South Dakota Festival of Books, 2011
• National Endowment for the Arts Distinguished New Play Development Grant, 2010
• William Inge Center for the Arts Playwriting Residency, 2009
• Speaker, International Colloquium of Theatre for Young People, Mexico City, 2009
• Featured US playwright, ASSITEJ World Congress, Australia, 2008
• National Geographic Seed Grant, 2007
• Aurand Harris Fellowship, Children's Theatre Foundation of America, 2007
• ABC / IAIA TV Writer’s Track Program, 2007
• Fox TV Writers Initiative Fellow, 2008-2009 / 2005-2006
• Fellowship, Fox Diversity Writer's Initiative Programs, 2006
• Inscribed Delegate, United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland, 2000
• Sundance Institute-Ford Foundation Fellowship
• Two for New Works Grant

Television and Film Credits

• Queen of America, NBCUniversal, 2021
• Buffalo County, co-writer with Courtney Hoffman at Must, 2020
• The Line (pilot; Fox)
• Lakota Falls (pilot; Teen Nick)

Theatre Credits

Choreography and Direction

• Our Voices Will Be Heard, Perseverance Theater, Juneau/Anchorage, AK, 2016
• South Pass, Jackson Center for the Arts, Jackson, WY, 2013
• Unto These Hills, Mountainside Theatre, Cherokee, NC, 2008-2011

Writing

• Fancy Dancer, in development
• The Thanksgiving Play (2023)
• Wicoun (2023)
• Native Nation (2019)
• Cow Pie Bingo (2018)
• What Would Crazy Horse Do? (2017)
• Urban Rez (2016)
• Allies – My America Too (2015)
• Landless (2015)
• Cherokee Family Reunion (2012)
• Hunka (2012)
• A Dancing People (2011)
• Different Does Not Mean The Same (2009)
• Serra Springs (2008)
• Teaching Disco Square Dancing to Our Elders: A Class Presentation (2008)
• Average Family (2007)

Personal Life

Larissa FastHorse is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. This tribe is part of the Lakota people. She lives in Santa Monica with her husband, sculptor Edd Hogan.