Published October 31, 2023
The Dodge City Community College (DC3) Library Read and CONQuer Committee is celebrating Native American Heritage with events scheduled throughout November.
Committee leaders for November are Dr. Jane Holwerda, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Phil Hoke, Professor of Speech/Theatre. And the corresponding book for the month, which is a play called “The Thanksgiving Play,” was chosen by Holwerda.
Up first, at 3 p.m., on Nov. 6, Read and CONQuer will host auditions in the Little Theatre for “The Thanksgiving Play,” which is a one-act satirical comedy, by Larissa Fasthorse, about four white people trying their best to devise a politically correct First Thanksgiving play.
“I read this last spring and loved it,” Holwerda said. “Also, the work has been one of the Top 10 most-produced plays since its publication in 2021. The playwright, Larissa Fasthorse, of the Sicangu Lakota Nation, is a force in contemporary theatre and is also a recipient of a MacArthur Genius Fellowship. So, the high level of craft, the heritage and the topic of Thanksgiving seemed like a good fit for November.”
Greg Victors, the Wichita War Dancer, will return to campus on Nov. 9. Pictured above, Victors performs a traditional dance during his presentation in the DC3 Library on Nov. 17, 2022. [Photo by Lakin Scheck]
At 6 p.m., on Nov. 9, the Read and CONQuer committee will again host Greg Victors, better known as the Wichita War Dancer, and his lively, interactive exhibition of native war dancing. Victors, who is a world champion war dancer from Wichita, Kan., is part of the Tohono O’Odham and Ponca Nations. And through the course of his presentation, he will explain the meaning of the dances he performs and the regalia he wears.
And to finish out the month, at 6:30 p.m., on Nov. 30, Read and CONQuer will present a book discussion and a Reader’s Theatre where excerpts from “The Thanksgiving Play” will be performed in the Little Theatre.
Holwerda said she hopes people will come enjoy the “power of theatre and art,” as it tends to bring people together to explore worlds and places both new and familiar.
“This play does most marvelously what good works of art do,” she said. “It provides insight, perspective, and entertainment. Besides that, it’s a work that provokes laughter, thought and discussion.”
In addition to Holwerda and Hoke, the Read and CONQuer committee is made up of Chair Holly Mercer, Library Director; Deanna Hays, Instructor of Speech/Communication; Madison Miller, Instructor of History; Jami Sprinkle, Title V Work Ethic Development Coordinator; Paulina Duenas, Title V Outreach and Retention Assistant; and Jennifer Nolan, Professor of Art.
“I have sincere gratitude and appreciation for the members of the Read and CONQuer Committee,” Holwerda said. “This small and mighty committee plans and implements important and enjoyable events for DC3 that are not to be missed!”
By Lance ZieschDC3 Assistant Director of Marketing and Community Relations