Get Thorpe

by Ken Weitzman

A play about the founding of the U.S.’s largest and most (in)famous Indian boarding school and the amazing story of a football game the school played against the US Army at West Point in 1912. This was Native American kids and US Army players facing off barely 20 years removed from Wounded Knee where many of the players’ fathers and grandfathers actually fought and killed one another on the battlefield. The lead...

A play about the founding of the U.S.’s largest and most (in)famous Indian boarding school and the amazing story of a football game the school played against the US Army at West Point in 1912. This was Native American kids and US Army players facing off barely 20 years removed from Wounded Knee where many of the players’ fathers and grandfathers actually fought and killed one another on the battlefield. The lead player for Carlisle was Jim Thorpe, the most famous athlete of his era. On the Army side, the lead player was Dwight Eisenhower. Coaching the Carlisle Indians was legendary coach, Pop Warner. A play about the true meaning of this historic game and about who gets to tell the story.

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Get Thorpe

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: Get Thorpe by Ken Weitzman
    “

    A fascinating history where it all comes forth on the football field. The connection of the past and present is brought forth for reconciliation. Well done!

    A fascinating history where it all comes forth on the football field. The connection of the past and present is brought forth for reconciliation. Well done!

    ”
2 actors play all the roles.

Jim Thorpe: World-famous athlete (olympic gold medalist in decathlon and pentathlon, college and professional football player, professional baseball player). Mischievous, sardonic, loves to get Pop’s goat. Mixed race, Native American/white. Both his mother and father were 1/2 white, 1/2 Native American; Father 1/2 Irish, 1/2 Sac and Fox, Mother 1/2 French, 1/2 Potawatomi. Both Catholic and raised Thorpe as one. The actor playing Thorpe takes on multiple other roles. Actor can be 20s to early 40s. Probably best if a bit younger, at least, than Pop is.

Pop Warner: Glenn Scobey “Pop” Warner. Famous, innovative Football coach (nearly all little league/peewee football leagues in the U.S. are named after him). Gruff. The actor playing Pop takes on multiple other roles. Actor can be anywhere from 30s-50s. White.

Development History

  • Workshop, Lark Play Development Center (Playwrights Week), 2012