Native Gardens
by Karen Zacarias

Name: Native Gardens
Brand: Karen Zacarias
SKU: 9780573707544
Rating: 3.78 (97 reviews)

Native Gardens Book Cover — Native Gardens Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

90 mins Bare Stage/Simple Set Comedy

Synopsis

Pablo, a high-powered lawyer, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, are realizing the American dream when they purchase a house next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank.

But a disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement.

The hilarious results guarantee no one comes out smelling like a rose.

Press Reviews

"A comedy planted in difficult, painful issues."
— Chicago Tribune

"Skillful comedy… bright and witty and clever."
— Cincinnati.com

"A true breath of comic fresh air. It’s a biting, perceptive and ultimately hopeful send-up to our fraught relationships with those around us – even right next door. Beyond snappy one-liners and garden hose fights, the play challenges audiences to look beyond petty differences and rediscover our shared decency."
— DC Theatre Scene

"A lighthearted comedy with some heavier threads woven through for just the right amount of heft."
— Broadway World

"Sharp, witty writing, lots of laughs, a strong cast, a beautiful set, a sense of currency and immediacy, and an ideal summer length: 90 minutes, no intermission. Everything about it clicks and hums."
— Minnesota Post

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
TANIA DEL VALLE early thirties; smart, likeable, positive, passionate, highly-energized, pregnant PhD candidate and gardener.	—	—	early thirties; smart, likeable, positive, passionate, highly-energized, pregnant PhD candidate and gardener.
PABLO DEL VALLE early thirties; smart, likeable, ambitious, savvy young attorney.	—	—	early thirties; smart, likeable, ambitious, savvy young attorney.
VIRGINIA BUTLEY sixty to mid-seventies; smart, likeable, assertive, direct, no-nonsense engineer.	—	—	sixty to mid-seventies; smart, likeable, assertive, direct, no-nonsense engineer.
FRANK BUTLEY sixty to mid-seventies; smart, likeable, excitable, caring, detail-oriented federal employee and gardener.	—	—	sixty to mid-seventies; smart, likeable, excitable, caring, detail-oriented federal employee and gardener.
SURVEYOR ,	—	—	,
LANDSCAPERS and	—	—	and
BUILDING EXAMINER . There are short theatrical vignettes between scenes that can help transform the garden. These workers should preferably be Latinx and exude unique personalities as they work. They are the witnesses and the energetic transformers of both the play and the situation.	—	—	. There are short theatrical vignettes between scenes that can help transform the garden. These workers should preferably be Latinx and exude unique personalities as they work. They are the witnesses and the energetic transformers of both the play and the situation.