photo: From left, Paul DeBoy, Anne-Marie Cusson, and Monica Rae Summers Gonzalez with the Gardeners in “Native Gardens” at Syracuse Stage. (Photo by Michael Davis.)
by Eva Laporte
Surround Project Chose a Comedy! Karen Zacarías’s Native Gardens
At Surround Project, we’re always looking for plays that open the door to meaningful conversation – stories that entertain us, challenge us, and reflect the world we’re living in right now. That’s exactly why we chose Karen Zacarías’s Native Gardens for our PLAY DATES lineup.
Recently named one of the most-produced playwrights in the United States, Karen Zacarías is known for writing plays that are funny, intelligent, and deeply human. Her celebrated works include The Copper Children, Destiny of Desire, The Book Club Play, Legacy of Light, and Mariela in the Desert, as well as acclaimed adaptations and theatre for young audiences. Just as importantly, she is a cultural leader: an inaugural resident playwright at Arena Stage, a founding force behind Latinx Theatre Commons, and a founder of Young Playwrights’ Theater. Her artistry consistently explores identity, community, and the spaces where personal values meet public life.
That makes Native Gardens, which was one of the top 10 most-produced plays in 2019, a perfect fit for the kind of shared inquiry we love to cultivate through Surround Project PLAY DATES.
From “building the wall” to the escalation of ICE and mistreatment of American immigrants, this play contains more relevance than ever before as we navigate what being a good neighbor and steward of the land really means.
On the surface, the play is a hilarious satire. Two neighbors clash over a long-contested garden boundary, and what begins as a polite disagreement quickly spirals into comic chaos. But Karen Zacarías uses that conflict to reveal something much deeper.
The play speaks directly to the realities unfolding in neighborhoods everywhere: culture clash, generational divides, language barriers, rising property values, escalating taxes, and the quiet ways gentrification reshapes belonging. It also asks us to consider the barriers we build – literal and emotional – to keep ourselves safe, define ownership, and protect what we believe is ours.
What makes Native Gardens so exciting for Surround Project is its ability to hold contradiction. It’s our first comedy selection after all!
It is laugh-out-loud funny while also inviting nuanced reflection on class, race, home, and coexistence. The comedy disarms us, making space for questions that might otherwise feel too charged to enter.
Who gets to shape a neighborhood?
What does stewardship really look like?
Where is the line between protection and exclusion?
These questions sit at the heart of the play, and they’re exactly the kind of questions that make for a rich PLAY DATES experience.
Native Gardens gives audiences something joyful to gather around – and something lasting to discuss on the way home.