Trinity Rep Announces Hilarious Fast-Paced Comedy NATIVE GARDENS

Trinity Repertory Company will open Karen Zacarías' Native Gardens in April. This hilarious comedy of being neighborly brings commentary on the American Dream, the racial divide, and what happens when we build fictional (and literal) fences. This production will unite the audience with laughter in a play where everyone is a little bit right and a little bit wrong. Native Gardens runs April 5 - May 6, with press opening on Monday, April 9 at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $25. More information can be found at www.trinityrep.com/gardens

Pablo and Tania are new to the neighborhood. Virginia and Frank have been fixtures in the area for decades. They all agree that the chain link fence separating their yards has got to go! A quick replacement with a stately wooden fence will arrive just in time to impress both Pablo's bosses and the judges viewing Frank's elaborate English garden. Everyone starts off on the right foot, but when the truth about the real location of the property line is revealed and Tania's vision of native plants and wild flowers doesn't align with Frank's pesticide-dependent masterpiece, a sparkling comedy of good intentions and bad manners blooms.

Arthur P. Solomon and Sally E. Lapides Artistic Director Curt Columbus has to say of this production, "On the surface, this sparkling comedy is about different styles of approaching gardening. But Zacarias' project is more complicated than it appears at first glance, which is why it is such a perfect play for us here at Trinity Rep."

Executive Director Tom Parrish says, "Having known and worked with Karen Zacarías for years, Native Gardens is one of the plays I have been looking forward to the most all season. When I first read it, it was laugh out loud funny. She has taken from the headlines issues of borders, race, class, politics, tradition, and the American Dream and created a sharp, witty, and sparkling comedy of good intentions and bad manners. With all that is going on in the world, it is nice to step back, laugh, and ask where is the line. It is no wonder that Native Gardens is one of the hottest and most produced plays in America right now."

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

Karen Zacarías, the award-winning playwright, and author is known for her plays Mariela in the Desert, The Sins of Sor Juana, and her adaptation of Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. Zacarias has her Masters in Creative Writing from Boston University. She is the founder of Young Playwrights' Theater, which won the 2010 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award from the White House. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband and their children.

Christie Vela is a former member of Dallas Theater Center's Resident Acting Company where her credits include Les Miserables, A Christmas Carol, and more. She has directed many shows including the PEN Award winner Se Llama Cristina by Octavio Solis; The Turn of the Screw; Boom; and The Pillowman. She was last seen at Trinity Rep in King Lear as Goneril.

Joining director Christie Vela on the creative team are Dahlia Al-Habieli (set design), Peter Johnson (costume design), Aaron Johansen (lighting design), and John Flores (sound design). The cast features Trinity Rep company members Timothy Crowe (Frank) and Anne Scurria (Virginia), as well as current Trinity Rep/Brown University MFA student María Gabriela Rosado González '19 (Tania), and alumnus Daniel Duque-Estrada '13 (Pablo).

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Continuing Trinity Rep's tradition of offering affordable tickets for all, the theater will have discounted previews of Native Gardens. Thursday, April 5 is a Pay What You Can performance. Tickets go on sale at 6:30 pm that evening, and are limited to one per person.

Other special performances for this production include an Open Captioned performance for the show on Sunday, April 8 at 2:00 pm. The Next Generation Night will be held on Thursday, April 12 and includes a pre-show reception for the next generation of theater-goers. The Teens Talk Back performance will be held on Friday, April 13. Trinity Rep's Teen Ambassadors will lead a discussion with the audience following the 7:30 performance that evening. Context and Conversation will be held on Sunday, April 22 at 2:00 pm at the Radia Herbs Farm. More information about all of these events can be found at www.trinityrep.com/gardens

Trinity Repertory Company

Rhode Island's Tony Award-winning theater, Trinity Rep has created unparalleled professional theater for and with its community since its founding in 1963. Trinity Rep strives to facilitate human connection and has been a driving force behind the creativity that fuels and defines the region for more than 50 years.

Trinity Rep is committed to reinventing the public square and inspiring dialogue by creating emotionally-stimulating live productions that range from classical to contemporary and innovative education programs for all ages and abilities. Its annual production of A Christmas Carol has brought families together for 40 years and made memories for over a million audience members.

Subscriptions for the 2017-18 season are now on sale. The season includes Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Skeleton Crew by Dominique Morisseau, Into the Breeches! by George Brant, Othello by William Shakespeare, Native Gardens by Karen Zacarías, and Ragtime by Terrence McNally, music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, based on the novel by E.L. Doctorow. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.TrinityRep.com.

AT A GLANCE

Native Gardens

By Karen Zacarías

April 5 - May 6, 2018

Director Christie Vela

Set Designer Dahlia Al-Habieli

Lighting Designer Aaron Johansen

Costume Designer Peter Johnson

Sound Designer John Flores

Production Stage Manager Wendy Blackburn Eastland

Cast: Trinity Rep resident acting company members Timothy Crowe and Anne Scurria and they are joined by current MFA student María Gabriela Rosado González '19 and alumnus Daniel Duque-Estrada '13

Pay What You Can Thurs., April 5 at 7:30 pm

Open Caption Performance Sun., April 8 at 2:00 pm

Next Generation Night Thurs., April 12 at 6:00 pm

Teens Talk Back Fri., April 13 after the show

Context & Conversations Sun., April 22 at 2:00 pm

Website www.trinityrep.com

Box Office (401) 351-4242; 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903

Group Sales (401) 521-1100 x 225; discounts for groups of 10 or more.

Ticket Prices Starting at $25

Season Supporting Sponsors Ocean State Job Lot and RISCA

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