by Jack Getz “Get off my lawn!” In suburbs across America, those four words can fill the heart with fear. They’re fighting words. In Karen Zacarías’ Native Gardens, they reflect the deep divisions of race and ethnic origin that many Americans would love to believe are things of the past. Pablo, a high-powered lawyer, and Tania, his exceedingly pregnant wife, are a happy Latino couple. … Continue reading Whose Lawn is it Anyway?
In Native Gardens, Tania Del Valle has dreams of turning her new backyard into a thriving native garden. Native gardening (or native landscaping) involves making an active choice to use locally found grasses, trees, flowers, and other plant life when planting in order to return the ecosystem in an area to a more natural state. Native plants specifically are plants that are known to have … Continue reading Invasive Flowering Plants with their Floridian Counterparts
by Mary Donofrio and Lydia Baxter Georgetown is one of Washington D.C.’s most famous and desirable neighborhoods. Its residential charm, proximity to the rest of the city, and collection of thriving businesses make it an important mainstay of D.C. life and culture. Originally founded in 1751, colonial Georgetown quickly became an important shipping hub due to its proximity to the Potomac River, and additionally developed … Continue reading Welcome to the Neighborhood: Georgetown, Washington D.C.
by Mary Donofrio and Becca Jennings They say, “Good fences make good neighbors.” But what happens when your neighbors’ fence is built on your property? FST’s third show of its Mainstage Season, Native Gardens, tackles that very question in an all-out comedic battle of taste, privilege, and entitlement. Pablo and Tania Del Valle, a young couple with their careers on the rise and a baby … Continue reading Good Fences, Good Neighbors…Good Grief!
One might concur that my husband had this as his laptop screensaver for a whole year due to his New England roots. On the contrary, my husband’s love for Robert Forest was not the only reason this poem resonated with him… In 2010, my husband and I bought a circa 1940 house in a historic neighborhood. The house exuded character and charm, but needed a … Continue reading “We Keep the Wall Between Us as We Go”
By Mary Donofrio | Despite the societal misconception of Mexican-Americans not quite belonging in the United States, the heritage of people of Mexican descent in the country goes as far back as the 1500s, sparked by the arrival of the Spanish Conquistadors in Native America. From the colonization of indigenous peoples such as the Aztecs and the Pueblo nations of the American Southwest, this cultural mixing … Continue reading Mexican Americans and Indigenous Americans
FST Stage Directions 