A Note from Assistant Director & Dramaturg Juliana Caycedo
I have never worked on a show that explicitly deals with Latinidad, a categorization that is very near and confusing to me. As a daughter of Colombian immigrants who was born in Alabama and has almost exclusively lived in the South, there are more than a few moments in Native Gardens that I feel my family and I have lived. My first-hand experience with the pains and comedy of being othered by white Americans because of my ethnicity drove my dramaturgical research. It felt good making use of those memories in service of this story. However, I could not have done it alone.
In conversation with the amazing folks who worked very hard to bring this show to you all, I was made to confront some of my own biases. It was Amber Martinez who brought me a wonderful quote about another production of Native Gardens and their use of music in the show as a tool used to challenge generalizations about all of the characters, not just the Del Valles. In doing some of her own research to better understand the politically and culturally conservative values driving the Butleys, Laine Satterfield made me realize that I hadn’t worked as hard on providing background for the white American characters. Oops, my bias is showing. To be clear, as the Assistant Director to Rusty Wilson, he did most of the heavy lifting. It was a great pleasure working with him. I am grateful to Cadence for understanding the importance of having someone closely on board that was able to help culturally guide this piece by Karen Zacarias.
Earlier this year in D.C., the GALA Hispanic Theater produced a Spanish adaptation of Native Gardens. The Butleys were changed from being white and American to a couple from Argentina and Spain, Pablo from Mexico, with Tania remaining New Mexican. What a wonderful idea, to explore the nuances and tensions between various Spanish-speaking countries. I called Latinidad confusing, because to me (and many others) it is. Latin America encompasses an enormous variety of countries, languages, cultures, and races. To me, the categorization can feel restrictive and erases the presence and oppression that Black and indigenous Latines face in their home countries as well as in the United States. All of that being said, Native Gardens, as you have the pleasure of experiencing it, can’t tackle all of what Latinidad is and isn’t. Nor can tackle all of what xenophobia and racism are and aren't. It is about one property line, two confused but nice couples, and many misconceptions.
I hope our show entertains you. Our wonderful, hilarious actors and the rest of our dedicated team worked very hard to bring it to life. Have fun and laugh, but don’t be afraid of confronting the uncomfortable feelings that may squeeze through the jokes. And don’t forget… not all conservatives disown their gay children, not all white people come from inherited wealth, not all Latines work in domestic labor, not all landscapers are Mexican, ethnicity and race are not the same things, and not all neighbors can get along without working to understand each other first.
