Middlesex College Presents “Native Gardens

Middlesex College’s Visual, Performing, and Media Arts Department presents Native Gardens across two weekends (November 6-8 and November 13-15, 2025) at the Studio Theater in Edison. The 90-minute play, written by Karen Zacarías and directed by Devin Massih, is a sharp, funny, and timely comedy about fences, neighbors, and the messy beauty of finding common ground.

In this hot-button comedy, cultures and gardens clash, turning well-intentioned neighbors into feuding enemies. Pablo, a rising attorney, and doctoral candidate Tania, his very pregnant wife, have just purchased a home next to Frank and Virginia, a well-established D.C. couple with a prizeworthy English garden. But an impending barbeque for Pablo’s colleagues and a delicate disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out border dispute, exposing both couples’ notions of race, taste, class, and privilege.

“At its heart, Native Gardens is a witty and timely comedy about neighbors, boundaries, and the pursuit of belonging,” says Massih. “It takes a seemingly small dispute over a backyard fence and blossoms into an exploration of culture, privilege, and the stories we carry with us. Audiences will recognize themselves in these characters, and leave with plenty to talk about. It’s a play that reminds us how the seeds we plant, in our gardens and in our communities, can shape the world around us.”

Performances take place November 6-8 and November 13-15 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for veterans/seniors, and free for students with ID. Tickets can be purchased at the door with cash only and seating is limited. The Studio Theater at Middlesex College is located at 2600 Woodbridge Avenue in Edison, New Jersey.