Planting the Seeds: Designing Native Gardens at MainStage

Designing Native Gardens at MainStage: A Fresh Creative Journey Begins
I’m excited to share that I’ve officially begun the design process for MainStage Irving-Las Colinas’ upcoming production of Native Gardens, directed by the incredibly talented Lisa Devine. Many will remember Lisa’s beautiful work last season on Into the Breeches, where she brought a perfect blend of humor, heart, and humanity to the stage. I’m thrilled to collaborate with her again—this time on a play that mixes sharp comedy with timely themes of boundaries, identity, and the idea of what truly makes a home.

Early Design Phase: A Blank Canvas With Big Possibilities
Right now, I’m in the earliest stages of conceptualizing the world of our production. This is always my favorite part—the moment where anything is possible. Before sketches, elevations, or models, it’s all about absorbing the script, talking through ideas with Lisa, and discovering what makes this version of Native Gardens unique.

While many productions take a literal, realistic approach to the neighboring backyards central to the story, Lisa and I are fascinated by the play’s deeper themes: ownership, perspective, cultural contrast, and the idea of nature as both battleground and bridge. This has opened the door to exploring a design that leans more conceptual, symbolic, and visually expressive than you might expect for this show.

This production will look entirely different from previous stagings of Native Gardens.
We’re aiming for something bold. Something unexpected. Something that frames the humor and tension of the play in a fresh visual language—one that invites audiences to experience the story from a new angle.​

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