"This is a fun play to watch," said Maria Enriquez, director of "Native Gardens," which will be performed as a staged reading at Susquehanna Stage. "It deals with themes and issues that are relevant to everyday life, but you don't see represented on stage very often. It offers new ways of looking at things."

"Native Gardens" will be performed at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 21, at the theater, 133 W. Market St., Marietta. It tells the story of two couples - one older and white, portrayed by Joanna Underhill and Joel Lesher, and one younger and Latino, portrayed by Jade Cintron and Jose Guillermo Rodríguez-Plaza - and their interactions.

"These two couples live next door to each other, and they come into a property dispute," Enriquez explained. "It's really about people coming to terms with their fears of the unknown and reconciling cultural differences."

Despite the heavy-sounding topic of the play, audiences can expect to laugh, she noted. "It's a comedic play. It's very funny and very lighthearted, but it deals with serious themes," Enriquez stated. "Things like, who can lay claim to land? What do you do when you come into a situation with someone you feel like you have no connection with? How do you overcome that?"

Enriquez said she wanted to direct the play because the characters are well written.

"The younger couple wants to fit in, and the older couple wants to make friends," she said. "All four characters are very well meaning. They are not villains, and they're not stereotypes. The play focuses on these well-intentioned, likeable characters who have flaws, who have misguided perceptions about each other."

Although the play is a popular choice for regional theaters, it hasn't been produced in central Pennsylvania, Enriquez said, which made it even more appealing to her.

"We have so many neighborhoods that are becoming more diverse," she stated. "The play lets people think about, 'How can I treat people better? How can I be a better neighbor?'"

Enriquez said the show is a perfect fit for Susquehanna Stage's Undercurrent staged reading series because of its relevant themes. "The themes are complex, but delivered in a way that's very accessible, very palatable for the audience," she said. "These are all themes that are relevant to where we are now."

Enriquez is the company leader of Teatro Paloma, a Lancaster-based Latino theater company that performs throughout the county. The staged reading of "Native Gardens" is free, but donations will be accepted for Teatro Paloma. For more information, visit http://www.susquehannastage.com.