Dos Pueblos High School’s fall play, “Community Garden,” by Justin Borak has sprouted from the DPHS Theater Company. Full of whimsy and comedy, Director Emily Libera said the show illustrates where friendships and relationships bloom.

“Community Garden” is a metaphorical piece that’s meant to connect with viewers through its everyday stories. The 18 student actors involved in the production said they have found their own meanings in the play.

“It shows in a lot of different ways how people appreciate something in their community,” Jake Betancourt (12) said. “I think it’s great that this show highlights one specific place, like a garden, and how meaningful that is to a lot of different people.”

The cast said, “Community Garden” is a vignette that focuses on love and its many forms. Throughout the play, the actors focus on “specific moments” in time that are important to them.

“‘Community Garden’ is about friendship and relationships that kind of just bloom and develop in this garden, which is kind of a metaphor to the garden itself,” Abby Simonsen (10) said.

Libera chose the play because of its “universal appeal” across all ages.

“Everyone could get a little something from the show,” Libera said. “It’s full of comedy, it’s a little bit cringey, which I think is really fun for audiences of all ages.”

For Betancourt, he got the role of August, the shed steward at the community garden who “finds joy through the small things” in life.

”He’s a really, quirky guy, and he takes his job at the community garden very seriously,” Betancourt said

Since this year’s play is a vignette, actors rehearsed their individual scenes separately before coming together in recent weeks to assemble the final production.

“We didn’t get to see the other people in the cast unless they were in our scene,” Betancourt said. “This week and last week it has been really great to see everyone because now we’re all in the same place, and it feels like we have a show.”

Simonsen, who plays April, said the time between on-stage performances has been an “unexpected bonding” experience.

“We’re spending a lot of time backstage together, because most of us are only in about, like, one or two scenes,” Simonsen said. “So it’s just a lot of good bonding experience.”

Zachary Singer (11) plays Ralph, one of the few characters who remains on stage throughout the entire play.

“He’s really just an awkward guy, like an everyday guy,” Singer said. “He’s very eager to volunteer in this community garden, but he honestly has no idea what he’s doing, so he kind of gets thrown into the deep end.”

To audition for the fall play, students performed a one-minute monologue. The process was competitive, with 40 actors auditioning and only 18 being cast.

“There were a lot of students who auditioned this year and were called back this year who surprised both myself and my assistant director in a really great way,” Libera said.

This week marks the final week of preparation before their first show on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m, 8, 14, and 15. The cast and crew are busy polishing the final details before sharing their work with the community.

“This play has been a really wonderful work of art, and I am really excited for the community to come and be part of our community,” Libera said.