6.5-Month Pregnant Actress Embraces Role as Pregnant Character

Latin American actress Vivia Font, who plays the very pregnant character of Tania in Karen Zacharias' Native Gardens at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in September, has a unique insight into her character's motivations because she is also pregnant - 6.5 months at the start of rehearsals. Her baby is due December 6.

A topical comedy about a millennial Latinx couple (Pablo and Tania) who move in next door to a white Baby Boomer couple, Native Gardens plays September 12 through October 7 at Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Lowell. A biting comedy, Native Gardens nonetheless digs deep into issues of race, culture, and privilege.

She said, "There is something extremely personal about being a pregnant woman on stage, and having my fetus be a character on stage."

She has had to adjust to the fight choreography for the play. "Now that I have a baby growing in me, I have to calibrate my physicality a little more."

And she does feel how she plays Tania, and as well as Tania's motivations, are very much a reflection of their pregnancies. "Everything I do is influenced by the fact that I'm pregnant. It's a pressing thing. Insecurity and safety. Our neighbors. We have to live next to these people. Everything has to be okay, because this is coming."

Raised in Ann Arbor and Brazil by immigrant parents, Vivia performed in a production of Romeo & Juliet at New York Classical Theatre early in her pregnancy, and she expects to continue performing for the charity Only Make Believe after Native Gardens.