Running Feb 1 – Feb 25
by Lindsay Joelle
Directed by Rob Ruggiero
Cast includes Jeff Brooks and Bebe Nicole Simpson

PRESS IS WELCOME THURSDAY FEB 8 @ 7:30

TheaterWorks Hartford, is excited to announce details for Lindsay Joelle’s fresh, off-beat buddy comedy The Garbologists. Directed by Rob Ruggiero, The Garbologists runs February 1 – 25, 2024.

The Garbologists is a heartwarming, surprising, and outside-the-box comedy that pairs Danny: a gruff blue-collar NYC sanitation worker hiding a heart of gold, and Marlowe: a determined IvyLeague-educated “newbie” who is assigned to his route. When this unlikely pair is thrown together to pick up what the world has discarded, they unexpectedly find common ground in uncommon times.

Director Rob Ruggiero said, “What I love most about the play is the way it digs into this compelling relationship between two unlikely people and how they find a way to authentically connect. Their world isn’t one we often see – the strenuous and frequently dangerous work of sanitation workers. It’s a wonderful story… warm and funny and filled with surprising revelations about the human spirit.”

Playwright Lindsay Joelle tells us she’s often intrigued by the stories of people who are overlooked by society at large and added “a theme that defines everything that I write is taking people that seem at first glance very ‘other’ — either to each other or to the audience — and then seeing how quickly you can forget that and put yourselves in their shoes and feel like you are on this journey with them… so by the end, you have an increased awareness and increased empathy.”

The cast for The Garbologists includes Jeff Brooks (National Tours: Chicago; A Bronx Tale) as Danny and Bebe Nicole Simpson (Broadway’s Camelot) as Marlowe, both making their TheaterWorks Hartford debuts.

The creative team includes Marcelo Martínez García (set design), Ari Fulton (costume design), John Lasiter (lighting design), Germán Martínez (sound design), JZ Casting – Katja Zarolinski & Geoff Josselson (casting director), Rob Ruggiero (producing artistic director), Mike Lenaghan (director of production), and Tom Kosis (production stage manager). Alongside performances of The Garbologists, TheaterWorks Hartford presents Cellist Johnathan Moore, Saturday Feb 17 in the LIVING ROOM CONCERT series. Tix are available here.

Also, in the Gallery February 12 – March 3 with an Opening February 8 from 6-7:15p, TWH presents visual artist “bamboo melamine” by Joe Bun Keo. The exhibition draws its title from the compound used to produce ‘environmentally’ safe dishware and represents the struggle of cultural identity by using the everyday objects of utility as a platform to assess the intertwined lives of commodities and people.

TheaterWorks Hartford is grateful to the following:
Production Partners
JOHN & KELLY HARTMAN FOUNDATION
DINA PLAPLER & EARL MCMAHON
ETCH
Season Partners
RICHARD P. GARMANY FUND
at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving
MARJORIE E. MORRISSEY
BURRY FREDRIK FOUNDATION
BANK OF AMERICA

THE SEASON CONTINUES:
In Sanctuary City, Pulitzer Prize-winner Martyna Majok brings audiences a compelling story of two teenagers, young DREAMers who are fighting to establish a place for themselves in America, the only country they know as home. Co-Directed by theatermaker Jacob G. Padrón and filmmaker Pedro Bermúdez, this OBIE Award-winning play, running March 29–April 21, 2024, illuminates how much immigrants are willing to risk when they have everything to lose. Sanctuary City is presented in partnership with Long Wharf Theatre.

Running May 31–June 23, 2024, and closing out TheaterWorks Hartford’s 2023–2024 season is Sandra, a bold theatrical thriller by playwright David Cale. It centers on one woman, Sandra, who seeks to get to the bottom of the mysterious disappearance of her closest friend, a young pianist and composer, who went on a trip to Mexico and never returned. Her search for clues leads her into both a highly charged love affair, and increasingly dangerous territory. Featuring an original piano score, this engaging journey takes audiences on an immersive experience that ultimately asks how far would you go for love? Sandra is directed by Jared Mezzocchi, celebrated by audiences during the pandemic for his work on The New York Times Critics Pick and Obie Award winning production of Russian Troll Farm, and features creative content and video technology Camilla Tassi.

Performances take place at TheaterWorks Hartford’s historic home located downtown at 233 Pearl Street in Hartford, CT. Individual tickets and flexible subscriptions can be purchased online at twhartford.org or by calling 860.527.7838.

Please visit twhartford.org for more information.

About the Artists
JEFF BROOKS (Danny | he/him) is making his TheaterWorks Hartford debut. National Tours: Chicago (Billy Flynn), A Bronx Tale (Sonny), Bullets Over Broadway (Cheech), Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Gaston), Fiddler on the Roof (Constable), The Sound of Music, Oklahoma! In the last 20 years, Jeff has performed in every state in the country, all over Canada, aboard cruise ships sailing around Europe and the Caribbean, and on television, where you can enjoy his performance in Netflix’s “The Watcher”. Many continued thanks to Todd, Bob, and everyone at ATB, my mentors, Kevin and Cindy, my loving family, supportive friends, and of course, to Stef. IG: @bathrobedbrooks

BEBE NICOLE SIMPSON (Marlowe | she/her) is making her TheaterWorks Hartford debut. Broadway: Camelot. Off-Broadway: The Refuge Plays; Ink’d Well; Penelope or How the Odyssey Was Really Written. Regional: The Odyssey, The Wiz, world premiere of Head Over Heels(Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Mr Burns, The Tempest, The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, Into the Woods (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival); Nina Simone: 4 Women(Seattle Repertory Theatre); Cyrano (Two River Theatre). Television: Law & Order SVU. She’s immensely thankful for her husband, family, friends, manager, agency, and above all, Emmanuel.

LINDSAY JOELLE (Playwright) is a playwright, librettist, and author living in the Sonoran Desert of Tucson, AZ. Plays include Trayf (Theater J, Geffen Playhouse; Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination for Writing; Robby Award nomination for Best Playwriting and Best Comedy; Goldberg MFA Playwriting Prize); The Garbologists, an EST/Sloan Foundation commission (Philadelphia Theatre Company, City Theatre, Northlight Theatre); and The Messengers, an Audible Theatre Emerging Playwright Commission recorded by Audible. Joelle was the National New Play Network’s Playwright-in-Residence at Curious Theatre and has developed new work with City Theatre, Vital Theatre (new musical commission), PlayPenn, and Playwrights Foundation, among others. Alumna of the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop, Nashville Repertory Theatre’s Ingram New Works Lab, New Georges Jam, Columbia University (BA), and Hunter (MFA). Other writing includes the prep book “Tutor Tells All: ACT Test Strategy.” www.LindsayJoelle.com.

ROB RUGGIERO (Director / Producing Artistic Director) has been a part of TheaterWorks Hartford’s artistic leadership for 30 seasons. He has directed over 70 shows, including TWH productions of Fun Home, The Sound Inside, American Son, The Legend of Georgia McBride, Constellations, Next to Normal, Relativity (starring Richard Dreyfuss), and Christmas on the Rocks, which he also conceived. His Broadway credits include Looped (starring Valerie Harper in a Tony-nominated performance) and High (starring Kathleen Turner) which had its world premiere at TWH. He also conceived and directed the musical revue Make Me a Song: The Music of William Finn which moved off-Broadway and was nominated for Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Rob conceived and directed Ella, a musical about Ella Fitzgerald, which saw sold-out runs in 24 regional theaters and was produced as a National Tour. His work on plays and musicals has received multiple awards in Connecticut and around the United States. Rob regularly directs at Goodspeed Musicals where over his 16-year relationship he has directed many award-winning musical productions Internationally he directed Fiddler on the Roof in
Athens, Greece.

About TheaterWorks Hartford
Celebrating its 38th season, TheaterWorks Hartford (TWH) is committed to the power of storytelling in creating community. TWH produces high quality, contemporary theater that is relevant to our audiences, engages a diverse community, and provides insight into the human experience. Founded in 1985, TWH has produced over 170 plays and presents approximately 150 performances per season. TWH also owns and manages the historic property at 233 Pearl Street, known as City Arts on Pearl. For updates on TheaterWorks Hartford, visit here and follow on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.

Making Things Happen:
Greater Hartford Arts Council, Travelers, Bank of America, CT Office of the Arts, CT Humanities, Edward C. And Ann T. Roberts Foundation, Lincoln Financial Foundation, Richard P. Garmany Fund at Hartford Foundation For Public Giving, Raytheon Technologies, Burry Fredrik Foundation,The Shubert Foundation, HSB, Etch, John and Kelly Hartman Foundation, Gawlicki Family Foundation, Cheryl Chase & Stuart Bear Family Foundation, Liberty Bank, Ensworth Charitable Foundation, George A. and Grace L. Long Foundation, TD Bank, William And Alice Mortensen Foundation, The Elizabeth M. Landon and Harriette M. Landon Charitable Trust, The Katherine K. Mclane and Henry R. Mclane Charitable Trust, M&T Bank.