By Kimmon “MacGyver” Williams
The Garbologists is another name for the people who pick up and help manage our waste, and who are not themselves garbage. It’s a name coined by playwright Lindsay Joelle and it’s the crux of this play now on stage at the Theatre Alliance.
As the play begins, we’re dropped into the first day for a new hire on a truck driven by a longtime New York City sanitation worker, as the newbie learns the ropes and navigates her new workplace. There's depth, emotion, and laughter I did not expect, but was captivated by. There’s not a wasted scene or moment. Every decision drives the plot forward, every conflict illuminates the precarious relationship between our two characters. Whether I agree with the decisions is another conversation and made me grateful to have attended a special labor talkback last Saturday night, co-sponsored by LHF and the Kalmanovitz Initiative at Georgetown University.
I am left with questions about the characters and their union rules, but also an appreciation for the work they do, because the job of a "Garbologist" is so much more than throwing bags on a truck. And good, radical art, teaches us lessons, but perhaps more importantly, provokes us with questions.
The Garbologists runs Thu-Sun through Feb 23; tickets/details here