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(Cincinnati, OH) Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati (ETC) opens its 39^th year with the off-beat buddy comedy where one person’s trash is someone else’s treasure. The Garbologists by Lindsay Joelle tells the story of two essential workers from different worlds who discover there’s more that binds them than taking out the trash. Called “a must-see” by BroadwayWorld, this quirky play takes the stage September 14 – October 6, 2024. Artist Sponsor is Rumpke. Directed by D. Lynn Meyers.­­

Danny and Marlowe are polar opposites: he’s a gruff NYC sanitation worker hiding a heart of gold, and she’s a determined Ivy League–educated newbie assigned to his route. Amidst their shifts spent bickering, they each have some wisdom to share, but will the other listen? When thrown together to pick up what the world has discarded, they learn that some things are easier to toss than others.

“I chose The Garbologists because it completely surprised me,” says Producing Artistic Director D. Lynn Meyers. “This is a play that unravels in unexpected ways. It’s about two people who are brought together by a garbage truck. The theme of perceptions is a driving force for our 2024-2025 Season and this is a marvelous example of a world we don’t know much about but see every day. The show is a comedy, but it’s also deep, rich, heartbreaking, sad, and hopeful. I don’t want people to have any expectations, just come in for a ride-along (pun intended).”

About the Cast

Torie Wiggins (Marlowe) returns to Ensemble Theatre having last appeared in Your Negro Tour Guide. She is a multi-hyphenate artist with over fifteen years of experience. Her Cincinnati theatre credits include Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and Harry and the Thief, Know Theatre of Cincinnati; Mame, Crowns, and The Revolutionists, Human Race Theatre Company; To Kill a Mockingbird, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park; Little Women, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and The Amen Corner, Cincinnati Shakespeare Company; and The Mountaintop, Violet, Alice in Wonderland (2012), Around the World in 80 Days, Cinderella, Cinderella: After Ever After, His Eye is on the Sparrow, Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati.

Nathan Neorr (Danny) was last seen at the Ensemble Theatre in Alice in Wonderland (2008) and While We Were Bowling. He moved to Cincinnati in 2004 for an acting internship at Ensemble Theatre and this has been his home ever since. His stage credits include Small Engine Repair, Harvey, Night of the Iguana, A Fool for Love, Burn This, All New People, and August: Osage County. He was also a puppeteer for several years with Madcap Puppets. His film credits include The Bikeriders, Dark Waters, The Old Man & the Gun, Donnybrook, and Madtown.

Production team: Brian c. Mehring (Scenic Designer), Chris Lipstreu (Lighting Designer & Associate Production Manager), Hannah Dringenburg (Costume Designer), Trey Tatum (Sound Designer), Becca Schall (Projections Designer), Shannon Rae Lutz (Properties Curator and Design Assistant), and Jacob Dowell (Technical Director). Production Stage Manager is Lexi Muller. Assistant Stage Manager is Abby Sauer.

Performance Information
Performances Tuesday-Saturday at 7:30 pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. A complete calendar of show dates and times is available at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Ticket Prices
Tickets start at $30 for adults; student tickets are $28; and children are $24. Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount only applies to adult tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15 Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only.

Content Advisory
As two sanitation workers butt heads and bicker, they use adult language and sexual references. Handling the trash of New York City also sparks conversations on death of a loved one, cancer, and trauma, as well as joy, love, and singing fish.

Discounts     
Half-Price Rush Tickets: All remaining tickets for the current day’s performance(s) are available two hours prior to each show time for half-price (discount only applies to adult tickets) when purchasing by phone or in person. $15 Student Rush Tickets: Students may purchase up to two $15 student rush tickets two hours prior to show time with valid student I.D. Available in person only. Group discounts available for 8+. Complete details available at www.ensemblecincinnati.org.

Parking:
Surface lot and Gateway Garage, both at the corner of 12^th and Vine Streets. Parking also available at the Washington Park Garage and Mercer Commons Garage. 

CAST (in alphabetical order)
Danny: Nathan Neorr
Marlowe: Torie Wiggins*

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director: D. Lynn Meyers**                                                   Projections Designer: Becca Schall

Scenic Designer: Brian c. Mehring        Properties Curator & Design Assistant: Shannon Rae Lutz

Lighting Designer: Chris Lipstreu                                                       Technical Director: Jacob Dowell

Costume Designer: Hannah Dringenburg                          Production Stage Manager: Lexi Muller*

Sound Designer: Trey Tatum                                                    Assistant Stage Manager: Abby Sauer

*Denotes a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

** Director is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.

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2024-2025 Season Presenting Sponsor is the LKC Foundation.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign.

The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati also receives funding from the Shubert Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati is a professional theatre rooted in historic Over-the-Rhine dedicated to engaging, enriching, and inspiring audiences through our thought-provoking world and regional premiere productions, creating and sustaining careers in professional theatre, building community partnerships, and sharing impactful education programs throughout our region.