"The Garbologists" — An Irreverent, Modern, Funny New Work — Takes the Stage June 11–28, 2026 at the Ent Center 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (May 28, 2026) — What if the funniest, most unexpectedly moving night of theatre this year happened on the back of a garbage truck? Theatreworks Colorado Springs closes its historic 50th anniversary season with The Garbologists, a punchy, poignant new comedy by playwright Lindsay Joelle, running June 11 through June 28, 2026 at the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS. 

Directed by GerRee Hinshaw, The Garbologists follows two NYC sanitation workers on the early morning shift. They’re an unlikely pair thrown together by circumstance, forced to confront each other’s worlds and their own. It's a buddy comedy in the great tradition: laugh-out-loud, a little cheeky, completely unpredictable, and ultimately hiding something humane and heartwarming at its core. Think of the reluctant friendships in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, or The Odd Couple, then add heaps of garbage, and a trash compactor on stage. You get the picture. 

ABOUT THE PLAY 
The Garbologists is the kind of theatre Colorado Springs rarely gets to see first: a newer work from an up-and-coming American playwright that hasn't yet saturated the national stage. A career sanitation worker and a highly educated woman with an MFA and a story she's not ready to tell find themselves sharing a route, a truck cab, and far too many hours together. What starts as friction becomes something neither expected: connection. The play is funny, frank, and big-hearted. It is, at its core, an unlikely friendship story that sneaks past your defenses and leaves you thinking about it for days. In a cultural moment that often feels heavy, The Garbologists offers something rare: pure, honest, humor and humanity shared with strangers in a dark room. 

A WORD FROM THE ARTISTS 
Max Shulman, Artistic Director of Theatreworks, on why The Garbologists is the perfect close to a milestone season: "Fifty seasons of Theatreworks has always been about finding the plays that surprise people: the ones that take you somewhere you didn't expect to go and make you feel more human for having gone there. The Garbologists is exactly that kind of play. It's funny. It's modern. It's a little irreverent. And underneath all of that, it's about two people discovering each other across a divide. That's the kind of story we live to tell. We couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate 50 years than with a play that makes you laugh until it makes you feel." 

GerRee Hinshaw, Director of The Garbologists: "What I love about this play is that, in 90 minutes, we get to watch two people clock one another right away, make a clear determination about the kind of person the other is, and then realize there's way more about the other than they expected. These characters are so well-written and this play is just so funny. It's like a meet cute and a buddy movie, all wrapped into one. I hope people walk away remembering you don't know anything about someone until you spend some real time talking and working on something together. " 

ONLY AT THEATREWORKS: WHAT MAKES THIS PRODUCTION UNIQUELY OURS 
Theatreworks is mounting The Garbologists with the kind of theatrical ambition that has defined its 50-year history: the play calls for a garbage truck, complete with operational trash compactor onstage, and that centerpiece of the production design that transforms the Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater into a world audiences have never seen from the inside. More than spectacle, this production represents Theatreworks' commitment to curating tomorrow's canon, not just last century's classics. As one of the earliest major regional productions of Lindsay Joelle's work, Theatreworks continues its legacy of championing emerging voices and bringing bold, contemporary stories to Colorado Springs stages before they become household names. It's a statement about what theater can be: immediate, relevant, and unafraid to take audiences somewhere new. 

THE PERFECT CLOSER FOR A 50-YEAR MILESTONE 
As the final production of Theatreworks' landmark 50th season, The Garbologists was chosen deliberately as a window into a world most audiences have never considered, and an invitation to laugh freely. It's a play that offers a glance into lives we pass by every day but rarely stop to see, told with humor, heart, and zero pretension. After five decades of storytelling, Theatreworks closes this milestone year with a work that embodies everything the company has always stood for: surprise, humanity, and the belief that the best stories are the ones we discover together. 

PERFORMANCE DETAILS 
Production: The Garbologists by Lindsay Joelle 
Presented by: Theatreworks 
Directed by: GerRee Hinshaw 
Dates: June 11 – June 28, 2026 
Performance Times: 

• Thursdays and Fridays at 7:00 p.m. 
• Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. 
• Sundays at 4:00 p.m. 

Venue: Dusty Loo Bon Vivant Theater, Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS 
Address: 5225 N. Nevada Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80918 
Age Recommendation: 16 and older 
Tickets & Info: https://entarts.org/Garbologists 
Box Office: (719) 255-8181 

SPECIAL EVENTS & CONVERSATIONS 
Theatreworks invites audiences to deepen their experience with free conversations surrounding the production: 

• World of the Play – Thursday, June 11, 6:15 p.m. (before opening night) 
• Opening Night Toast with Artists – Friday, June 12 (after the show) 
• Community Convo – Saturday, June 13, 5:00 p.m. (after matinee) 
• Actor Talkback – Sunday, June 21, 7:00 p.m. (after evening performances)

Press inquiries may be directed to: 
Elyce Gronseth Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications, Ent Center for the Arts 
719-255-8365 egronset@uccs.edu 

About Theatreworks Colorado Springs 
Theatreworks Colorado Springs, based at the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS, is a professional theatre company committed to producing works that engage, challenge, and inspire audiences. With a robust season of diverse performances, Theatreworks connects the Colorado Springs community through the transformative power of live theatre. 

About the Ent Center for the Arts 
The Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS is a multi-venue arts complex that serves as a cultural hub for Colorado Springs. Home to Theatreworks, the Galleries of Contemporary Art (GOCA), and other artistic programs, the Ent Center fosters creativity and collaboration across disciplines, providing a space for artists and audiences to connect in meaningful ways.