Urbanite Theatre Sets Lindsay Joelle's 'The Garbologists' for Sarasota Stage Run Beginning December 2026

Urbanite Theatre in Sarasota, Florida is moving forward with a full production of Lindsay Joelle's acclaimed play The Garbologists, with rehearsals set to begin December 8, 2026 and performances running from January 7 through February 14, 2027. The production is currently in casting and pre-production, meaning the window to pursue this opportunity is open right now. For Florida-based theatre artists, designers, and stage professionals, this is one of the more compelling regional productions on the horizon for the coming season.

The Garbologists is written by Lindsay Joelle, a playwright whose work has been developed and produced at theatres across the country, with The Garbologists itself earning attention on the regional circuit for its sharply observed, humanist lens on working-class life in New York City. The play centers on a confident sanitation worker navigating her first week on the job while carrying a closely guarded secret, the kind of intimate, character-driven story that rewards strong ensemble casting and precise direction. Joelle's writing tends to find the comedic and the quietly devastating in the same breath, which makes for a production that demands real range from its actors.

Helming the production is Summer Wallace, who serves as both Artistic Director and Director of this staging, and who is also listed as the production's casting director. Wallace's dual role as the artistic leader of Urbanite and the director of this specific production signals the kind of close creative ownership that tends to define Urbanite's approach. For actors in particular, knowing that the person making casting decisions is also the person in the rehearsal room every day is meaningful context. Wallace is shaping this production from the ground up, and the casting process is happening now.

Urbanite Theatre is one of the more adventurous mid-size regional theatres operating in Florida today. Based in downtown Sarasota, the company has built a reputation over its history for producing new and recent American plays with a commitment to bold, intimate storytelling, often in close-proximity staging configurations that put audiences in the room with the action. Urbanite punches above its weight in terms of production quality relative to its market, and it has become a genuine destination for serious theatre artists in the Southeast. Productions here are typically Equity or Equity-adjacent, and the company draws talent from both the local Sarasota and broader Tampa Bay region as well as national casting pools, particularly for principal roles.

Sarasota is a more robust theatre market than its size might suggest. The city is home to several professional theatre organizations, a culturally engaged audience base, and proximity to Tampa and Orlando, which expands the available talent pool considerably. For designers, stage managers, and production staff based in Florida, Urbanite represents one of the region's more creatively ambitious employers. The intimate scale of Urbanite's space means this is not a large-crew technical production, but it will require a strong stage management team, a scenic and costume designer capable of evoking the gritty specificity of New York City's sanitation world, and lighting and sound designers who can support the play's tonal shifts between humor and weight. Properties will also be worth watching given the workplace setting.

With rehearsals starting in early December 2026 and the run closing mid-February 2027, this is a compact and clearly defined engagement. Actors, designers, and stage managers looking for a substantive regional credit in the first quarter of 2027 should be actively pursuing this one. The casting process is underway now, which means agents and actors should be making contact sooner rather than later. The full production listing on ProductionList.com includes available contact information for the Urbanite Theatre office, current crew attachments, and scheduling details as they are updated. If The Garbologists is the right fit for your next project, this is the moment to make your move.

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