Slam Dunk the Junk

Goods – Artemisia Theatre

In the not-so-distant future, the world that playwright Lauren Ferebee paints is a pretty dismal place. Climate change and pollution have grown out of control. There’s practically no land left on earth because the oceans have flooded most of the coastal cities, air temperatures are unpredictable and the planet is overrun with trash and litter. Refugee arrivals are still a problem and there doesn’t seem to be any solution. It’s 2100 and Marla and Sam, two interplanetary astronaut employees, are returning from their latest mission. They’re garbage collectors, whose job it is to slam dunk the junk from earth and deposit it somewhere in outer space.

Over the years, the two women have become best friends. They joke, debate and argue with each other, behaving almost like sisters. Sam and Marla been working together as an intergalactic sanitation team for 20 years now, and they’re just a few years away from retirement. The women both harbor dreams of what that life might hold very soon. But, despite how it might appear initially, their job hasn’t been an easy one. As the audience comes to know Marla, who’s addicted to reading space age romance novels, and Sam, who has an uncontrollable weakness for junk food, especially M&M’s, they will discover two strong women dealing with some debilitating personal problems. But then, just as Marla and Sam are heading back home to planet earth, they’re assigned another unexpected pickup mission that will not only change their trajectory, but will affect their lives forever.

Lauren Ferebee is Artemisia’s Playwright-in-Residence for 2021. This play is one of two that she’s written this year aimed specifically for virtual production. Ms. Ferebee admits to being an avid science fiction fan and wanting to bring the excitement and newness of space travel into a drama that starred two female characters. These are women for whom space travel has become mundane. Their lives are monopolized by a routine task in which the future looks anything but bright. There’s outer space and then there’s the irony of a planet that’s running out of space. Ferebee depicts a world where progress and devastation go hand-in-hand and asks “who does progress benefit, and who gets left behind and why?”

Directed with energy, a bit of humor and a true feeling of impending doom, E. Faye Butler has created a 90-minute viral drama that will captivate adult audiences. Both characters in this two-hander are given equal opportunities to shine individually, while working together beautifully as a close-knit team. This has to be the result of Ms. Butler’s vast experience, both onstage and off, although this is her first directorial effort for Artemisia. Ms. Butler’s finished work also profits from the expert technical support given, offering superb sound and visual effects that add a polished aura to this production.

Both actresses are incredible. Julie Lightfoot, the founder and Executive Artistic Director of Artemisia, is no stranger to the Chicago stage. Remembered as Lauren in “Waiting” and Viola in this company’s surreal “Chewing on Beckett,” Ms. Proudfoot creates another mesmerizing and memorable character. In this production she truly shines as Marla, providing intellect, a sense of calm, and a dash of maternal care and concern. As Sam, Shariba Rivers is quite simply a treasure. Seen before the pandemic at Rivendell Theatre in “The Tasters,” and at Raven Theatre in the exciting “Hoodoo Love,” Ms. Rivers once again electrifies the stage with her natural delivery and honest portrayal. There’s always more than meets the eye in Shariba Rivers’ characters, and this is true of Sam.

Until it’s safe to return to live performances once again, top-notch theatre companies have devised creative ways to bring scintillating stories to their audiences. Artemisia has a winning combination this Spring in resident playwright Lauren Ferebee, director E. Faye Butler, and two of Chicago’s finest actresses: Julie Proudfoot and Shariba Rivers. The company’s 90-minute sci fi one-act, that’s streaming through the end of this month, will have audiences absolutely glued to their computer screens, undeniably lost in space, from the very beginning to shattering end.   

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented Wednesdays through Sundays, May 5-30, by Artemisia Theatre through streaming virtual performances.

Tickets are available by going to www.artemisiatheatre.org.
Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.