"Waste" at Marin Theatre

Marin Theatre kicks off 2025 with Waste, a provocative Edwardian drama focused on devious behind-the-scenes political machinations, in a new production adapted and directed by Carey Perloff, artistic director emerita of American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. This fresh take on a century-old play that also shone a remarkable spotlight on reproductive rights, follows an ambitious politician on the cusp of bringing his life’s work to fruition. The flawed Henry Trebell is played by Marin Theatre Artistic Director Lance Gardner, who returns to the stage for the first time in over five years. In Waste, Trebell’s promising career is curtailed by the threat of scandal over an illicit affair which has led to dire consequences for his married partner. Rather than showing sympathy or outrage for the woman, the play cynically focuses on the insiders who scheme to use the scandal to manipulate a political outcome. Although the play was written in 1906 by the accredited English actor, director, and playwright Harley Granville-Barker, a contemporary and colleague of G.B. Shaw, its public debut was delayed more than 20 years due to outrage over its content.