Powerful, edgy, tense and so beautifully written, this play handles dysfunctional sexual dynamics with a deft touch, and the portrayal of the power imbalance between a teacher and the students he preys on is incisive, bold and forthright. Mulley brings her characters to vivid life, avoiding stereotypes and cliché in favor of nuance and depth.

Trash pulls you in from the beginning with smart, quick dialogue and fantastic pacing. Timely approach to the topic of predatory men in power focusing on one teacher. Mulley fully draws all of her characters, avoiding stereotypical teenage girls in favor of developed, interesting young women, full of nuance. The scenes themselves could easily stand alone for scene study.

Trash is such a perceptive play, both about the charming man at its center, who repeatedly takes advantage of young people, and about the teenagers who are initially drawn to him. Mulley somehow manages to tell the story in a way that is simultaneously deeply uncomfortable and impossible to turn away from. Maybe part of it is the elegant structure, with simple, precisely crafted scenes for two actors building to an emotionally savage climax.