Synopsis

"The setting is a classroom where an young teacher is about to tackle her first assignment - teaching basic english to a group of new citizens, not one of whom speaks the same language as another. The one thing that they manage to convey to each other is that their respective names all mean 'wastebasket' but, struggle as she will, their teacher, Debbie, is hard-pressed to bring them beyond this point of communication. Fortunately the voice of an offstage translator enables the audience to understand what those onstage cannot comprehend, but this does not help the sorely pressed Debbie, whose frustration is increased by her fear of a mugger lurking outside the door."