"The Wash" stage play

A new ensemble comedy inspired by the Atlanta Washwerwomen's Strike of 1881

Anna, Jeanie, Thomasine, Jewel, and Charity work 18-hour days washing wealthy people’s unmentionables. Fed up with being paid in rice, beans, and hand-me-downs, the women go on strike, with the demand of a dollar per dozen pounds of wash. Growing from a few dozen women holding the line to more than 3,000 on strike in a few short weeks, they make international headlines and the consequences of their resistance come right to their front door. Inspired by the true story of the Atlanta washerwomen’s strike of 1881-- the first successful interracial, organized labor strike of the post-Civil War era—The Wash offers an intimate and often funny look at ordinary women who fought the system and won.

Praise for The Wash

“The strike was 144 years ago, but the story feels fresh and urgent today.” - Kerry Reid, The Chicago Reader

“...these multigenerational characters do more than protest; they live and breathe. Better, they joke and gossip, supporting one another through everyday troubles beyond the strike.” - Benji Carr, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Smith’s script is absorbing, humorous, and uplifting with its focus on sisterhood and lovingly supporting those in your community.” - James Lindhorst, Broadway World St. Louis

“Kelundra Smith has crafted a zesty rich text—she has her ear on the Black Georgian ground—for actors to fully exploit. The play and this production demonstrate the positive power of imagination and conviction to survive in a hostile world.” - Beate Hein Bennett, New York Theatre Wire

Production history

The Wash was produced Off Broadway in New York City by Woodie King’s New Federal Theatre (Elizabeth Van Dyke, Producing Artistic Director) at Women’s Project Theatre. The Wash was originally developed in part by Hush Harbor Lab (Atlanta, GA). The Wash was first produced as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by Synchronicity Theatre (Rachel May, Producing Artistic Director; Celise Kalke, Managing Director; and Associate Producer Elisabeth Cooper) and Impact Theatre (Brenda Porter, Producing Artistic Director) (Atlanta, GA); The Black Rep (Ron Himes, Founder/Producing Artistic Director) (St. Louis, MO.); and Prop Thtr (Producing Artistic Director Kristen Vehill) and Perceptions Theater (Artistic Director Myesha-Tiara McGarner; Executive Director, Jerluann Jenkins) (Chicago, IL). For more information, please visit nnpn.org. 

About the author

Kelundra Smith is an Atlanta-based playwright, theatre critic/journalist, and publisher. The Wash is a part of her Reconstruction Trilogy, which also includes The Vote and The Knot, about the achievements of Black Georgians after the Civil War. Her other plays include the Great Migration drama Monarchs and the dark comedy Other Paths to God. She is the recipient of an Audelco Award for Best Playwright and the Gene Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award. She is a member of the Dramatist Guild, the Ida B. Wells Society, and the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association, where she co-created the Edward Medina Prize for Excellence in Cultural Criticism.