The Wash

The Impact Theatre Atlanta and Synchronicity Theatre presents the Premiere of Kelundra's Smith's "THE WASH"

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This vibrant and funny play tells the true story of the Atlanta Washerwomen's strike of 1881, where Black women demanded fair wages and ignited a wave of labor activism across Georgia.

‍The Wash demonstrates that it is no coincidence that the Atlanta Washerwomen’s Strike took place during the same year that Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary (ABFS), now Spelman College, was founded. Much like millions of workers today, in the years following the Civil War, Black women in Atlanta were taking control of their own destinies by demanding fair pay for their labor and fighting for a quality education. In the play, Anna runs her own laundry co-op where she employs four other women, each with their own skills and opinions. One of those women, Jewel, is attending classes at ABFS and bringing what she’s learning in the classroom back to the women in the laundry co-op where she lives and works. As they fight for their rights, she wants to show that "God can speak to a woman the same way as a man." Making international news, the strike had a reverberating effect around the state, with nurses, cooks, and other domestic workers from Rome to Savannah, GA demanding a fair wage as a result of the women's bravery.

Show Dates:

• Friday, March 14 at 7:30 PM
• Saturday, March 15 at 2 PM
• Saturday, March 15 at 7:30 PM
• Sunday, March 16 at 7:30 PM
• Friday, March 21 at 7:30 PM
• Saturday, March 22 at 2 PM
• Saturday, March 22 at 7:30 PM
• Sunday, March 23 at 7:30 PM

Ticket Price: $50

Location: The Lakeside Pavilion (10950 Hutcheson Ferry Rd Chattahoochee Hills, Georgia 30268)

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About the Playwright:
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Kelundra Smith calls her plays 'restorative narratives.' A long-time theater critic and director of publishing at Theatre Communications Group, Smith now adds playwright to her list of talents. The Wash is a part of a Reconstruction trilogy that she is writing and marks her first professional production.

“I am the daughter of Black southern parents who are the children of Black southern parents who were the children of Black southern parents. The geography and culture of the South form my being and inform my work. It looks like pine needles blowing in the breeze; smells like earth after the rain; sounds like jazz and gospel in equal measure; and tastes like collard greens with turkey necks. This is my American experience.” – Kelundra Smith

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