In the summer of 1881, twenty Black laundresses in Atlanta did some basic math on their backbreaking labor, realized they were being exploited, and decided they had washed their last shirt for pennies. They formed the Washing Society, set a firm rate of one dollar per twelve pounds of laundry, and walked off the job. Within weeks, roughly 3,000 women—Black and white alike—joined the cause, bringing the entire city to a grinding halt and securing the post-Civil War South’s first successful interracial labor strike.
Not your standard history lesson
If your brain automatically files “1881 historical drama” under “dry academic obligation,” prepare to be thoroughly corrected. Playwright Kelundra Smith’s celebrated play “The Wash”—making its Florida premiere October 1–11 at The Studio in St. Petersburg—doesn’t feel like a museum piece. In a modern economy defined by soaring rent, stagnant wages, and collective burnout, watching six working women turn a tub of suds into economic leverage feels less like history and more like a group chat conversation from yesterday morning.
Set almost entirely around the washing tubs, the play follows six women—brought to life by Andresia Moseley, Jemier Jenkins, Jada Griffin, Marjorie Joseph, Nadine Young, and Holly Marie Weber—who argue, gossip, grieve, and organize. As director Erica Sutherlin notes, real movement-building doesn’t begin with a podium and a bullhorn; it starts in a room built on mutual trust. Crucially, the play is also wildly funny. It skips solemn posturing in favor of a warm, sharp-witted portrait of sisterhood among ordinary workers who discover that their shared labor is the one thing keeping the city running.
A rare cross-Bay power move
There is also a significant statement being made behind the scenes. “The Wash” is a full co-production between St. Petersburg’s The Studio and Tampa’s Powerstories Theatre. Instead of competing for audiences on opposite sides of the bay, the two companies are sharing the stage, the financial risk, and the spotlight. Following their sold-out run of Cadillac Crew last season, this partnership between Powerstories’ Executive Artistic Director Clareann Despain and The Studio’s Erica Sutherlin proves what can happen when regional arts organizations build real bridges across the water.
It’s high-stakes history delivered in an intimate setting, proving that the most explosive labor politics in Southern history started over a tub of dirty clothes…