New Federal Theatre To Present Return Engagement Of Kelundra Smith’s THE WASH

Woodie King Jr.'s New Federal Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director Elizabeth Van Dyke, will bring back Kelundra Smith’s The Wash for a return engagement this fall. Directed by Awoye Timpo, the production will run November 20–December 14, 2025 at WP Theater, 2162 Broadway (at 76th Street), following its acclaimed New York premiere earlier this year.

Set in 1881 Atlanta, The Wash dramatizes the Atlanta Washerwomen’s Strike, the first successful interracial, organized labor strike of the post-Civil War era. The play follows Anna, Jeanie, Tommie, Jewel, Charity, and Mozelle, laundresses who form a Washing Society to demand fair pay. What began with a few dozen women swelled to over 3,000, including white laundresses, in an extraordinary act of interracial solidarity.

The cast features Rebecca Haden, Bianca LaVerne Jones, Alicia Pilgrim, Margaret Odette, Kerry Warren, and Eunice Woods. The creative team includes Jason Ardizzone-West (scenic design), Victor En Yu Tan (lighting design), Gail Cooper-Hecht (costume design), Belynda M’baye (prop design), Adesola Osakalumi and Jill Vallery (choreography), and Abhita Austin (projection design).