Pull the curtain back on Atlanta’s newest production, “The Wash”

Some of the vintage headlines from newspapers around the country during the Atlanta Washerwomen’s Strike of 1881 were displayed during a showing of The Wash last week. Photo by Noah Washington/The Atlanta Voice The Atlanta Washerwomen’s Strike of 1881 was a real-life historical event in Atlanta’s history where black laundresses took a stand for their rights just weeks before the International Cotton Exposition. This strike became one of the largest interracial labor strikes in post-Civil War America. On Saturday, June 8, the Synchronicity Theatre in Midtown Atlanta hosted the opening night of “The Wash,” a joint effort with Impact Theatre from Hapeville. The play, set in July 1881, tells the story of the primarily Black Atlanta washerwomen’s strike to fight unfair wages and treatment. The show, running a little more than two hours (including an intermission), is woven together via the set design that the stage hosts. The show’s creative transitions, enhanced by the clothing line’s stage prop, allowed for multiple scene changes with the simple pull of a curtain. The show speaks on not only the labor strike struggle, but which intersects with the personal lives of the 6 women depicted, showcasing themes of domestic abuse, spirituality, and the...