A play built almost entirely around washtubs and the true story of Black laundresses whose strike raised wages is making its Florida debut in St. Petersburg. The Wash opens Thursday and runs through October 11 at The Studio@620, marking the first time the acclaimed script has been staged anywhere in the state.
The production is a joint effort between Tampa-based Powerstories Theatre and St. Petersburg-based The Studio@620, according to Tampa Bay 28. The play dramatizes the 1881 Atlanta Washerwomen's Strike, when Black women united to demand fair wages in a labor action that helped shape American labor history, per the station's report. Performances take place at The Studio, located at 620 1st Ave. S. in St. Petersburg, with tickets priced at $40 general admission, $37 for seniors, and $25 for students.
A Six-Woman Cast Anchors the Story
The Florida premiere is directed by Erica Sutherlin, who also serves as Artistic Executive Director of The Studio@620, according to BroadwayWorld. The script calls for a six-woman ensemble — Andresia Moseley, Jemier Jenkins, Jada Griffin, Marjorie Joseph, Nadine Young, and Holly Marie Weber — and follows the women as they organize and build a collective movement around washing tubs. Playwright Kelundra Smith centers the story on the intimate relationships, humor, and collective decision-making among the working-class women who ran the cooperative.
The Wash completed a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, according to BroadwayWorld's account of the play's developmental history.
The Real 1881 Strike Behind the Play
The history dramatized on stage began in July 1881, when 20 Black laundresses in Atlanta organized what they called the Washing Society to demand standard pay of $1 per 12 pounds of laundry. According to the AFL-CIO, the movement spread through door-to-door canvassing and swelled to more than 3,000 strikers within three weeks, at a time when laundresses often worked long, tiring hours washing clothes by hand with homemade lye soap and well water.
When authorities tried to break the strike by arresting and fining strikers, the City Council proposed a $25 annual fee on laundresses. The Washing Society responded by offering to pay the fee while threatening a citywide general strike, the AFL-CIO's history notes. The strike raised wages, and the City Council rejected the proposed fee.
A Second Cross-Bay Collaboration
This marks the second time Powerstories Theatre and The Studio@620 have teamed up on a production, following their previous sold-out staging of Cadillac Crew, BroadwayWorld reports. Cross-bay partnerships like this one let nonprofit theaters on opposite sides of Tampa Bay pool resources and reach a wider regional audience.
The show also lands during a season of transition for Powerstories Theatre. It's the company's first full season under Executive Artistic Director Clareann Despain, who took the helm after founder Fran Powers stepped down in March 2026 following 25 years leading the organization, according to The Artisan Magazine. Powers originally conceived Powerstories Theatre during a cross-country bicycle ride in 1998, and the company later won the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, presented by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House in 2010, per the St Pete Catalyst.
Local Funding
The Studio@620's 2026-2027 mainstage season, including The Wash, is backed by presenting sponsor Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg as part of a venue initiative focused on career sustainability for emerging local theater artists, BroadwayWorld reports. The grant program is designed to help elevate emerging directors, designers, and crew members into professional mainstage roles.
The Wash runs October 1 through 11 at The Studio, 620 1st Ave. S. in St. Petersburg, with general admission tickets at $40, senior tickets at $37, and student tickets at $25.
