The St. Louis Black Repertory Company will host playwright and Journalist Kelundra Smith for the opening weekend of the Rolling World Premiere of THE WASH, directed by Chris Anthony.
THE WASH continues The Black Rep’s 48th main stage season March 14 (with previews March 12-13) and runs through March 30, 2025 at the Berges Theatre at COCA-Center for Creative Arts.
Smith’s play follows the lives of several fictional Black laundresses, who at crossroads in their personal lives, fought for higher wages. Their labor action became the first successful interracial, organized labor strike of the post-Civil War era.
Events throughout the opening weekend include:
Thursday, March 13 | 7:00 PM Curtain | Post-Show Conversation
Following the show, a conversation with Kelundra Smith, Playwright, and Marlon M. Bailey, Professor of African and African American Studies, Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Faculty Affiliate in the Performing Arts Department and the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity at Washington University in St. Louis.
Friday, March 14 | Opening Night | 8:00 PM Curtain | Post-Show Reception
Post-Show Reception and Meet & Greet with Playwright Kelundra Smith, Director Chris Anthony, and Cast & Crew of The Wash.
Saturday, March 15 | 8:00 PM Curtain
Sunday, March 16 | 3:00 PM Curtain
Tickets are available at theblackrep.org or through the Box Office at 314-534-3807. Reduced pricing is available for seniors, educators, museum staff, students, and groups of 12 or more.
THE WASH is presented with support from The National Endowment for the Arts, The Black Rep’s Sophisticated Ladies Initiative and Caleres, with support for our visiting director from Ameren. The Playwright Conversation is presented in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and with support from the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund.
It is produced at The Black Rep as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other Partner Theaters are Synchronicity Theatre and Impact Theatre Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) and Prop Thos with Perceptions Theatre (Chicago, IL). For more information, please visit nnpn.org
Support for The Black Rep’s 48th Main Stage Season comes from The Berges Family Foundation, Caleres, Missouri Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Regional Arts Commission’s ARPA for the Arts, The Shubert Foundation, and the Steward Family Foundation.
About The Black Rep
The Black Rep, a 48-year-old legacy Black arts organization, is committed to producing, re-imagining, and commissioning work written by Black playwrights and creating opportunities for new voices and youth. For more information: www.theblackrep.org.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.