Filling Basins

A choral piece of deep ensemble relation, Filling Basins tells a story of the 1881 Washerwomen Strike in Atlanta, GA. Six Black women tell their stories collectively and in small vignettes, bringing to life themes of camaraderie, womanhood, the Jim Crow south, and the will to fight back in the face of violently stratified institutions and conditions. Their lives begin to unfold as one woman remembers the lynching of her mother and as others recall aggressive encounters with the white folk for whom they work. Together, they form The Washing Society and solicit both black and white women to fight alongside them to increase pay. A relentless revolution begins at a well and takes over a city. Along the way, the women reckon with what it means to have a body, to love their bodies in the face of exploitation, to become whole, to make joy out of the iron pot of life. There is a price to be paid for one’s future, for one’s children, and these women stop at nothing to make room for those that will come after them.

A note: Just as the content of this play is about Black women caring for each other, this production team is deeply committed to prioritizing self-care for everyone involved in our process. We recognize that POC on this campus are often barred from participating in theatre because of the high expectations & pressure placed on them–academically, socially, financially etc. etc. etc.– while being POC students at this university . While we are committed to making Filling Basins a thoughtful, intentional, laughter-filled, critically beautiful… process & production, we intend to prioritize an ethics of care & respect and raise up that you are students first. Don’t hesitate to reach out with questions about what this means.