THEATRE Director and Playwright, Rosalind Scanlon enabled the community of Fulham to go down memory lane when she staged her play ‘Wash-House Stories’ on the original site of the former Fulham Wash-House in North End Road (now The Dance Attic Studios).
Throughout the 1960s and 70s Fulham Wash-House was a women's hub beating at the heart of the community. It was the place where local women, English, Irish and Caribbean, gathered together to wash their dirty linen, in more ways than one!
Set in the 1960s the play magically captures a pivotal moment of change, where women with their huge families, did their washing alongside the young Woolies girl, a newly wed, who proclaims that she won’t have any babies, because she’s on ‘Pill’! The women discuss their various (unimaginable!) methods of birth control, their husbands, marriages, their never ending lack of pennies and their attempts, against all odds, to make ends meet. These were hard times, when a women would dream of owning ‘a Bendix’ - ‘An Automatic’.
The play is a joyous celebration of women’s resilience, which allows an intimate glimpse into their world. It is not afraid to touch on the deeper issues of domestic violence and it reminds of the times when it was a pain and shame to be a young unmarried mother - and when the ‘No Blacks No Dogs No Irish’ signs were hung in shop windows.
The play's powerful and moving stories are interspersed with great songs from the 1960s, My Boy Lollipop, Sweet Talking Guy…I Wanna Be Bobby’s Girl, - all sung with great gusto.
The actors played brilliantly to a very full and very sweaty (it was a hot and humid night), absolutely packed-to-the-rafters house – and many had to be turned away. The performances had true authenticity, because many of the actors (members of ACT YOUR AGE DRAMA for older women,) had used Fulham Wash-house in their younger days.
The Mayor of Hammersmith & Fulham, Councillor, Frances Stainton attended this unique performance and the huge standing ovation at the end made it clear that the production had aroused many memories. It truly recaptured the time and spirit of the place. WASH HOUSE STORIES is a production which certainly deserves to be seen again.
Performed by members of Act Your Age Theatre - Wash-House Stories starred Vera Heywood, Astrid Maslen, Paula May, Venis Olafisoye, Tina Partridge, Rita Rose, Anne Zahran, June Zetter and Rosalind Scanlon.
Review by Anne McArdle
