Courtesy of Theatre51.
The history of abolitionism in the United States can be a difficult one to trace, not to mention writing a play about it. The intersection between abolition and women’s suffrage is a particularly tricky line to walk as many of the most visible and most remembered suffragettes eschewed abolitionist causes so as not to dilute their own cause—and vice versa. “Now to Ashes,” at the first annual District Fringe Festival, follows the crusade of the Grimké sisters, Sarah “Sally” (Mikaela Fenn) and Angelina “Nina” (Alexandria Grigsby). The time period is the 1830s, and the sisters are heavily involved in abolitionist work as well as their quest to amplify the voices of otherwise silenced American women—certainly noble causes, if only the twain shall meet. Theatre51 writers and directors Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz tackle the expansive subject with the help of a cast who does a fantastic job keeping up with the challenges of material that moves from the early 19th century to the mid 20th century.
…this play could certainly make for a historically eye-opening and fully-staged production.
Perhaps among the more interesting facets of the sisters’ story is their background. Leaving their privileged southern lives, they both eventually make their way to Philadelphia, where their lives intertwine with some fascinating characters. Sarah Douglass (a memorable performance by Amber Patrice Coleman), teacher and co-founder of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, initially figures pretty substantially into the ideological battle and protests that the sisters devise. Though in the second half of the play, Douglass’ voice seems to get lost a bit among the more workaday aspects of the Grimkés’ respective lives, marriage and family drama among them.
The play winds a bit through time—through political, religious and societal events, and through the many encounters that prompted the Grimké sisters to rise to abolitionist and women’s rights fame. Though, as noted, they had some difficulty coalescing the two aspects of their ardent work. Framing the near three-hour staged reading is the narration of Angelina Weld Grimké (Jam Donaldson), the grand niece of the famous siblings. Weld Grimké is tasked with filling in the blanks and establishing the timeline, and she conveys the events of the past from her 1950s vantage point. Accompanying these narrative interludes, her younger version (Madison Norwood) reads poems from her work. Weld Grimké would ultimately become a poet and playwright in the 1940s and 50s.
While Weld Grimké’s (older and younger) interludes are interesting, they are a bit extraneous, especially given the relatively long running time of the production. The story in and of itself is a strong one. With some further fine tuning and strategic cuts, this play could certainly make for a historically eye-opening and fully-staged production.
Running Time: Two hours and 45 minutes with no intermission.
“Now to Ashes” ran on July 19, 2025 at the 2025 District Fringe Festival which runs through July 27, 2025. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online. To find out more about Theatre51 and “Now to Ashes,” please click here.
