{"id":370600,"date":"2025-07-20T19:35:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T23:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=370600"},"modified":"2025-07-20T19:35:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T23:35:15","slug":"2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 District Fringe Review: ‘Now to Ashes’ by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"N<\/span>ow to Ashes<\/em>, which played at the 2025 District Fringe Festival, is tour-de-force<\/em> theater-making that breathes life into pivotal white and Black figures at the vanguard and intersection of abolitionist and feminist activism. Written and directed by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz, it is at once riveting, poignant, and profound.<\/p>\n

Four women are at the heart of the play. At the center of it all are abolitionist sisters Sarah \u201cSally\u201d Moore Grimk\u00e9 and Angelina \u201cNina\u201d Grimk\u00e9, telling their origin story as defiant daughters in a white slaveholding family in the 17th and 18th centuries. Alongside them is Black abolitionist Sarah Mapps Douglas, instrumental in the creation and development of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. After Douglas met the Grimk\u00e9s, she pushed for them to support women\u2019s equality and changes to the Quakers\u2019 original view that opposition to slavery should not be political. Anchoring the abolitionist past with the early civil rights movement is Angelina \u201cNana\u201d Weld Grimke (the Grimk\u00e9s\u2019 niece), the Black poet, playwright, teacher, and writer of the early 20th century. Fascinating and complex characters all.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Courtesy of ‘Now to Ashes’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The play opens in the year 1956 with Angelina \u201cNana\u201d Weld Grimke wondering when things will ever change. (We also see her throughout in youth.) It then hopscotches through time, each shift presenting a new vignette highlighting other characters or a significant event of the time, such as Douglas and the Grimk\u00e9s\u2019 meeting with William Lloyd Garrison, publisher of the Liberator<\/em> magazine. It ends with Nana (in the present) as well, when she solemnly states, \u201cI don\u2019t think I can do it anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hearing historical figures voice impassioned arguments defending and decrying slaveholding was eye-opening. The dramatized personal and political conversations laid bare the movement\u2019s fissures that are not unlike contemporary disagreements about the direction of a cause. Moreover, the adamant demands from activists claiming their way forward was the only way through will resonate with anyone even remotely connected to direct action organizing around any issue and social justice advocacy. These vignettes also added action and momentum to more reflective parts of the production created by interspersing the readings of letters, speeches, and poems. (The poetry is Nana\u2019s.)<\/p>\n

Now to Ashes\u2019<\/em> overall historical blueprint leads to three takeaways: revolution is always messy; freedom must never be taken for granted; and the path of progress is never a straight line. It also reveals the fault lines in any movement for change from the status quo. <\/em>The inevitable fights over leadership. The tensions over the speed of actions or tactics to employ. The issue of money. The question of what to do when. And the ultimate: who\u2019s inside the umbrella of care right now <\/em>and who isn\u2019t? The abolitionists fought over all of it.<\/p>\n

Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz clearly conducted prodigious research to develop the play. For fun a few weeks ago, I started reading The Grimkes<\/em>, by Kerri K. Greenidge. I\u2019m still wading through it. One book is just a fraction of the material available to the playwrights. Their sculpting and sifting to present these key moments and turning points in abolitionism is an undeniable feat.<\/p>\n

Speaking of fun, yes, this is a serious production, but it\u2019s not a downer. It\u2019s also entertaining with lighter moments too, like the marriage proposal scene.<\/p>\n

Which brings me finally to mention the cast. If space permitted, I would want to call out individual appreciations for each of the cast of ten \u2014 many in multiple roles \u2014 but suffice it to say they were all spectacular.<\/p>\n

Though some of the specific characters were imprecisely identified in the beginning (complicated by dual casting), I was sold on this show from start to finish. Now to Ashes<\/em> is amazing and true to the 2025 District Fringe Festival motto. It\u2019s uninhibited. It\u2019s unafraid. And \u2014 I hope it\u2019s unstoppable.<\/p>\n

For more information about Now to Ashes,<\/em> visit the website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Now to Ashes
\nHistorical drama by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz<\/strong><\/p>\n

Running Time: Two hours and 30 minutes<\/strong>
\nDate and Time: Saturday, July 19, 2:00p<\/strong><\/p>\n

Venue: Phoenix – UDC Lecture Hall (44A03)<\/a>
\nTickets: $15
\nMore Info and Tickets: Now to Ashes<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Genre: <\/em><\/strong>Drama<\/em><\/p>\n

Directed by:\u00a0<\/strong>Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz
\nPlaywright:\u00a0<\/strong>Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz
\nPerformed by:
\n<\/strong>Jam Donaldson as Angelina Weld Grimk\u00e9 (Present) and Grace Douglass
\nMadison Norwood as Young Angelina Weld Grimk\u00e9 and Margaretta Forten
\nMikaela Fenn as Sarah Moore Grimk\u00e9 (Sally)
\nAlexandria Grigsby as Angelina Emily Grimk\u00e9 (Nina)
\nAmber Patrice Coleman as Sarah Mapps Douglass
\nPaul Brewster as John Grimk\u00e9, Jonathan Evans, and William Lloyd Garrison
\nAllison Turkel as Polly Grimk\u00e9 and Catharine Beecher
\nPaulette Grady as Charlotte Forten
\nAri Post as Israel Morris and Lewis Tappan
\nMax Johnson as Theodore Weld<\/p>\n

The complete 2025 District Fringe Festival schedule<\/span> is online website<\/a>
\nThe 2025 District Fringe Festival program<\/span> is online here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This riveting, poignant, and profound play dramatizes the intersection of abolitionist and feminist activism. By AILEEN JOHNSON<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":372474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[519,18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-370600","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-2025-district-fringe-festival","8":"category-reviews"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n2025 District Fringe Review: 'Now to Ashes' by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars) - DC Theater Arts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This riveting, poignant, and profound play dramatizes the intersection of abolitionist and feminist activism.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-\u00bd-stars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2025 District Fringe Review: 'Now to Ashes' by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This riveting, poignant, and profound play dramatizes the intersection of abolitionist and feminist activism.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-\u00bd-stars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DC Theater Arts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-20T23:35:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Now-to-Ashes-800x600-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Aileen Johnson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Aileen Johnson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/\",\"name\":\"2025 District Fringe Review: 'Now to Ashes' by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars) - DC Theater Arts\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Now-to-Ashes-800x600-1-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-20T23:35:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#\/schema\/person\/40a12088cd4d28c78259db55528455b8\"},\"description\":\"This riveting, poignant, and profound play dramatizes the intersection of abolitionist and feminist activism.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Now-to-Ashes-800x600-1-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Now-to-Ashes-800x600-1-1.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Courtesy of 'Now to Ashes'\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"2025 District Fringe Review: ‘Now to Ashes’ by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/\",\"name\":\"DC Theater Arts\",\"description\":\"Washington, DC's most comprehensive source of performing arts coverage.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#\/schema\/person\/40a12088cd4d28c78259db55528455b8\",\"name\":\"Aileen Johnson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/cropped-Aileen-Johnson-96x96.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/cropped-Aileen-Johnson-96x96.jpeg\",\"caption\":\"Aileen Johnson\"},\"description\":\"Aileen Johnson writes criticism and fiction. A former playwright, she is a theater devotee. Aileen earned an MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a JD from The George Washington University Law School. Aileen is currently working on a short story collection. When she is not working, writing, or cheering on actors or fellow writers, she enjoys hanging out with her wife and son and exploring the great outdoors with their spoiled Pit Bull\/Boxer mix, who she extravagantly features in her Instagram. aileenjohnson.com\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/author\/aileen-johnson\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"2025 District Fringe Review: 'Now to Ashes' by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars) - DC Theater Arts","description":"This riveting, poignant, and profound play dramatizes the intersection of abolitionist and feminist activism.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-\u00bd-stars\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"2025 District Fringe Review: 'Now to Ashes' by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars)","og_description":"This riveting, poignant, and profound play dramatizes the intersection of abolitionist and feminist activism.","og_url":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-\u00bd-stars\/","og_site_name":"DC Theater Arts","article_published_time":"2025-07-20T23:35:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Now-to-Ashes-800x600-1-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Aileen Johnson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Aileen Johnson","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/","url":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/","name":"2025 District Fringe Review: 'Now to Ashes' by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars) - DC Theater Arts","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Now-to-Ashes-800x600-1-1.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-20T23:35:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#\/schema\/person\/40a12088cd4d28c78259db55528455b8"},"description":"This riveting, poignant, and profound play dramatizes the intersection of abolitionist and feminist activism.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Now-to-Ashes-800x600-1-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Now-to-Ashes-800x600-1-1.jpg","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"Courtesy of 'Now to Ashes'"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/07\/20\/2025-district-fringe-review-now-to-ashes-by-renae-erichsen-teal-and-sarah-pultz-4-%c2%bd-stars\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"2025 District Fringe Review: ‘Now to Ashes’ by Renae Erichsen-Teal and Sarah Pultz (4 \u00bd stars)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/","name":"DC Theater Arts","description":"Washington, DC's most comprehensive source of performing arts coverage.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#\/schema\/person\/40a12088cd4d28c78259db55528455b8","name":"Aileen Johnson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/cropped-Aileen-Johnson-96x96.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/cropped-Aileen-Johnson-96x96.jpeg","caption":"Aileen Johnson"},"description":"Aileen Johnson writes criticism and fiction. A former playwright, she is a theater devotee. Aileen earned an MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a JD from The George Washington University Law School. Aileen is currently working on a short story collection. When she is not working, writing, or cheering on actors or fellow writers, she enjoys hanging out with her wife and son and exploring the great outdoors with their spoiled Pit Bull\/Boxer mix, who she extravagantly features in her Instagram. aileenjohnson.com","url":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/author\/aileen-johnson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370600"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370600\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}