“Surely all sins are forgivable?
Even the vilest? Even the most unimaginable of sins?”

Dirty Laundry is the debut play from Wallis Hamilton Felton. It shines a light on the issue of the Magdalene Laundries and raises many questions about the way in which women in these homes were treated.

The one woman play portrays a young girl’s experiences in a laundry and the impossible choices she has to make in order to survive.

Wallis felt compelled to write about the Laundries when she learnt that over 30,000 women were institutionalised in Ireland from the early 18th Century until the last laundry closed in 1996. She feels passionate about telling truthful, untold stories and giving a voice to the marginalised.

Tristan Bates Theatre, December 2018

Collaborating with Jessica Reed as Director, the play- which also features traditional Irish songs- was first performed at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London in 2018 and met with 5* reviews-

‘Dirty Laundry is outstanding. With a clear and clever storyline, fantastic writing and a completely likeable lead character, this show is the perfect example of the kind of gold that comes from new writing festivals, and it is fair to say that this play has a long life ahead of it.’ - Within her Words

‘Dirty Laundry portrays an important story which not only memorialises those who suffered: Hamilton Felton gives a voice to those who were stripped of their rights, to those who were unheard all these years.’ - Savage Journal

‘Dirty Laundry is a confrontation, and a timely one, too.’- The Authentic Project

Workshop, March 2019

In March 2019, Wallis and Jess ran a workshop of Dirty Laundry. The focus of the workshop was to explore the use of music within the play and to develop the piece into a 60 minute performance.

Milton Keynes Gallery, September 2019

In 2019, Dirty Laundry was chosen to appear in a symposium ‘Taking the Stage’, alongside other great female playwrights, such as Julia Pascal and Chloe Todd Fordham. Wallis presented the new 60 minute version of the play at this symposium.

Wallis and Jess plan to continue work on Dirty Laundry and hope to tell the story of these brave women to many.