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Synopsis

 Set in 12^th Century France during the time of the Crusades, The Washing Place unveils the colorful world of the troubadours: poet musicians who delighted the courts with sometimes bawdy verses of romance and beauty, and also blood-thirsty songs to take into battle.

At the center of the play is a Tournament of Troubadours, held at a country estate of the Duke of Aquitaine (later to be known as Richard the Lion Heart). Richard challenges the top musical poets of the day to compose a battle song he can take on Crusade, where he hopes to make a name for himself. The Tournament, however, becomes much more than a contest between artists for a prize. It builds to an explosive debate on the question: should art, and religion, ever be used in the service of war?  That debate is still raging today.

Credits

 Written and Directed by Devin Wallace