It won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Sweat was first performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015 before playing at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. that year. Virtual Tour Human Development News|Languages and Literatures News|Philosophy News|Political Science News Characters are saddened and enraged in the face of wage cuts, and conflicts erupt between them as they struggle to navigate their lives in the face of diminishing opportunities. CYNTHIA: Ive stood on that line, same line since I was nineteen. The people in Reading find common ground with one another in their shared difficulties at work and in fraught romantic relationships; they lean on their close, long-lasting friendships for comfort. Lynn Nottage, originally born and raised in Brooklyn, New York produced the award-winning play, Sweat. When Cynthia is promoted, the difference of social status is directly introduced. Tracey? Download the entire Sweat study guide as a printable PDF! Variety described Nottage as going into "the heart of working-class America". Race was never the main theme in, Sweat by Lynn Nottage, but it helped move the story along and added greatly to some of the characters development. You hear from the old gang? But when . As the months of 2000 pass, the relationships that create the foundation of Sweat begin to unravel and we come to see the events that led Chris and Jason, two best buds with exuberance for their future, to wind up in prison. Academic Policies The play takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania where there is one main line of work everyone goes into. Text-only Version, Information for: Lastly, although my point of interest related to the issue of diversity through the play, the violent hate crime towards Oscar was influential in the sense it led to a lot of reflection for the audience. The 2008 sequences also shine a spotlight on Chris and Jason's mysterious crime without revealing that incident until the end, leaving the audience waiting for the other shoe to drop instead of being able to focus on the complex relationships Nottage builds and the reflection of America in civil strife. They all work together and love to hang out at the local bar. "Sweat," Lynn Nottage's 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama set in a faltering factory town in Pennsylvania, magnificently answers the call for more far-ranging American playwriting. In this breathtaking new play, premiered in 2015, she tackles the devastating impact of loss of work and of de-industrialisation on modern America. Thrash rock music from the early millennium sets the mood and evokes tension. They are best friends and joke around together. Nottage researched her work in Reading and while there, gathered material for her play Clyde's, now extended through March 12 at Arden Theatre Co. Directed by Kate Whoriskey (who also directed the earlier productions), the cast featured Carlo Alban (Oscar), James Colby (Stan), Khris Davis (Chris), Johanna Day (Tracey), John Earl Jelks (Brucie), Will Pullen (Jason), Miriam Shor (Jessie), Lance Coadie Williams (Evan), and Michelle Wilson (Cynthia). Unfortunately, that kinetic energy is all on one level, high, so the audience feels distanced from the characters. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. First and only job. Stan tries to stop it but ends up getting hit. Word Count: 524. Registered About 3 Years Ago. This is highlighted by Brucie, who experienced a similar situation at a different mill. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. All of the floor workers at Olsteads feel replaceable and worry about their job security, so Cynthias bump in pay and benefits comes off as a slap in the face to her coworkersone that drives a wedge between her and Tracey especially. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Teachers and parents! Complimentary and Deeply Discounted Shows. eNotes.com "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." "Sweat - Themes" eNotes Publishing The three friends' names are Tracy, Cynthia and Jessie. At the beginning of 2000, every character is either part of the working class or experiencing the repercussions of union strikes. Any deadline. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. She has now become one of people working to undermine the union by hiring cheaper labor. Working with this diverse cast of student actors to climb inside this story has been a gift. She used these substances as coping mechanisms which also led her to say racist comments about her own friend. Sweat is preceded by an excerpt from Langston Hughess Let America Be America Again, a poem that critiques the false promise of the American Dream and encourages poor and working-class Americans (among other marginalized groups) to rise up and make America againessentially to redeem the oppression theyve faced and the opportunities theyve been cheated out of. Tracey and Jessie view Cynthia as a traitor. Act 2, Scene 1 Summary. The characters in Sweat have spent decades of their lives thanklessly laboring in Reading Pennsylvanias local steel and textile mills amid poor working conditions, disrespectful management, and union disputes. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Instant PDF downloads. Management is for them. Local factory workers mull around a watering hole run by one of their former colleagues, Stan (Michael O'Keefe). The volume covers Nottage's plays, productions, activism, and artistic collaborations to display the extraordinary breadth and depth of her work. Nottage's characters were based on personal research and interviews she conducted in Reading throughout 2011. Lynn Nottages Sweat is a play set in 2000 and 2008 that explores the tension in a group of friends in the midst of layoffs at a factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Nottage addresses the theme of social status, specifically in how the characters' lives and relationships are shaped based on job position, socio-economic class, and education. [7], The play has been described as "a powerful and emotional look at identity, race, economy, and humanity. It normalizes the common habit of many working-class individuals who come home exhausted or agitated from working extraneous jobs. Jump-start your essay with our outlining tool to make sure you have all the main points of your essay covered. Human Resources Race and class in the workplace: Nottage explores the. By clicking Receive Essay, you agree to our, Stereotypes inThe House on Mango Street Essay Example, Theme of Sexism in The Scarlet Letter Essay Sample, Argumentative Essay: The Dehumanization Of The Holocaust, Role of Social Class in Jane Eyre (Essay Sample), The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Book Review, Essay Sample on Fahrenheit 451: The Frightening Analogy Between Societies, In Cold Blood and Criminal Justice Essay Example, Class Hierarchy inThe Great Gatsby Essay Example, Scrooge's Transformation in Dickens' A Christmas Carol Essay Sample, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. They are getting out of jail after a conflict they were both involved in. Found a perfect sample but need a unique one? School of Performing Arts News|Science, Technology, and Society News|Sociology News, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences In a sense, Reading represents a broader diminishment of the American middle class, a sector of the population whose once-reliable sources of worksuch as in factories and millshave been in decline in recent years. The creative elements of the production fare better, with Christopher Barreca's set taking audiences to the neighborhood bar so one can almost smell the stale beer on the floor. Sweat examines the changing lives of factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania, between the years of 2000 and 2008. discover the notice Sweat Tcg Edition English Edition that you are looking for. Oscar asks Tracey about job openings on the floor, and Tracey says he must have heard wrong because Olsteads is not hiring and you have to know someone to get in anyway. Of the performances, Coleman and Hochman remarkably deviate from sullen and washed-out in their 2008 scenes, to rambunctious, youthful, and optimistic in 2000. The plays setting offers an appropriate stage on which to explore this theme. You got a problem, you tell me to my face. Jason is a white man who is Tracey's son. Jason and Chris are Tracey and Cynthias sons respectively. A lot of wrong things can be said under the influence, and I believe most of their arguments all began with the abuse of alcohol. Nottage chose the Rust Belt town of Reading, Pennsylvania, because at the time of the plays composition, Reading was the poorest town of its size in the United States. Download sweat by lynn nottage full audiobooks book details author : Free book, audiobook, reender book sweat by lynn nottage full book,full ebook full download. [13] The production closed on June 25, 2017, after 105 performances. He used to work at the plant but he was injured from a factory accident. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. Who is the antagonist in the play Sweat by Lynn Nottage? Lynn Nottage began working on the play in 2011 by interviewing numerous residents of Reading, Pennsylvania, which at the time was, according to the United States Census Bureau, officially one of the poorest cities in America,[3] with a poverty rate of over 40%. The plot consists of many different characters. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Privacy Policy We're friends! Both Cynthia and her loved ones feel hurt and misunderstood, further demonstrating the tendency for inequality in status to break apart relationships. It highlights serious problems in society such as racism, economic strain, drug abuse, and toxic relationships. Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play, "Pulitzer Prize winner on 'Sweat,' her Broadway play about Trump's America: 'Being poor is one of the hardest jobs in the world', "Who are these Trump voters? Saturday-Sunday February 25 & 26 at 2pm . Were a team, Jason says of himself and Chris, one of many sentiments that drives home the sacredness of close relationships for the plays struggling working-class laborers. Due to a lot of anger and resentment throughout the production, there were various racial slurs that stuck out to me because of our current problem of racism in society today. (212) 220-8000 The play portrays a meeting between a parole officer and two ex-convicts, and three women who were childhood friends and had worked in the same factory. Started in 74, walked in straight outta high school. The playwright shows how owners manipulate individual efforts to advance in order to destroy solidarity and instead foster suspicions, mistrust, and rifts between friends. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Oscar and his coworker Stan (the bartender at the bar where the characters all hang out) are attacked in a demonstration. Admissions In Lynette Lintons production, Frankie Bradshaws impressive design sets the watering hole against a background of rusting girders. Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Building,200 Stanger Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, Phone: 540-231-6779, Fax: 540-231-7157,news.liberalarts@vt.edu Oscar now works there as the manager, and he takes care of Stan, who we find out has suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of the fight. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). More heat. Tensions rise as Cynthias new position pits her against her friends. You dont want to go down that road, weve got too much history between us. They also work at the plant, although Chris talks about going to college. Lynn Nottage, as she showed in Intimate Apparel, which was about a seamstress in the 1900s, has the capacity to dramatise work. Essay Example: What Is The Theme Of Sweat By Lynn Nottage Sweat was a meaningful production as there are many important themes to take away from the story. All The City University of New York Everyone tries to stay positive, but as the strike goes on, they begin to get desperate. Jason, in particular, is notably altered by his time in prison, where he becomes a white supremacist. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. 2023 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Sweat [TCG Edition] Good Book 0 paperback at the best online prices at eBay! Jason finds that Tracey has a significant pill addiction. Log in here. Although much of the . Club members can see a different show every night of the week. Call me selfish, I dont care, call me whatever you need to call me, but remember, one of us has to be left standing to fight. Based on extensive interviews with residents of the rustbelt town of Reading, Pennsylvania, it shows the anger and despair that helped fuel the election of Donald Trump. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. The fact that everyone in Reading is trying to keep their heads above water seemingly makes them less encouraging rather than more so when their friends try to get ahead. [27], The play won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[2]. She loves to hang out at the bar with her friends and she has a gruff kind of humor. Im not prejudice, but thats how things are going these days. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Sweat. Her friend Cynthia is a black woman who also loves to hang out with her friends at the bar and is a hardworking woman in the factory. L ynn Nottage's Sweat is a play set in 2000 and 2008 that explores the tension in a group of friends in the midst of layoffs at a factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. Oscar, the bus boy at the bar, is Latino and is not acknowledged often by the people who go there. Sweat I really feel is the American story. She doesnt really believe a floor worker will get the promotion, but when Cynthia talks about applying, Tracey decides to as well. This website uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. In commenting on the origins of Sweat, Nottage said, I really set about to figure out how poverty and economic stagnation was really shifting the American narrative. 1 Mar. Nov. 912 at 7:30 p.m. Jason and Chris are the sons of the two women who find themselves on opposite sides over the strike, but the young men are workers themselves and try to support the strikers. The union, there to protect the workers, has become overwhelmed and impotent. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Nottage took a break from writing for nearly seven years, but in 2003, her drama Intimate Apparel, a play about an African American seamstress in turn of the century New York, won major awards including the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Francesca Primus Prize and the Steinberg Award. eNotes.com We dont really. The main themes in Sweat are race and class in the workplace, the effect of work life on the family, and economies and individuals. Last Updated on October 4, 2022, by eNotes Editorial. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Ive got twenty-four years on the floor. She bitterly tells Oscar, the busboy at the bar, that she know[s] the floor as good as Cynthia does, and Jessie confirms that Cynthias promotion has pissed off a lot of people even though she earned it fairly. Some characters use racial slurs towards Latinos and show him that he isn't welcome in the Olstead factory. JASON: [] But seriously, man, why didnt you tell me? I also hope that they will understand the power of art and be more willing to engage with storytelling.. samples are real essays written by real students who kindly donate their papers to us so that Whether its the discussion that Oscar doesnt deserve a job or him being attacked, they are all just as equally painful and wrong. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Fred Mazelis. Though they used to be best friends, Jason (Will Hochman) now has a face covered with white-supremacy tattoos, while Chris (Grantham Coleman) has returned from prison emotionally broken. Already a member? publication online or last modification online. Teachers and parents! JASON: Shit, I just kinda thought wed retire and open a franchise together. The trade union goes on strike, and company management locks out the workers. The play is centered on the working class of Reading, Pennsylvania. Struggling with distance learning? By showing how people, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs T he main themes in Sweat are race and class in the workplace, the effect of work life on the family, and economies and individuals. What statements does this play Sweatmake about racism and racial tension in the United States? Synopsis for SWEAT: SWEAT is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. Sweat is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. [1] It won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. [] Im not prejudice, I say, you are who you are, you know? For a thoughtful portrait, turn to playwright Lynn Nottage's 'Sweat', "The First Theatrical Landmark of the Trump Era", "Lynn Nottage: 'Nostalgia is a disease many white Americans have', "Review: Lynn Nottage's 'Sweat' Examines Lives Unraveling by Industry's Demise", "Off Broadway Review: Lynn Nottage's 'Sweat', "Lynn Nottage's SWEAT Headed to The Public Next Year; Broadway on the Horizon? Where he becomes a white man who is the antagonist in the workplace: Nottage the! Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP without! On October 4, 2022, by eNotes Editorial loves to hang out at bar... And raised in Brooklyn, new York produced the award-winning play, Sweat My students ca n't enough., walked in straight outta high school local bar the main points of your charts and their have. 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