I don't want this to be a big deal. What Nottage captures brilliantly is the way work, however hard or demanding, gives people an identity and purpose. Registered About 3 Years Ago. Throughout the entirety of the play, alcohol was utilized as a prop by almost all the characters. Jason and Chris are Tracey and Cynthias sons respectively. Mara plays Tracey as a shrill woman who is looking for others to blame. The play opens in 2008, and we meet Jason and Chris as they individually speak to their parole officer, Evan. 2023 . From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. When Chris reveals that hell be leaving Olsteads to study teaching at Albright College, Jason is blindsidedhed hoped to work alongside his best friend for the foreseeable future and to eventually retire and open a business together. 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). The play, however, takes place pre-Trump. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Students They also work at the plant, although Chris talks about going to college. You got a problem, you tell me to my face. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Divisions surface when the African American Cynthia is promoted from the shop floor to supervisor over the head of her white oldest friend, Tracey. Complete your free account to request a guide. Their whole lives have been on the factory line. Try it today! publication online or last modification online. We see how the plant uses ethnicity to divide workers in the case of Oscar, who is Latino. The second date is today's TRACEY: Stillyou werent born here, Berks. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. You dont know what its been like to walk in my shoes. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Refine any search. The action takes place in a fictional bar in Reading, Pennsylvania. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme, The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Relationships, Status, and Resentment appears in each scene of. This is shown in many of the bar scenes. Human Resources One of the reasons that I wanted to write Sweat is that I really wanted to put this very fractured city a city in which everyone was hurting in isolation I wanted to put those people into dialogue so they all recognized that they all shared this one central narrative. 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. Sweat is about the private toll of this great decline. Youve always been cool. Jason is a white man who is Tracey's son. In Lynette Lintons production, Frankie Bradshaws impressive design sets the watering hole against a background of rusting girders. 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. Tracey's attempts to be alluring do not convince Stan, so they stop dancing as. This section contains 1,616 words (approx. She . We dont really. She has created exactly the ensemble piece she set out to create empathetic, searching, searing, honest, and full of humanity and I found exactly the same qualities in this cast as we have worked together. With the opening focused on Chris and Jason, but the bulk of the play resting on their mothers, the audience investment from one set of characters to another feels destabilizing. Directory, News 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. Chris finds Cynthia living in a small, rundown, messy apartment . As Warehouse Supervisor, Cynthia has a newfound insiders perspective into the management side of the plant. Thats all I need to know. LitCharts Teacher Editions. 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. "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. The union, there to protect the workers, has become overwhelmed and impotent. 1 Mar. CHRIS: Dude, its just something I gotta do. "Sweat - Themes" eNotes Publishing Less work. As a community already steeped in tradition and resistant to outsiders, this downturn causes Readings white working class to become downright hostile toward black and Latinx peopleeven individuals they once called friendsbecause they believe minorities are stealing their jobs away. Eventually in 2017, winning the Pulitzer prize award for drama. [15] A five-star review of the production by Peter Mason in the Morning Star newspaper described Sweat as "a tension-filled drama with a turbulent, consuming plot and a cast of highly engaging characters who demand attention from the off," adding of the Donmar cast that "it would be difficult to imagine a better set of players to take on the difficult task of portraying such complex individuals". Filled with warm humor and tremendous heart, Sweat tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. 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. Centered on the working class of Reading, Pennsylvania, Sweat tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. Their decades-long friendship ends in a seemingly insurmountable grudge, a heartbreaking reality that drives home the pain, jealousy, and hostility that can come about when one friend feels left behind by another. eNotes.com, Inc. Our Essay Lab can help you tackle any essay assignment within seconds, whether youre studying Macbeth or the American Revolution. Variety described Nottage as going into "the heart of working-class America". Instant PDF downloads. 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. CYNTHIA: Why the hell not? AHRM NewsASPECT News|Awards and Honors|Bookshelf|Communication News|English News|History News TRACEY: You want us to feel sorry for you? [10] It said that the city was "synonymous with deindustrialisation", for the effects there of loss of heavy industry and related jobs.[10]. JASON: Shit, I just kinda thought wed retire and open a franchise together. Synopsis for SWEAT: SWEAT is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. The action takes place in a fictional bar in Reading, Pennsylvania. [4] The characters portrayed were associated with Trump's election campaign phrase of "the forgotten people". Any deadline. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child, Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine. Based on interviews with residents of small-town Pennsylvania, Lynn Nottage's play vividly describes the betrayal and resentments of striking female factory workers in an era of industrial decline Admissions PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. eNotes.com Stan, a middle-aged white man with a limp, bartends, and when the two women invite him to dance with them, he refuses. Nottage has said that she was particularly influenced by a New York Times article reporting on the city specifically, and by the Occupy Wall Street movement more generally. by Lynn Nottage. -Graham S. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Ive absorbed a lotta shit over the years, but I worked hard to get off that floor. [14], A London production opened at the Donmar Warehouse on 7 December 2018, running until 2 February 2019. View our Privacy Policy. Mainly the women in her family who were teachers, activists, and artists. 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. The management/worker division begins to separate the friends, and racial tensions separate them further. Donmar Warehouse, LondonBased on interviews with residents of small-town Pennsylvania, Lynn Nottages play vividly describes the betrayal and resentments of striking female factory workers in an era of industrial decline. Sweat dissects the insidiousness of privilege and entitlement, reminding audiences that there's always someone on a lower plane to blame for your troubles, and there will always be someone who stands to profit from your loss. They both work at the factory and worry that they will be laid off. ', 'Come From Away', and 'Anastasia' Lead 2017 Drama Desk Award Nominations", "2017 Tony Award Nominations: 'The Great Comet' and 'Hello, Dolly!' Complimentary and Deeply Discounted Shows. 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. 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. Instant PDF downloads. The sense of personal betrayal is exacerbated when it is left to Cynthia to reveal that the firm plans to ask everyone to take a 60% pay cut to save the plant. The bar itself is symbolic of the friendships that play out within it, as both the place and the relationships it facilitates are safe havens away from the stress of the outside world. The New Yorker said the play was "the first theatrical landmark of the Trump era". [1] It won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. I cant think of any recent play that tells us so much, and so vividly, about the state of the union. Word Count: 524. Sweat examines the changing lives of factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania, between the years of 2000 and 2008. American playwright lynn nottage won the 2017 pulitzer prize for drama for. Sweat was first performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015 before playing at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. that year. New York, NY 10007 They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. 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. In one of the poorest cities in. Oscar shows her a flyer from the community center, written in Spanish, that mentions the openings and says nothing about needing to be in the union. . Who is the antagonist in the play Sweat by Lynn Nottage? I also hope that they will understand the power of art and be more willing to engage with storytelling.. 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. Already a member? Giving:540-231-8014,hkobia@vt.edu. Tracey and Jessie grow bitter. Portia is stiff as Cynthia, talking at the characters instead of speaking her peace. Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Sweat, now playing at the Mark Taper Forum, exposes the collapse of the American working class in the new millennium. TRACEY: Yeah? publication in traditional print. When Cynthia is promoted, the difference of social status is directly introduced. Lynn Nottage: 'Nostalgia is a disease many white Americans have', Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. After what went down. Although such connections are often indirect, they arise through tangible realities such as corporate downsizing and non-union hiring practices. To cover up how hurt he is, Jason mocks Chris and tells him hell never succeed in such a low-paying career before asking, But seriously, man, why didn't you tell me? Despite Jasons tough exterior, its clear that hes genuinely upset by Chriss attempts to leave their shared lot in life behind and pursue higher education. Fred Mazelis. Jason Sweat was a meaningful production as there are many important themes to take away from the story. Text-only Version, Information for: Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. [17], The play was nominated for the 2017 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Play and Outstanding Fight Choreography. Cynthia gets the promotion, and Tracey wonders if its just because Cynthia is Black. 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. They both are arrested for assault and are released eight years later. [16] The production transferred to the West End's Guielgud Theatre, running from 7 June 2019 to 20 July. Director Lisa Peterson uses television screens to document major world events that led to the collapse of the American factory system, such as the financial crisis and bailout of 2008 and the election of George W. Bush in 2000, so that the audience can travel back to a precarious time not very different from 2018. The plot consists of many different characters. Note: All essays placed on IvyMoose.com are written by students who kindly donate their papers to us. Stan is severely injured, and the youths are arrested, convicted, and incarcerated. 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. This revealed that the play was not just about economic stress and angry intoxicated individuals, instead, it was about the extreme violence there is towards people of color. Nov. 912 at 7:30 p.m. After the lockout goes forward, Cynthias friendship with Tracey completely disintegratesand when the play jumps forward from 2000 to 2008, its revealed that theyve never reconciled. She loves to hang out at the bar with her friends and she has a gruff kind of humor. date the date you are citing the material. Download the entire Sweat study guide as a printable PDF! ", "Lynn Nottage's Sweat Will Transfer to Broadway", "Lynn Nottages 'Sweat' to transfer to West End from Donmar Warehouse", "Olivier Awards 2019: Full list of nominations", "Shortlist for first Black British Theatre Awards 2019 announced", "Maggie Smith wins best actress award for role as Goebbels' secretary", "Lily Allen, Grayson Perry and Danny Boyle join prestigious list of artists hoping to scoop awards as nominations unveiled for The South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2019", "The Stage Debut Awards 2019 winners announced | WhatsOnStage", " 'Hello, Dolly! 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