Similarly, when Cynthia earns a promotion from floor worker to Warehouse Supervisor at Olsteads, Tracey becomes spiteful and downright crueleven though she, too, applied for the job. [4] The play was produced off-Broadway in 2016, and on-Broadway in 2017. Tensions between friends come to a head when Olsteads begins making changes and floor workers face the threat (and, eventually, the reality) of a lockoutand the newly promoted Cynthia comes to be seen as a traitor. Mara plays Tracey as a shrill woman who is looking for others to blame. No matter if it was during Jessies birthday celebration, Traceys birthday celebration, or just a casual hangout at Stans bar. Source: www.asolorep.org. I do. 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. As coming from a Hispanic background and having family members come from Costa Rica to America, scenes centered around Oscar were important to me. [5] Nottage herself even spoke at the strike, which is what made her realize she had to do more. This is highlighted by Brucie, who experienced a similar situation at a different mill. ', 'Come From Away', and 'Anastasia' Lead 2017 Drama Desk Award Nominations", "2017 Tony Award Nominations: 'The Great Comet' and 'Hello, Dolly!' PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance Personally, this part of the play resonated with my feelings towards the racial violence we experience today. 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? You dont know what its been like to walk in my shoes. Struggling with distance learning? SWEAT is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. 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? Beyond that, however, Mara doesn't project the character's humanity, which leads a character meant to propel the story to instead fall flat. Management wants to cut wages, and the union will have to vote to accept the concessions or go on strike. Oscar is a Colombian American busboy at the bar. Set in the decaying industrial city of . . 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. Enjoy live events at insider prices. Themes and Colors LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Sweat, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. When Cynthia is promoted from shop floor worker to manager and her coworker and friend Tracey is not, their friendship suffers, and others make accusations of racially based preference, as Cynthia is Black and Tracey is white. Stan is severely injured, and the youths are arrested, convicted, and incarcerated. The discrimination towards Oscar and others throughout the play stuck out to me because it is hard to see people who work so hard get torn down due to their heritage. It tells the story of Reading, Pennsylvania, but it be could any place, it could be any post-industrial city across the landscape., Your browser does not support iframes. date the date you are citing the material. 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. When American playwright and screenwriter Nottage won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Sweat in 2017, she became the first and only woman to have won the prize twice, having also won it for Ruined in 2009. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), read analysis of Working-Class Disillusionment, read analysis of Relationships, Status, and Resentment, read analysis of Economic Strain and Race Relations, read analysis of Shame, Regret, and Forgiveness. Cmon. Lynn Nottage. 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. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. eNotes Editorial. View our Privacy Policy. This Study Guide consists of approximately 52 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Sweat. [7], The play has been described as "a powerful and emotional look at identity, race, economy, and humanity. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original [7][11], After starting previews on October 18, 2016, Sweat opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on November 3, 2016. You hear from the old gang? [2] The play premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015; it was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. 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. This contributed to the story of the play, as we continually see different scenes centered around drinking, especially after work or on stressful days. In the midst of all this, Cynthia, who is African-American, is up for a management role after years of hard work, but her promotion leads to frustration as both the company and her friends use her as a scapegoat. Tracey and Jessie grow bitter. There are many scenarios that lead to this violent event, but I believe they are all significant in showing that, big or small, these racial attacks need to end. This section contains 1,616 words (approx. you can use them for inspiration and simplify your student life. 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! To get a high-quality original essay, click here. 5 pages at 400 words per page) The play opens in 2008. Nottage's characters were based on personal research and interviews she conducted in Reading throughout 2011. The amount of original essays that we did for our clients, The amount of original essays that we did for our clients. Variety quotes the bartender, Stan, as warning the other characters that "You could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are in Mexico", to which the characters respond with lethargy and disbelief. IvyMoose is the largest stock of essay samples on lots of topics and for any discipline. 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. 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. Saturday-Sunday February 25 & 26 at 2pm . [26], Sweat received three 2017 Tony Award nominations: Best Play and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for both Johanna Day and Michelle Wilson. Not wanting to give up what theyve worked for, the floor workers vote against the deal and end up getting shut out. 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. He learns that the cost of being hired is to become a scab when the others go out on strike. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. Any subject. 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. 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. JASON: Shit, I just kinda thought wed retire and open a franchise together. Mainly the women in her family who were teachers, activists, and artists. Sweat is about the private toll of this great decline. Word Count: 508. Cynthia gets the promotion, and Tracey wonders if its just because Cynthia is Black. The bartender is Stan, who used to work at the factory with them until he suffered an injury. 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. He finds out through his Latino network that the plant is hiring, which the owners have hidden from the other workers. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. The trade union goes on strike, and company management locks out the workers. Doheny Library: PS3564.O795 S94 2017 o Nottage, Lynn. Sweat is a two-act play written by Lynn Nottage. They all work together and love to hang out at the local bar. John Earl Jelks is heartbreaking as Chris's father, a maddened drug addict who has lost the respect of his family. As Warehouse Supervisor, Cynthia has a newfound insiders perspective into the management side of the plant. Im on your side, Cynthia tells them, but Tracey challenges her: Then act like it, she says. Library Job Opportunities Event Calendar Log in here. To combat this constant strain and underappreciation, the members of Readings working-class community depend upon tight-knit relationships with one another as a means of stress relief, support, and fulfillment. It won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play thus shows how changes in statusbeing promoted at work, reaching a higher socioeconomic class, or pursuing higher educationcan create tension and resentment among people who are all struggling to make ends meet, driving a wedge between even the closest of friends. To understand how we got here, Nottage takes us back to the year 2000. But I meancmonyou guys coming over here, you can get a job faster than. Get professional help and free up your time for more important things. Sweat challenged my thinking and led me to analyze serious problems that still have not been solved. Who is the antagonist in the play Sweat by Lynn Nottage? 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. The resonance and relevance is immediate, as we rehearsed throughout what has come to be called Striketober 2021. First and only job. Tickets will be available at the door in the Squires Student Center beginning one hour prior to the performance. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. 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. The volume covers Nottage's plays, productions, activism, and artistic collaborations to display the extraordinary breadth and depth of her work. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Before this, her inspiration came from her family. Synopsis for SWEAT: SWEAT is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. I wanna say that. Nottage began to write the play in 2011 and set its events during two notable economic downturns: the 2000 to 2001 recession following the dot com bubble and the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009. Academic Policies These are only the main characters. Since the twenties, okay? Instant PDF downloads. Nov. 1416 at 7:30 p.m. All performances are in the Squires Studio Theatre, located in theSquires Student Centerat 290 College Avenue on the Virginia Tech campus. I don't want this to be a big deal. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Although such connections are often indirect, they arise through tangible realities such as corporate downsizing and non-union hiring practices. Admissions On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Overall, I believe that this production was truly eye-opening and although many problems are discussed, the awareness raised about racial tension was the most significant. Two hostile men sit in separate rooms with the same parole officer after being released from an eight-year prison sentence. CHRIS: Cmon. Privacy Policy Tempted by the opportunity to finally work at the factory, where he will receive higher wages than at the bar, Oscar crosses the picket line. They both work at the factory and worry that they will be laid off. CYNTHIA: [] I dont deserve the things youve been saying. We dont really. His best friend is Chris, Cynthias son. date the date you are citing the material. Religion and Culture News|Reserve Officer Training Corps News|School of Education News They get tax breaks or something. Well, my familys been here a long time. [4] The characters portrayed were associated with Trump's election campaign phrase of "the forgotten people". Directory, News You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. samples are real essays written by real students who kindly donate their papers to us so that They are getting out of jail after a conflict they were both involved in. Although Cynthia breaks the rules by warning Tracey, Jessie, Chris, and Jason that a lockout is imminent, they begin to see her as a betrayer rather than a trusted member of their inner circle due to her position of authority over them. The play was directed by Lynette Linton, and featured Clare Perkins and Martha Plimpton as the mothers and Osy Ikhile (Chris) and Parick Gibson (Jason). Word Count: 524. Behind the plays portrayal of the damage done to individual lives by what Nottage calls the American de-industrial revolution lies a wider picture of collapsing hopes and corporate ruthlessness. Seeing the effects of job loss and the economic struggle these people were facing first hand is what truly inspired her work for the play Sweat. Im cool with everyone. I cant think of any recent play that tells us so much, and so vividly, about the state of the union. 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. The second is the date of In 2008, Chris and Jason both find themselves back at the bar to find some peace. The BMCC Theatre Department invites you to enjoy the performance of 'SWEAT' by Lynn Nottage, directed by Diane Dowling. That 2 year divide is important, because between its first production and its rise to mega-acclaim, Donald Trump won the presidency. Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. Race and class in the workplace: Nottage explores the. publication in traditional print. But the sense of pride they've had over their work is being stripped away as the company begins to disassemble. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves at the best online prices at eBay! Refine any search. Sweat, Lynn Nottage's play about discrimination at the workplace and the effect of economic downturns, returns to Philadelphia, courtesy of the Old Academy Players. Pietz portrays Jessie as a lonely woman hiding in a glass of alcohol. At Donmar Warehouse, London, until 26 January. 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. Oscar, the busboy at a bar, is viewed as a traitor when he begins working at the factory the friends and their union are protesting. These fights over workers rights have claimed large parts of the lives of all three men, and their mothers must await their sons release, knowing their criminal record and their experience of incarceration will stay with them forever. Download the entire Sweat study guide as a printable PDF! Log in here. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Students 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. Divisions surface when the African American Cynthia is promoted from the shop floor to supervisor over the head of her white oldest friend, Tracey. Sweat. Any deadline. 1 Mar. eNotes.com Lynn Nottage's Sweat was published in 2015 and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2017. Some characters use racial slurs towards Latinos and show him that he isn't welcome in the Olstead factory. For online purchase, find ticket links here. Unfortunately, that kinetic energy is all on one level, high, so the audience feels distanced from the characters. 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. Lynn Nottage: 'Nostalgia is a disease many white Americans have', Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. 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. Give to BMCC Who is the antagonist in the play Sweat by Lynn Nottage? She explored the effects on residents of the loss of heavy industry and the changing ethnic composition of the city. This is shown in many of the bar scenes. Three best friends, Cynthia (Portia), Tracey (Mary Mara), and Jessie (Amy Pietz), pass the time at the bar joking and drinking to obliteration in order to survive the daily grind. She loves to hang out at the bar with her friends and she has a gruff kind of humor. You dont want to go down that road, weve got too much history between us. 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.When backed up against the wall and . 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. The. 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. 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. Thus, these essays are of lower quality than ones written by experts. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2009. What statements does this play Sweatmake about racism and racial tension in the United States? publication in traditional print. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Tracey and Cynthia, in particular, are close friends whove shared many adventuresthey console each other, cheer each other on, and encourage each other to stay positive and have fun rather than dwell on the stress of work. Lead the Pack", How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweat_(play)&oldid=1127802853, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia introduction cleanup from May 2022, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from May 2022, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 16 December 2022, at 19:00. Though her two friends clash throughout the play, Pietz appears to harbor most of the blows. They both are arrested for assault and are released eight years later. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Although much of the . Complimentary and Deeply Discounted Shows. Cant think of any recent play that tells us so much, and more titles we cover Tracey a! Locks out the workers up what theyve worked for, the floor workers vote against the deal and up. 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