In Lynn Nottage’s play, the central problem concerns making a living. [10], The New Yorker said the play was "the first theatrical landmark of the Trump era". I sobbed as I finished reading the play - I can only imagine what it would feel like as an audience member...especially one who calls Berks County home, lived in Reading for the first 8 yrs of my life, and has family and friends who were affected by NAFTA and economic changes within the time period the play spans. FIRST LINE REVIEW: "So, you got a job?" Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Extra Content: 'We are a country that has lost our narrative. Jobs are at the heart of this newest Pulitzer-winning drama. (PDF) Teachers and parents! [2] The play premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015; it was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. As I return from vacation, my personal Pulitzer reading challenge has resumed. At age eight, she had already written her first play. Playwrights Lynn Nottage and Jeremy O. Harris were crowned this year's Queen Mermaid and King Neptune. We can't project our future because we don't know where we are going.' Not so much, I'm afraid. Details. "Sweat" brings to life a small slice of Americana that has largely been ignored - the plight of blue-collar factory workers being screwed over by the fat-cat owners. Lynn Nottage is dedicated to opening up stories that we're not used to hearing. The context, characters and stories are vastly different and, aside from some common human characteristics, are really not comparable. 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). I don't think I've read a play since some of my english classes in college, and I really enjoyed it. So painful. Get Started. Lynn Nottage accepts the 2017 Pulitzer Prize in Drama for Sweat from Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger. Lynn Nottage’s Sweat gives us characters filled with the good and the bad and asks us to reflect on our own views and the views of others. Lynn Nottage has written one of her most exquisitely devastating tragedies to date. Wow. I was frustrated with the characters' lack of empathy and stubbornness. At the Berkeley Street Theatre (26 Berkeley). It's a bit like Steinbeck writing about the guy with the bulldozer at the Joad homestead--you can strike out against him, but he's caught in the same vortex and you don't have a way of striking the people making the calls. I can see why this won the Pulitzer Prize; it was quite effective in depicting the effects of an economic downturn and a factory closing down in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the early 2000s. This review of Lynn Nottage’s “Sweat,” which opened on Broadway Sunday with the same cast, first appeared in November with the opening of the original Public Theater production. Written by Lynn Nottage. I think the comparisons some reviewers are making between "Ruined" and "Sweat" are misguided. Sweat by Lynn Nottage Donmar Warehouse / Dec 2018 and Gielgud Theatre / June 2019 Direction: Lynette Linton Set and Costume: Frankie Bradshaw Lighting: Oliver Fenwick Sound: George Dennis Photos by Johan Persson Frankie Bradshaw and Lynette Linton were joint winners for the award for Best Creative West End Debut at the Stage Debut awards 2019 "When we … Flashcards. The stage directions at the top of each scene are helpful in placing the reader in what's going on in the world, giving national and local headli. Sweat is set in Reading, Pennsylvania and fluctuates in time between 2000 and 2008. Sweat is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. [7], The play has been described as "a powerful and emotional look at identity, race, economy, and humanity. I am planning to use this play in the Women in Theatre course I teach. Plot Summary. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read Sweat (TCG Edition). The play has is set during two years, 2000 and 2008. She is a professor of Playwriting at Columbia University.. She was the first (and remains the only) woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice; the first in 2009 for Ruined, and the second in 2017 for Sweat. The play premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015; it was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. The drone of the TV in the background provides the context of the destruction of unions, a political system where the people who theoretically support you are hip deep in the corruption. Oh, my! So fantastic that I bought the play immediately after seeing it and almost immediately sat down to give it a close read. Adults $24; Seniors, Students & Military $21 NEW!!! Sweat. I'll have to think a lot about what Nottage is trying to say, but the characters and what happens are really sticking with me. Sweat is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. 2009 | Winner Lynn Nottage (for "Ruined") Drama Desk Award Outstanding Book of a Musical. Sweat is presented by Huntington Theatre Company. Runs to February 2. Sweat by Lynn Nottage, a play that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2017, examines the lives of working-class Americans in the early 2000s and shows how periods of economic downfall and poverty can affect the dynamics between friends, family, and community.. It's a relatively simple plot, but it has so much weight behind it, and I couldn't stop reading. It's worth a read if you love reading plays that are just as entertaining on the page as they are in person. Her best known work is Sweat. That specter is Donald Trump. She's the only writer I can think of … Written by Lynn Nottage. Nottage hits on something really important when she shows how racial resentment creeps into communities the moment the going gets tough, even if it never made much of an appearance before. When rumours surface that the company is considering layoffs and flyers are hung to recruit non-union workers for less money, the war between community and capitalism begins and tensions start … The stage directions at the top of each scene are helpful in placing the reader in what's going on in the world, giving national and local headlines. Sweat by Lynn Nottage. Lynn 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. [2], 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? No professional or The working class dialogue is a bit wooden at times but the emotional heft more than makes up for a couple of minor hiccups. Test. We can't project our future because we don't know where we are going.' I read this as part of my 2019 Reading Women challenge; this was for the category of a play (written by a woman). Overview; Credits ; Toronto Premiere For twenty years, a group of friends working at a steel mill decompress at the local bar. WRITTEN BY LYNN NOTTAGE SCENIC DESIGN PROJECT link to INSPIRATION board | LINK TO DRAFTING SAMPLES. for Drama. Sweat is a 2015 play by playwright Lynn Nottage which won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.. Original Music and … Written by Lynn Nottage. Set near her hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania, Sweat details the life of a close knit group of friends who have been affected by their factory closing, ending the only way of life the town has known for generations. I can understand why Nottage has won the Pulitzer Prize. [4] It also suggested that the play was reminiscent of the "working-class naturalism" of Clifford Odets, a playwright of the 1930s. Sweat is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. "Sweat" is a fantastic examination of real peope in real situations which most people in the US rust belt can relate closely to. In one of the poorest cities in America, Reading, Pennsylvania, a group of down-and-out factory workers struggles to keep their present lives in balance, ignorant of the financial devastation looming in their near futures. I have used "Ruined" in the past and am excited about "Sweat" because it will be far more relatable for my students. Focus on this part of the interview: BROWN: One of the lines in the play that really grabbed me was about how it’s not the guilt or the rage that gets you, but the shame. [27], The play won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play closed on Broadway in June 2017 after a successful run off-Broadway and around the country. We’d love your help. Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer-winning play Sweat is set in a bar in Reading, Pennsylvania, and shines a light on the once-unionized manufacturing base of America’s industrial engine, once corporations moved operations abroad. Sweat by Lynn Nottage, a play that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2017, examines the lives of working-class Americans in the early 2000s and shows how periods of economic downfall and poverty can affect the dynamics between friends, family, and community.. Based on Nottage’s extensive research and interviews with residents of Reading, Sweat … The play premiered at Oregon Shakespeare Festival on July 29, 2015 under the direction of Kate Whoriskey. Despite it winning ANOTHER Pulitzer, I found it somewhat of a disappointment - I mean, it's competent, but there is really none of the freshness in plot, subject, character or execution exemplified in her earlier work. Directed by David Storch. PLAY. Sweat (Mar 26, 2017 - Jun 25, 2017) Written by Lynn Nottage; PlayDramaOriginal. FIRST LINE REVIEW: "So, you got a job?" Until Feb. 2 at the Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St. canadianstage.com or 416-368 … The quickn. The play is centered on the working class of Reading, Pennsylvania. "Sweat" at Goodman Theatre: Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize Winner Set in a Factory Town is Now in Chicago—And Better than Broadway's. 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. Variety described Nottage as going into "the heart of working-class America". And. [8] Reviews of the play have described the characters as representing blue-collar workers who voted in Donald Trump as president. I am planning to use this play in the Women in Theatre course I teach. The 38th Annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade went virtual this year as a live-streamed telethon event, dubbed the 2020 Tail-a-Thon. The management/worker division begins to separate the friends, and racial tensions separate them further. Write. The trade union goes on strike, and company management locks out the workers. 416-368-3110. Nottage is a graduate of both the High School of Music & … Can't wait to read more of her work, this left me shivering on my porch and I'm on vacation in Spain (30 degrees Celsius, so...). Outstanding in its construction, raw in its characters, brutally honest in depicting a working-class demographic gone awry after the millennium. Sweat examines the changing lives of factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania, between the years of 2000 and 2008. The writing in this play is exquisite - sparse enough to allow productions creative license to make it their own, yet detailed enough for a reader to imagine everything that is going on. That specter is Donald Trump. It seemed derivative - kind of an amalgamation of Lindsay-Abaire's 'Good People' and 'Norma Rae'. Co-commissioned by Arena Stage and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Sweat is written by Lynn Nottage, who collaborated with the play's director, … Sweat, by Lynn Nottage. Goodman Theatre presents Chicago Premiere of Sweat . It's a bit like Steinbeck writing about the guy with the bulldozer at the Joad homestead--you can strike out against him, but he's caught in the same vortex and you don't have a way of striking the people making the calls. Based on the playwright's extensive interviews with residents of Reading, Lynn Nottage's play Sweat … This play is about a group of working class friends who are hit with the recession, and how, when the potential of poverty is in sight, allow racial discriminations to break them apart. I want to see this play. s. Nottage has endowed the frail-looking Sophie, as well as the formidable Mama, with a strength that transforms this tale of ruin into a clear-eyed celebration of endurance. The play opens on September 29, 2008 with Jason … (I wrote some more here: A quick, gripping read about the consequences for working-class people when longtime jobs disappear. [14], A London production opened at the Donmar Warehouse on 7 December 2018, running until 2 February 2019. The play has been described as a moral, passionate, and richly articulate look at identity, race, economy, and humanity. And the impact of job loss on the people struggling to transition from what they had to what they no longer have. I suspect that's my fault/lack of imagination rather than a fault of the text itself. Refresh and try again. Sweat is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. However, the themes of the play are, tragically, timeless, and ones that have followed and will follow American history for years. But Nottage’s desire in writing Sweat was not only to explore this profound change in how Americans live and work, but also to help Americans understand each other better. [17], The play was nominated for the 2017 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Play and Outstanding Fight Choreography. Lynn Nottage has written one of her most exquisitely devastating tragedies to date. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published This year's Pulitzer winner for drama is Sweat by Lynn Nottage. (I'm assuming, I haven't seen it live). It is both heart-breaking and brilliant. And the impact of job loss on the people struggling to transition from what they had to what they no longer have. The ... 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, with a poverty rate of over 40%. LOVED it! Act 1 is a bit uneven, but Act 2, particularly the final 10 pages are devastating. ", "Lynn Nottage's Sweat Will Transfer to Broadway", "Lynn Nottage’s '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! And so fresh in my mind. Reviews focused on the similarities between the portrayal of the industrial working class in a Rust Belt town, and that being a significant area and demographic in the 2016 United States presidential election. Sweat, a play written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Kimberly Senior, confronts disillusionment, racism, and the tribulations of the working class from the moment the play begins. Directed by Kimberly Senior. Jobs are at the heart of this newest Pulitzer-winning drama. Drama Desk Award Outstanding Play. More specifically, the loss of jobs in 21st C. America. TICKET … Sweat is presented by Huntington Theatre Company. Playwrights Lynn Nottage and Jeremy O. Harris were crowned this year's Queen Mermaid and King Neptune. And so fresh in my mind. Be the first to ask a question about Sweat. I think the comparisons some reviewers are making between "Ruined" and "Sweat" are misguided. [5], 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. Upgrade to A + Download this LitChart! Our local theatre is mounting a production this season, and I am very excited to see it. Deserves the Pulitzer it won. SWEAT. My god. This play is set in Reading, Pennsylvania and follows a group of friends who work in the same factory. The outcome of the events … Sweat has fraternity at its heart, but also the violence, and the suspicion that can result from class aspirations.” –Hilton Als, New Yorker. It’s … [7][11], After starting previews on October 18, 2016, Sweat opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on November 3, 2016. [13] The production closed on June 25, 2017, after 105 performances. I loved Nottage's last Pulitzer-winning play, "Ruined." Lynn Nottage on her play Sweat, in an article on our blog. Sweat (Original, Play, Drama, Broadway) opened in New York City Mar 26, 2017 and played through Jun 25, 2017. by Theatre Communications Group. In one of the poorest cities in America, Reading, Pennsylvania, a group of down-and-out factory workers struggle to keep their present lives in balance, ignorant of the financial devastation looming in their near future. I've read and/or seen three earlier Nottage plays (Las Meninas, her first Pulitzer winner Ruined, and Meet Vera Stark), and enjoyed them all, so was excited to tackle her latest. The owners and administration of the factory do not appear in this play, but their back-handed dealings and manipulations of the community are the catalysts that move the story forward, creating an unseen, all-powerful character pulling the strings of everyone that is seen on stage. Glad I finished this Pulitzer Prize-winning play on Thanksgiving morning. Gravity. She is a professor of Playwriting at Columbia University. $49-$79. I can see why this won the Pulitzer Prize; it was quite effective in depicting the effects of an economic downturn and a factory closing down in Reading, Pennsylvania, in the early 2000s. UNFINISHED: DEEP SOUTH. Sweat is a two-act play written by Lynn Nottage. She brings a sense of curiosity to all sorts of subjects and a clear eye to notoriously difficult parts of American culture and society. I don't think I've read a play since some of my english classes in college, and I really enjoyed it. It is the most Herculean path when you have nothing.’. To survive from day to day is an epic struggle to find a way to feed yourself, clothe yourself, put a roof over your head. [10] It said that the city was "synonymous with deindustrialisation", for the effects there of loss of heavy industry and related jobs. The writing in this play is exquisite - sparse enough to allow productions creative license to make it their own, yet detailed enough for a reader to imagine everything that is going on. Winning Work. The play involves the plight of women in the civil war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. SWEAT BY LYNN NOTTAGE DIRECTED BY LYNETTE LINTON This play jumps between 2000 and 2008, mostly centered in a bar in Reading, PA, from just before W won the election into everything going to hell when the recession hit. STUDY. [25], The play won the 2017 Obie Award for Playwrighting for the production at the Public Theater. Nottage is the first woman to win the award for playwrights twice and has won multiple awards for her work. I suspect it would be very powerful indeed when seen onstage, but it lost a little something for. "Sweat" brings to life a small slice of Americana that has largely been ignored - the plight of blue-collar factory workers being screwed over by the fat-cat owners. 2017 | Nominee | Sweat. Fun Night Friday! She explored the effects on residents of the loss of heavy industry and the changing ethnic composition of the city. Use this play in the Guardian, 2 December 2018 what they to... 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