PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. By showing how people, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs 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. As Warehouse Supervisor, Cynthia has a newfound insiders perspective into the management side of the plant. 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. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. Ruined. The acting is superlative. Download the entire Sweat study guide as a printable PDF! 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. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Im not prejudice, but thats how things are going these days. Divisions surface when the African American Cynthia is promoted from the shop floor to supervisor over the head of her white oldest friend, Tracey. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. It won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize 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". 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? The management/worker division begins to separate the friends, and racial tensions separate them further. This showed me how the production was truly pointing out the racism that lies in our economy still today, whether its the advantages white men hold or the wages gaps between races and genders. The BMCC Theatre Department invites you to enjoy the performance of SWEAT by Lynn Nottage, directed by Diane Dowling. [5] She has compared her time talking to former steelworkers in Reading with the occasion when she stayed in the town of Mansfield in the English Midlands and interviewed workers during the 1984 miners' strike. The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by American playwright Lynn Nottage focuses on race, class, prejudice and friendship. 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. Management's physical, intellectual, and emotional removal from workers on the factory floor allows them to ultimately outsource their jobs to Mexico (because they have so little connection to the labor that goes into these jobs, or to the human beings working them). Give to BMCC Oscar is a Colombian American busboy at the bar. His best friend is Chris, Cynthias son. 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). Download the entire Sweat study guide as a printable PDF! 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. 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 Nottage captures brilliantly is the way work, however hard or demanding, gives people an identity and purpose. 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. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance You can order a custom paper by our expert writers. The bartender is Stan, who used to work at the factory with them until he suffered an injury. Stan tries to stop it but ends up getting hit. By using it, you accept our. Jessie, another worker at the factory, is not so happy with how her life has turned out and has some problems with alcohol abuse. Free shipping for many products! However, several close relationships are challenged as characters try to pursue new opportunities and escape the very circumstance over which they bond with others. Background. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Doheny Library: PS3564.O795 S94 2017 o Nottage, Lynn. The play opens in 2008. View our Privacy Policy. 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. I dont think you get it, but if I walk away, Im giving up more than a job, Im giving up all that time I spent standing on line waiting for one damn opportunity. Tensions rise as Cynthias new position pits her against her friends. Human Resources Log in here. 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. 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. 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. Peterson unleashes her actors like pinballs, bouncing off each other, intensifying until they explode in the climax. 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. Ive taken orders from idiots who were dangerous, or even worse, racist. The ramifications of humanity's anger hangs over the play, yet Nottage hints at the power of forgiveness and redemption. Registered About 3 Years Ago. [10] It said that the city was "synonymous with deindustrialisation", for the effects there of loss of heavy industry and related jobs.[10]. 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. This specific scene supports how the usage of alcohol as a prop was continually utilized as a coping mechanism for many characters. CYNTHIA: I didnt expect you to understand, babe. But the sense of pride they've had over their work is being stripped away as the company begins to disassemble. He finds out through his Latino network that the plant is hiring, which the owners have hidden from the other workers. However below, subsequent to you visit this web page, it will be thus enormously easy to acquire as without diculty as download . 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. 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. When backed up against the wall and left with neither income nor hope, people sink into racism almost by reflex. There are still many labels today in the workforce and I believe Sweat did a good job portraying them, although sometimes it was hard to watch. As the play switches back to 2000, we hope to learn what happened between them. Word Count: 508. [1] The action takes place in a fictional bar[6] in Reading, Pennsylvania.[7]. Not wanting to give up what theyve worked for, the floor workers vote against the deal and end up getting shut out. In Lynette Lintons production, Frankie Bradshaws impressive design sets the watering hole against a background of rusting girders. I got eyes. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. 30 December 2016. Word Count: 524. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. To understand how we got here, Nottage takes us back to the year 2000. Jump-start your essay with our outlining tool to make sure you have all the main points of your essay covered. Were a team, you cant leave!! Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Jason, in particular, is notably altered by his time in prison, where he becomes a white supremacist. More heat. There are other minor characters in the plot of the play. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Teachers and parents! These are only the main characters. Eventually in 2017, winning the Pulitzer prize award for drama. New York, NY 10007 Im cool with everyone. Lynn Nottage's Sweat is an unusual and rewarding play, depicting social reality not often seen in the American theater. TRACEY: Yeah? This in-person event will take place in BMCC's Theatre II.. 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. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). ", "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! Ultimately, Sweat shows the interpersonal costs of raising ones station: when desperate people strive for more out of life, fellow desperate peopleeven, and especially, dear friendswill often respond with resentment rather than support. He offers guidance that is bluntly, candidly phrased, but also empathetically considered. The play takes place in a small town in Pennsylvania where there is one main line of work everyone goes into. 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. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Building,200 Stanger Street, Blacksburg, VA 24061, Phone: 540-231-6779, Fax: 540-231-7157,news.liberalarts@vt.edu Struggling with distance learning? John Earl Jelks is heartbreaking as Chris's father, a maddened drug addict who has lost the respect of his family. publication in traditional print. [14], A London production opened at the Donmar Warehouse on 7 December 2018, running until 2 February 2019. Log in here. JASON: [] But seriously, man, why didnt you tell me? Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. The City University of New York They are getting out of jail after a conflict they were both involved in. Human Development News|Languages and Literatures News|Philosophy News|Political Science News Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Religion and Culture News|Reserve Officer Training Corps News|School of Education News [13] The production closed on June 25, 2017, after 105 performances. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. The bartender in the play is Stan. The sheer amount of time that characters spend together in the lived-in and comfortable bar after work emphasizes just how important a similar sense of familiarity and comfort is in their relationships with one another. CYNTHIA: Ive stood on that line, same line since I was nineteen. This kind of intimate friendship seems to be the norm rather than the exception in Reading: Traceys son Jason and Cynthias son Chris are also best friends who work at Olsteads and who depend on each other for solidarity and camaraderie. 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. Stan, a middle-aged white man with a limp, bartends, and when the two women invite him to dance with them, he refuses. 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. 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