Whatd he ev Start: Yeah? It makes mewhatever. She tells Oscar that Olsteads isnt for you.. to learn more about this monologue from Sweat and unlock other amazing theatre resources! Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. before June 20 (sooner the better) and well set up a Zoom appointment or work to find other accommodations. All is well, until economic turmoil hits. Cynthia spends her birthday alone in the bar, where she confides in Stan how stressed and guilty she feels about locking her friends (and her own son) out of the plant. The play flashes back to July 2000. Teachers and parents! sweat by lynn nottage dramatists play service inc. sweat.indd 1 1/2/2018 9:40:28 am New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. The full script is available in print and e-book at multiple area libraries. I do. She asks Chris to tell her what happened back then, because she still doesnt understand. Mothers, sons and Jessie work for the towns venerable steel tubing factory. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor. Tracey (Jasons mother), Cynthia (Chriss mother), and their friend Jessie are celebrating Traceys birthday at a local bar in Reading, Pennsylvania. Hugging. I dont know why. There is a rich eloquence in his inarticulateness that this well-spoken play could use more of. But to get to the heart of the matter: Sweat opens with scenes set in 2008, depicting a parole officer (Tyrone Wilson) in meetings with two ex-convicts, imprisoned for their involvement in the same crime, who have come through the system with deeply divergent results. Jason is uncooperative when Evan asks him simple questions about his living situation and employment, and their tense interactions culminate in an argument wherein Jason yells racial slurs at Evan. This poignant play takes a look at the de-industrial revolution through the lens of a history play, but also delves into the issues of today: the economy, immigration, race-relations in America, and politics. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Writing that cuts this close to the bone draws out the best in actors. 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. Some of these, such as Traceys speech about the devaluing of manual labor, have a poignant lyricism. Stan falls, hits his head on the bar, and lies bleeding on the ground. (including. For full extended monologue, please refer to clips or the script edition cited here: Nottage, Lynn, Sweat, Theatre Communications Group, 2017, p. 49. Ive absorbed a lotta shit over the years, but I worked hard to get off that floor. As the strike progresses, the workers grow increasingly desperate. Now, the plant is bringing in Mexican immigrants as temporary laborers. Lynn Nottage explains how a broken city gets a turn onstage in her play Sweat.. Presiding over Traceys informal birthday party and the subsequent, less festive birthdays of Jessie and Cynthia is Stan (Jack Willis), the bartender, though not the owner of the bar. Mediation becomes increasingly necessary when Cynthia applies for and, to everyones surprise, wins a promotion to management, causing a painful rift with Tracey, who had also applied and resents being supervised by a former equal. But I meancmonyou guys coming over here, you can get a job faster than. Three exemplary charactersTracey, Cynthia, and Jessieare all working class . Lynn Nottage explains how a broken city gets a turn onstage in her play "Sweat.". Chris tries to break it up, but Oscar headbutts him, and, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. But a little more indirection would be more dramatically satisfying. But now, theres nothing on Penn. (The unobtrusively on-target set is by John Lee Beatty, with costumes in the same vein by Jennifer Moeller.). In April, Cynthia has gotten the promotion to Warehouse Supervisor, and she and her friends celebrate at the bar. Sweat moves fluidly between these passages (and others set elsewhere but at the same time) and scenes from eight years before, when the bulk of the action takes place. Thank you for checking out my post! Though the women are friendly with Stan, they do not acknowledge Oscar as he works in the background. The four men uneasily wait for the next moment, together yet divided. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. warns that peoples jobs could be outsourced to Mexico at any moment because of NAFTA. No thank you. Im not prejudice, but thats how things are going these days. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. In September, Jason and Chris run into Brucie (whos clearly high) at the bar, and Chris shares how his childhood memories of Brucie leading other men in a walkout at the mill inspire him to stay strong and keep protesting. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. Tracey is a middle-aged white woman of German descent; she's Jason 's mother and Hank 's widow. He encourages both men to let go of their shame and self-blame and to meet up with each other to talk. Sweat is a two-act play written by Lynn Nottage. He struggles even with this basic task, and it is clear that Oscar employs him out of empathy, the desire to give Stan a sense of purpose. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama THE STORY: 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. Lynn Nottage (born November 2, 1964) is an American playwright whose work often focuses on the experience of working-class people, particularly working-class people who are Black.She has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice: in 2009 for her play Ruined, and in 2017 for her play Sweat.She was the first (and remains the only) woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama two times. addy8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e = addy8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e + 'aeofberkeley' + '.' + 'org'; Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. to save jobs, and Olsteads will lock them out if they dont accept. CYNTHIA: More money. 3) If you have trouble submitting or are unable to film yourself, dont worry. Stan slams a baseball bat down on the bar and orders Jason to sit, but Jason blocks Oscar from leaving and begins to beat him. It was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2017 Obie Award for Playwrighting, and three 2017 Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, (Points to the skin on the back of her hand). Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. More heat. You got a problem, you tell me to my face. The play flashes forward to October 2008, a couple of weeks after Jason and Chriss parole meetings. Huh? His former friend, the African-American Chris (Tramell Tillman), by contrast, has discovered the sustaining solace of religion, and hopes to get his life back on track by taking up the college studies he was forced to abandon. var addy_text8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e = 'auditions' + '@' + 'aeofberkeley' + '.' + 'org';document.getElementById('cloak8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e').innerHTML += ''+addy_text8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e+'<\/a>'; At the same time, all the characters in Sweat are given to elaborate passages of exposition, laying out the histories of their families, their employers, their city. Struggling with distance learning? Nottage never tells us whos right or whos wrong, but always shows us whos human. You dont want to go down that road, weve got too much history between us. CYNTHIA: [] let me tell you something, once he started messing with that dope, I dont recognize the man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Though it is steeped in social combustibility, Sweat often feels too conscientiously assembled, a point-counterpoint presentation in which every disaffected voice is allowed its how-I-got-this-way monologue. Gain full access to show guides, character breakdowns, auditions, monologues and more! A drunken Jessie is passed out at a table while Tracey and Cynthia dance; theyre clearly close with each other and with Stan, the bartender with whom they engage in flirtatious banter. With its attentively-crafted, compassionate examinations of the displaced working class, Sweat exposes the human costs of late-stage American capitalism. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Sweat is the first, properly muscular play of the Trump era, directly addressing the political and cultural bedrock of his presidency: Nottage has already won the 2016 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Undine Barnes Calles Fabulation or, The Re-Education of Undine 2 I come here from North Carolina at seven. SWEAT is a blistering ensemble drama about lives and friendships devastated by the ongoing deindustrialization of working-class America. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Lynn Nottages 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. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley is delighted to acknowledge the Berkeley Civic Arts Program and Civic Arts Commission's support in the form of a grant of $8,000.00 awarded in 2017. On July 4, Chris and Jason run into Brucie at the bar, and they tell him that Olsteads moved three mills out of the factory over the holiday weekend. That Cynthia is black and Tracey and Jessie are white becomes an issue in a way it never was before. Complete your free account to request a guide. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Jason shows up too, which initially alarms Oscar. for only $13.00 $11.05/page. A.E. As bars often are in old-fashioned and socially conscious dramas like Sweat, this one is a microcosm for a larger world. Brucie ends up begging Cynthia for another chance, but she stays strong with Tracey and Jessies support. Actors Ensemble is an all-volunteer company. Generations dictated by the factory floor and the whims of American capitalism: A scene from Sweat, Lynn Nottages new drama, in a production at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Fucking Wall Street. CYNTHIA: That rumors been flying around for months. When Oscar returns, she hurls racial slurs and goes to lunge at him, but Stan holds her back. After what went down. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Ms. Nottageis writing at the peak of her powers NY Times. STAN: Okay, you keep telling yourself that, but you saw what happened over at Clemmons Technologies. The play is set both on the eve and in the twilight of George W. Bushs presidency. Jason and Chris speak separately to their parole officer, Evan. Ive taken orders from idiots who were dangerous, or even worse, racist. New York, NY, Escape To Margaritaville Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Make sure to leave suggestions for other plays youd like to see on the blog and Ill see you at the next post! Jason is hurt that Chris didnt tell him until now, and hes adamant that Chris cant leave Olsteads because theyre supposed to be a team. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Anyone can read what you share. Certainly I found myself squirming in my seat as I watched the forces of fate, or, to be more specific, the mechanics of 21st-century American capitalism, bear down on these characters with the brutal power of a jackhammer smashing through concrete. (LogOut/ We ask that you provide your own costumes (contemporary tee shirts, baseball caps, bandannas), makeup, and props (beer and shot glasses, cigarettes, keys). TRACEY: Yeah? Hes an avuncular type who keeps the peace when necessary, with the help of his Dominican bar-back, Oscar (Carlo Albn). Soon they are out of work and replaced by those who will work for less. But they are passages that turn those delivering these monologues into social case studies, a status that the bluntly drawn performances do not always combat. Instant PDF downloads. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. End: You go into the building, the walls are covered over with sheetrock, the wood painted gray, or some ungodly color, and it just makes me sad. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. Complete your free account to request a guide. Note: We are restricted by licensing concerns to casting to type. It is also striking how abruptly the scenes and action change. I don't want this to be a big deal. Cynthia shares Chriss news about Albright, and Brucie disapproves of the tuition cost and of Chris leaving Olsteads. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Tracey appears in, is playing on a jukebox as a rowdy celebration winds down. Stan is cynical about the disrespectful management at the plant, where generations of his family and he himself worked before he lost part of his leg in a work accident. Sweat is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, one of Americas poorest cities with a poverty rate of over 40%. TRACEY: Stillyou werent born here, Berks. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. They also discuss Freddy Brunner, an acquaintance who recently burned his own house down. He advises them to take any concessions that are offered to prevent a lockout from happening. She attributes Cynthias selection to tokenism. Jason comments that Oscar is kind to take care of him, and Oscar replies that this is how things should be. Actors Ensemble of Berkeley is now accepting video auditions for an online workshop reading of SWEAT by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, directed by Tracy Baxter. Instant PDF downloads. He tells her that hes in a rehab program, which doesnt impress Cynthia. Keenly observed and often surprisingly funnybut ultimately heartbreakingthe work traces the roots of a tragedy with both forensic psychological detail and embracing compassion. Oscar aint getting rich off your misery. Your computer should open a new tab with the monologue. Jason and Chris meet one another at the local bar, where Oscar is now the manager. Tracey Sweat 1 All monologues are property and copyright of their owners. The way the content is organized, Tracey is a middle-aged white woman of German descent; shes. Its the year 2000 in Reading, Pennsylvania and a group of friends go to work at the steel mill and then decompress at the bar like theyve been doing for over 20 years. This poignant play takes a look at the de-industrial revolution through the lens of a history play, but also delves into the issues of today: the economy, immigration, race-relations in America, and politics.