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. Finally, Jason breaks and admits that he recently ran into Chris, whom Jason tried to forget while he was in prison. before June 20 (sooner the better) and well set up a Zoom appointment or work to find other accommodations. Whatd he ev Start: Yeah? Then, Chris reveals that hes been accepted to Albright Colleges teaching program, which shocks Jasonthey both work on the floor at Olsteads, and Jason always assumed they would retire and open a business together. The following month, Oscar tells Stan that hes taken on some temporary hours at Olsteads because it pays so well, but Stan warns him that doing so will anger the floor workers whove been locked out. The flier advertises a much lower wage than Tracey makes, and it does not mention union requirements or benefits. However, Tracey is adamant that German immigrants like her own grandparents built the town. Though it takes place in 2000 and 2008, and one of its characters swears he will never vote again, Sweat is the first work from a major American playwright to summon, with empathy and without judgment, the nationwide anxiety that helped put Donald J. Trump in the White House. Lynn Nottage Monologues Monologues from shows associated with Lynn Nottage Start: There you have it! They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Sure, it looks awfully cozy and welcoming, and you can see why its denizens regard it as a second home. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. CHRIS: Dude, its just something I gotta do. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. In the foreground of these scenes, set in a bar favored by workers at the local metal tubing plant, are three middle-aged women, fast friends who together have put in more than 60 years working machines on the factory floor. 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. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. 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. 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. Thats when Ms. Nottages characters, and the cast members who embody them, emerge in their full tragic humanity. [ .. ] passionate and necessarya masterful depiction of the forces that divide and conquer usSWEAT communicates its points with minimal fuss and maximum grit. CYNTHIA: More money. Character building in 'Sweat' - aesantana The plays final scene returns to 2008. He apparently did so due to the stress of his failed marriage, debt, and rumors of cutbacks at Olsteads Steel Tubing (the mill where Tracey, Cynthia, and Jessie also work). Along with the rage, despair and violence, theres humor and abundant humanitya cautionary tale of what happens when you dont know how to resist. Time Out NY. When Stan attempts to break up the fight, Jason accidentally hits him in the head with a baseball bat, causing a traumatic brain injury. Sweat, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Lynn Nottage, gives stellar examples of successful characterization. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. The four men uneasily wait for the next moment, together yet divided. Jason (Stephen Michael Spencer), with white-supremacist tattoos etched into his face and neck, reacts with sullen anger to questions about his prospects. You dont know what its been like to walk in my shoes. CYNTHIA: [] let me tell you something, once he started messing with that dope, I dont recognize the man. And while its trajectory is dark, even devastating, Sweat is damn funny, too: Ms. Nottage knows well that the natural reactions to the assaults of life faced by these particular people are a savage sense of humor, and, more damagingly, a swan dive into the comforts of alcohol and drugs. Make sure to leave suggestions for other plays youd like to see on the blog and Ill see you at the next post! He went through hell when his plant locked him out, I understand, but I cant have it. Ms. Nottage did intensive research for this play, and it shows, perhaps more than it should. Waking up, going to the factory, working all day, and coming home. 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. He tells Evan about how he recently saw Jason: the two men had hugged on the street despite their heightened emotions and Jasons offensive tattoos. Though Chris initially attempts to calm Jason and prevent an eruption of violent anger, he joins Jason as he beats Oscar. I dont know why. There is a rich eloquence in his inarticulateness that this well-spoken play could use more of. Though the women are friendly with Stan, they do not acknowledge Oscar as he works in the background. I believe the arts should be fun and I just want to help my fellow theatre lovers in the neverending quest to find the perfect monologue! Oscar responds that he doesnt owe anything to people like Cynthia, Tracey, and Jessie because they never acknowledge his humanity: If they dont see me, I dont need to see them" (92). During this conversation, Jessie wakes up and become belligerent when Stan wont serve her another drink. But I stood on line, patiently waiting for a break. The scene switches to Evans parole meeting with Chris, a black man whos struggling to integrate back into society since his release because hes ashamed of being a felon and consumed with remorse over what he did. "They white,". Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Then, Cynthia, Tracey, and Jessie enter, and Brucie harasses Cynthia until she agrees to talk to him. But members of the audience may find themselves getting a little moist with anxiety as this extraordinarily moving drama hurtles toward its conclusion with the awful inevitability of Greek tragedy. The play opens in a Reading parole office in 2008, panning back and forth between Jason and Chris. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Its a tragic story of everyday people struggling to pick up the pieces when their lives fall apart. With its large cast of precisely drawn characters most of whom, when not riled by fear about their dimming futures, are great company Sweat brims with the kind of ripe, richly imagined life associated with the work of the great August Wilson (a comparison I do not make lightly). And this thoughtful, careful play only seldom acquires the distance-erasing passion of Ms. Nottages Ruined, the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner about female casualties of the Congolese civil war. Tell me about whats been going on. At this. TRACEY: Stillyou werent born here, Berks. Well, my familys been here a long time. Thus, the flier ominously suggests that the factory managers intend to lay-off their existing staff. PDF SWEAT - Dramatists Play Service 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 bar that is the principal location for Sweat, Lynn Nottages bracingly topical portrait of American dreams deferred in working-class Pennsylvania, is a place where friendships go to die. If I had pompoms, Id be waving them now. 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. to save jobs, and Olsteads will lock them out if they dont accept. Management is trying to cut wages and benefits, and despite Cynthias protestations and pleas on her friends behalf, she feels her concerns are being ignored. Tracey? In 'Sweat,' Adapting To Change Is The Hardest Work Of All I wanna say that. Tracey goes outside to smoke a cigarette, and Oscar comes out to ask her about working at Olsteadshe recently saw a job posting at the local Latino Community Center. In September 2008, Jason, a man with white supremacist facial tattoos, meets with Evan, his African American parole officer. Review: Sweat Imagines the Local Bar as a Caldron, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/26/theater/sweat-review-broadway.html, From left, John Earl Jelks, Carlo Albn, Johanna Day, Michelle Wilson and Allison Wright in the play Sweat., From left, Johanna Day, Khris Davis, Carlo Albn and Will Pullen in Sweat.. Jacking aint for softies! But they know they can always find somebody willing to get their hands sweaty. Jessie tells Stan that, Jessie says shes sick of being stuck in the middle between, motorcycle. It was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2017 Obie Award for Playwrighting, and three 2017 Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. A new box will appear. CHRIS: Cmon. Guide written by Nemuna Ceesay We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Oscar tells Tracey that him working at Olsteads isnt personal, but Tracey counters that to her, it is personal. Stan enters the room, wiping down tables just as Oscar did in the plays early scenes. 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. Video Auditions for SWEAT by Lynn Nottage - aeofberkeley.org Refine any search. Well loan you a green screen if you need one. Those traits are definitely on display in Sweat, which is directed by Kate Whoriskey and features a sturdy nine-member ensemble. 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. 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. The production team was the same as the Public Theater's, with the following change made to the cast: JESSIE .. Alison Wright 5 However, Brucie tells him its pointlessChris should follow his dreams and get an education instead. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Brucie ends up begging Cynthia for another chance, but she stays strong with Tracey and Jessies support. Sweat Summary and Study Guide | SuperSummary You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Tracey and Jessie show up and get into an argument with Cynthia, calling her a traitor. It aint his fault. Well. Tracey, a middle-aged white woman who works at the local Olstead's Steel Tubing plant, is adamant that German immigrants like her grandparents built Reading from the ground up and made it what it is today. "Sweat" is by no means a thinly dramatized op-ed piece. We encourage both theatre veterans (non-AEA) and newcomers to audition. The way the content is organized, Tracey is a middle-aged white woman of German descent; shes. Suddenly, they hear a drunken commotion from the bathroom, and Cynthia and, him out after his 21st birthday last October. Sweat by Lynn Nottage - The Monologue Blog He advises them to take any concessions that are offered to prevent a lockout from happening. Instead, to Chriss obvious amazement: Were hugging. hbbd``b`Y $+A H0@caqA,7 $&$$1&F: O ! Lynn Nottage, Tracey is outside the bar smoking. Mothers, sons and Jessie work for the towns venerable steel tubing factory. Monologue - Tracey from Sweat - YouTube Thats all I need to know. Join the StageAgent community Cynthia says she plans to apply, hoping for better opportunities. Anyone can read what you share. CYNTHIA: [] I dont deserve the things youve been saying. 440 Park Avenue South I do. First and only job. Lynn Nottage explains how a broken city gets a turn onstage in her play "Sweat.". He encourages both men to let go of their shame and self-blame and to meet up with each other to talk. But this much-trafficked watering hole also exerts a dangerous gravitational force, the kind that holds people in place when they should be moving on. While they talk, Oscar comes into the bar to get his things from the back and say goodbye to Stan just as Tracey comes out of the bathroom. CYNTHIA: That rumors been flying around for months. This is particularly hypocritical given that Tracey went for the same job and likely would have taken the promotion if she had been offered it. She says that the U.S. plant has gotten too expensive to operate, and because of NAFTA, Olsteads can easily outsource labor to Mexico. New York, NY, Escape To Margaritaville JASON: Shit, I just kinda thought wed retire and open a franchise together. Sweat play by lynn nottage pdf SweatWritten byLynn NottageDate premiered2015 (2015)Place premieredOregon Shakespeare FestivalOriginal languageEnglishSettingReading, Pennsylvania Sweat is a 2015 play by American playwright Lynn Nottage. Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage spent two years visiting Reading, Pa., to research her new play. More trouble comes when rumors of layoffs begin swirling, and Cynthia finds herself caught between her duties as a manager and her sympathy with her friends in the union. It is clear that both men are using Oscar as a scapegoat projection for the fear, failure, and disappointment they feel. They built the house that I live in. With the hard-drinking Jessie (Alison Wright), these women form a triumvirate that gathers regularly at their hangout to celebrate one anothers birthdays and swap workplace gossip and grievances. warns that peoples jobs could be outsourced to Mexico at any moment because of NAFTA. 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. Weve just come Start: Every since her father hung himse Start: the tech bubble has recently burst, causing a record 617-point drop in the Dow Jones. Jason grabs the baseball bat and hits Oscar in the stomach, and as he swings back to hit him again, he accidentally strikes Stan in the head. As the strike progresses, the workers grow increasingly desperate. Online Audition Submissions Checklist, 2) Upload your head shot, resume, and link to your video audition to this audition form: https://forms.gle/uAnVNMz2Q6qMVvsPA. Cmon. 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. In the bar, Stan and Oscar stand by as Tracey, Chris, Jason, and Jessie angrily demand Cynthia to tell them whats going on. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Tracey's Monologue from Sweat | StageAgent More heat. Scene 3. endstream endobj startxref PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. [2] The play premiered at the Oregon [] Im not prejudice, I say, you are who you are, you know? Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. It is foolish to underestimate the anger in places like these, as the most recent presidential election confirmed. Oscar, the often-ignored Colombian American busboy, escorts her to the bathroom. Let it be enough to say that each actor locates the rich humanity in his or her character, and transmits it to the audience with deceptive ease. The plot briefly shifts forward to 2008 with separate scenes of Jason and Chris visiting their mothers. Since the twenties, okay? In Sweat, which opened on Sunday night at Studio 54, the feeling of familiarity that pervades the plays central setting gradually shades into contempt among those who drink there for themselves, for one another and for the life they cannot escape. Well. She had unwisely let her ex-husband, Brucie (Kevin Kenerly), move back in for a few days around the Christmas holidays, only to wake up on the morning itself and find half the presents under the tree gone as well as her fish tank. They built the house that I live in. Cynthias ex-husband Brucie warns his son, Chris, about his own struggles with the financial and emotional toll of another ongoing strike. Cynthia tells Tracey and Stan about how she recently kicked out her estranged husband, Brucie, againhes been abusing drugs ever since he was locked out of his job at a local textile mill. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. But now, theres nothing on Penn. They also discuss Freddy Brunner, an acquaintance who recently burned his own house down. Cynthia begs everyone to stop yelling, but she eventually reveals that Olsteads is going to renegotiate the floor workers contracts: in order to save jobs, there will be a 60-percent pay cut and concessions on benefits. Sweat examines the changing lives of factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania, between the years of 2000 and 2008. Review: As blue collar jobs leave a Pennsylvania town, Lynn Nottage's Instant PDF downloads. Sweat (Play) Plot & Characters | StageAgent (The unobtrusively on-target set is by John Lee Beatty, with costumes in the same vein by Jennifer Moeller.). Fucking Wall Street. So did Stan (James Colby), the bartender, but he lost his job after a leg-maiming accident. 4) New to auditioning? Olstead is a prick. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. When the play reaches its climax, we feel so swept up in the fracturing lives of the people onstage that the distance between that world and the real one it reflects with such searing precision has all but collapsed. CYNTHIA: [] You know after everything. SWEAT is a blistering ensemble drama about lives and friendships devastated by the ongoing deindustrialization of working-class America. Though Cynthia urges her friends to accept the concessions, the floor workers choose to strike. Your computer should open a new tab with the monologue. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. So does the presence of Stans helper, Oscar (Carlo Albn), whose family comes from Colombia. Youve always been cool. Tracey's rude behavior toward Cynthia is driving a wedge in their decades-long friendship. I don't want this to be a big deal. JASON: [] But seriously, man, why didnt you tell me? Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. It is also striking how abruptly the scenes and action change. Forget all that. They get tax breaks or something. She tells him that she and Tracey no longer speak after everything that happened. Management is for them. She tells Oscar that Olsteads isnt for you.. In Reading, Pennsylvania a group of factory workers are living their lives. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Aspirations to another life may be common among these people, but such hopes are widely resented when they show signs of becoming reality. You could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are in Mexico, whatever, its this NAFTA bullshit. The parolees are Jason (Will Pullen) and Chris (Khris Davis), and they were once the closest of friends. Girl, hes a loser. The issues this drama raises painfully timely ones, I hardly need add surface organically from the circumstances. 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. 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. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor. John Earl Jelks SWEAT was originally produced on Broadway at Studio 54 by Stuart Thompson and Louise L. Gund, premiering on March 26, 2017. She is upset that her friend. Meanwhile, Oscar goes to work at Olsteads as a scab employee, eager to make more money than he does at the bar. Chris Monologue from "Sweat" by Lynn Nottage - YouTube Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Instant PDF downloads. Our experts can deliver a Lynn Nottage's "Sweat" Play Production essay. 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. View more posts. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Design a site like this with WordPress.com, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), The Assembled Parties by RichardGreenberg, Follow The Monologue Blog on WordPress.com. To laud them individually would require another review. Want new monologue material three days a week? Jason and Chris meet one another at the local bar, where Oscar is now the manager. Cynthia receives the promotion, and her change in status generates tension between her and Tracey. Sharp and threatening as a box cutter bladeferociously engrossingSWEAT never feels less than authenticand crucial. Deadline.com. TRACEY: [] It was back when if you worked with your hands people respected you for it. Theatre lover and actor. Its searing and human. But I meancmonyou guys coming over here, you can get a job faster than. Now, the company has posted a list of names on the front door, and Chris and Jason are in a hurry to go see it for themselves. Stan is now severely disabled with a traumatic brain injury; he struggles to hear or speak. Oscar aint getting rich off your misery. Ms. Nottages colloquial dialogue doesnt approach or even attempt his singing lyricism, but Jessie delivers a beautiful monologue about the life she might have led had she not, when still a teenager, started working in a factory. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Ive got twenty-four years on the floor. The play returns to Jason and Chriss separate parole meetings with Evan in October 2008. Tracey (Jasons mother), Cynthia (Chriss mother), and their friend Jessie are celebrating Traceys birthday at a local bar in Reading, Pennsylvania. 239 0 obj <> endobj Longtime friends Cynthia and, Stan comments on the successful nightlots of people turned out for. dpsinfo@broadwaylicensing.com. Ms. Nottage, who won a Pulitzer Prize for Ruined, her terrific drama about the human cost of a civil war in Africa, has surpassed even that achievement with Sweat, which is making its premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival here in a blazingly well-acted production directed by Kate Whoriskey, who also directed the premiere production of Ruined. (Sweat, co-commissioned by Arena Stage in Washington, opens there in January.). Mary Mara, left, as Tracey, and Portia as Cynthia in "Sweat," Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama at the Mark Taper Forum about a factory town in Pennsylvania. Forget all that. In February, at the same bar, Jason, Chris, and Stan have a playful conversation about the motorcycle Jason wants to buy and about Chriss new girlfriend while Oscar listens in. For that reason alone, the arrival on Broadway of Sweat, which originated at the fertile Oregon Shakespeare Festival and was previously staged in New York at the Public Theater, warrants serious applause. To access the monologues, click the highlighted link. Box 663 - Berkeley - California - 94701 Our Answering Service: (510) 649-5999 . Such talk brings out Darwinian survival instincts, especially once Cynthia gets a job in management at the factory. Besides, Oscar would need to be in the union and to know someone at the plant to get a job there. You appreciate Ms. Nottages insistence that we be able to trace exactly the sources of her characters unhappiness. CYNTHIA: Why the hell not? Brucie warns them that no machines means no jobshe thinks theyre about to be in the same situation hes in. Refine any search. 'Sweat' - Lynn Nottage scene: Daniel Oakley (JASON) and Aaron Moore (CHRIS) Daniel 'Joey' Isaac-Meir Oakley 125 views 8 months ago Another Round with SWEAT: Creating a Community On Stage.