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. But the post Y2K economy is changing, NAFTA is a new reality and rumors fly about layoffs. Promotions and pride inevitably collide, forming cracks in decades-old friendships that crumble when the factory breaks with the union. When layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat. From the politically charged opening scene to its electrifying conclusion, Sweat boldly confronts issues of race, immigration, deindustrialization and the ever-slipping grip on middle-class life.
Performances are scheduled on May 3rd, 4th, and 5th at 8:00pm.
Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Nominee for 3 Tony Awards including Best Play
“Lynn Nottage’s best work. She offers a powerful critique of the American attitude toward class, and how it affects the decisions we make. Sweat has fraternity at its heart, but also the violence, and the suspicion that can result from class aspirations.” –Hilton Als, New Yorker
“…passionate and necessary…a masterful depiction of the forces that divide and conquer us…Sweat communicates its points with minimal fuss and maximum grit. Along with the rage, despair and violence, there’s humor and abundant humanity…a cautionary tale of what happens when you don’t know how to resist.” —Time Out New York.
Lynn Nottage is the recipient of two Pulitzer Prize Awards for Drama for Sweat and Ruined. She is the first woman playwright to be honored twice. Her other plays include Intimate Apparel; By the Way, Meet Vera Stark; Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine; Crumbs from the Table of Joy; and Las Meninas. For more info: http://www.lynnnottage.com/
Learning Outcomes:
This faculty-directed production will guide student actors toward a successful performance of a fully staged play, utilizing outside preparation, rehearsals, and creative collaboration.
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Prerequisites: Auditions for this show were held the first week of the FALL 2023 term. The show is now cast. Rehearsals begin February 20th, 2024. Performances are scheduled for May 3rd, 4th, and 5th at 8:00pm. PLEASE NOTE: Auditions for this show were held the first week of the FALL 2023 term. Callbacks will be held later in the term. Rehearsals begin February 20th, 2024. Performances are scheduled for April 26th, 27th, and 28th at 8 p.m.
Course Level: 4000-level
Credits: 4
M/T/W/Th/F 6:30PM-10:30PM; Sat 12:00PM-5:00PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 9
Course Frequency: Once a year
Categories: 4000 , All courses , Black Studies , Drama , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , New Courses , Updates
Tags: acting , All courses , drama , ensemble , Fully In-Person , performance , play analysis , Scene Study , theater , theatre