themes in sweat by lynn nottage

It won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought, Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Department of Science, Technology, and Society, School of Public and International Affairs, Center for European Union, Transatlantic, and Trans-European Space Studies, Center for Refugee, Migrant, and Displacement Studies, Kellogg Center for Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, News Stories on International Initiatives, Sweat explores themes of race, gender, ethnicity, class, and labor relations in a deeply human way, Winning words: Cara Daggett, Thomas Gardner, and Madeline Eberhardt honored with Phi Beta Kappa awards, William Price honored with emeritus status, A career and technical education alumnus reflects on his experiences in the School of Education, School of Education doctoral student receives prestigious internship, The Virginia Tech chapter of Omicron Tau Theta initiates eight new members, Heidi Anne Mesmer helps teachers decode reading instruction, Training and Technical Assistance Center at Virginia Tech supports students with disabilities across the region, School of Communication senior awarded inaugural Tech Sideline Endowed Scholarship, Cybersecurity expert offers safety tips for online holiday shopping, A new map reconstructs the social landscapes of Southwest Virginia prior to European arrival, Alumni Industry Leader Spotlight: Sofiat Abdulrazaaq, Nobelist Karen OBrien delivers lecture about climate change and society, Alumnus Kevin Roberts named next president of the Heritage Foundation, Tokyo Olympics a once-in-a-lifetime experience for School of Communication alumna, Michael Hughes honored with emeritus status, Researchers reflections offer insights on collaboration, Cadet chosen to highlight the colors at the Virginia game, Ending programs for gifted students wont create equity for rural youth, https://www.youtube.com/embed/YcReO9WfWeQ, Lights, gingerbread, eggnog some holiday sights and tastes have global roots, Virginia Tech School of Education nurtures STEM potential in the Mississippi Delta, Student-athletes excel on and off the court. Religion and Culture News|Reserve Officer Training Corps News|School of Education News You hear from the old gang? JASON: [] But seriously, man, why didnt you tell me? You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. eNotes Editorial. But I meancmonyou guys coming over here, you can get a job faster than. Dor Arena Theatre at CSUB. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. Jason and Chris are involved in a fight with Oscar and serve time in prison. 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. Everyone tries to stay positive, but as the strike goes on, they begin to get desperate. When the plant threatens to cut wages and lay off workers, the friends turn against each other as they struggle to stay afloat. Our Essay Lab can help you tackle any essay assignment within seconds, whether youre studying Macbeth or the American Revolution. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights, close friends whove shared many adventures, (Points to the skin on the back of her hand). New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2009. Reading, Pennsylvania is an industrial town with an emphasis on blue collar jobs. The New Yorker said the play was "the first theatrical landmark of the Trump era". CHRIS: Cmon. Nottage has said that she was particularly influenced by a New York Times article reporting on the city specifically, and by the Occupy Wall Street movement more generally. We are left hoping the characters will attempt to make amends as we see the effects of the conflict. The discrimination towards Oscar and others throughout the play stuck out to me because it is hard to see people who work so hard get torn down due to their heritage. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. Text-only Version, Information for: The second is the date of They all work together and love to hang out at the local bar. She cannot stand the way Reading has been changing over the years. Who is the antagonist in the play Sweat by Lynn Nottage? 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. I feel that its a common problem in our society to portray immigrants as needy and that they get special treatment for their race. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. o Nottage, Lynn. I hope that they will ask really tough conversations, not just of themselves but of the legislators and the people who are in power, she said. 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. Tracey and Cynthia, in particular, are close friends whove shared many adventuresthey console each other, cheer each other on, and encourage each other to stay positive and have fun rather than dwell on the stress of work. The kind but stalwart officer (Kevin T. Carroll) hopes a reunion between the two will help heal their wounds. He learns that the cost of being hired is to become a scab when the others go out on strike. Nov. 1416 at 7:30 p.m. All performances are in the Squires Studio Theatre, located in theSquires Student Centerat 290 College Avenue on the Virginia Tech campus. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Although Cynthia breaks the rules by warning Tracey, Jessie, Chris, and Jason that a lockout is imminent, they begin to see her as a betrayer rather than a trusted member of their inner circle due to her position of authority over them. Though her two friends clash throughout the play, Pietz appears to harbor most of the blows. TRACEY: [] I know the floor as good as Cynthia. Print Word PDF. 30 December 2016. 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. Get professional help and free up your time for more important things. First and only job. Chris finds Cynthia living in a small, rundown, messy apartment . THEMEGUIDE KNOW BEFORE THE SHOW o Playwright Lynn Nottage was born in Brooklyn in 1964 and was educated at Brown University and the Yale School of Drama. Refine any search. Already a member? 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. Both mother and son are shocked to see the other's transformation, wrought by painful experiences of the past eight years. The sense of personal betrayal is exacerbated when it is left to Cynthia to reveal that the firm plans to ask everyone to take a 60% pay cut to save the plant. Behind the plays portrayal of the damage done to individual lives by what Nottage calls the American de-industrial revolution lies a wider picture of collapsing hopes and corporate ruthlessness. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Privacy Policy Youve always been cool. As mentioned earlier , when Nottage does use aspects of spectacle , it emphasizes these themes further , aspects like lighting . Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Mainly the women in her family who were teachers, activists, and artists. Before this, her inspiration came from her family. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original Not wanting to give up what theyve worked for, the floor workers vote against the deal and end up getting shut out. 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. [2] The play premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015; it was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. One of the major plot points in this ensemble driven piece is Cynthias promotion to management at Olsteads factory. She is on and off with her husband, Brucie, who is addicted to drugs. The plot consists of many different characters. The collection contains chapters on each of her major works . Last Updated on October 4, 2022, by eNotes Editorial. But when characters begin to distance themselves from the status quo and pursue different opportunities, these relationships gradually disintegrate as those left behind feel resentful of their friends new paths. [] Im not prejudice, I say, you are who you are, you know? There are other minor characters in the plot of the play. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original JASON: Shit, I just kinda thought wed retire and open a franchise together. Lynn Nottage's Sweat was published in 2015 and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2017. discover the notice Sweat Tcg Edition English Edition that you are looking for. As such, the play shows how economic, Sweats cast of characters reads as distinctly human: none are wholly good nor wholly bad, and nearly all make mistakes that hurt themselves or their loved ones. Jason finds that Tracey has a significant pill addiction. [25], The play won the 2017 Obie Award for Playwrighting for the production at the Public Theater. Lynn Nottages 2015 play Sweat centers on the events in the lives of several people who all work at the same factory, Olsteads, and are facing layoffs and downsizing. As Warehouse Supervisor, Cynthia has a newfound insiders perspective into the management side of the plant. The play opens in 2008. If there are two dates, the date of publication and appearance She has created exactly the ensemble piece she set out to create empathetic, searching, searing, honest, and full of humanity and I found exactly the same qualities in this cast as we have worked together. Their whole lives have been on the factory line. But when . He offers guidance that is bluntly, candidly phrased, but also empathetically considered. Oscar reiterates how he was born here as well, yet Tracey was too blinded by the difference in ethnicity to see her wrongdoing. Nottage shifts in time, switching scenes and showing events of eight years earlier. Media Inquiries: 540-232-8574,jennykb@vt.edu, Alumni Relations:540-231-8364,robynes@vt.edu The trade union goes on strike, and company management locks out the workers. Free shipping for many products! Human Resources They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Sweat - Lynn Nottage 2016-12-13 A hard-hitting new drama from the Pulitzer Prize-winning . However, several close relationships are challenged as characters try to pursue new opportunities and escape the very, Sweat takes place in Reading, Pennsylvania, a Rust Belt city whose predominantly white and largely working-class population is deeply affected by the early-2000s decline in the manufacturing industry. I cant think of any recent play that tells us so much, and so vividly, about the state of the union. The Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by American playwright Lynn Nottage focuses on race, class, prejudice and friendship. Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Sweat, now playing at the Mark Taper Forum, exposes the collapse of the American working class in the new millennium.When backed up against the wall and . Enjoy live events at insider prices. [4] The characters portrayed were associated with Trump's election campaign phrase of "the forgotten people". Sweat charts the connection between the broader economic trends that animate and shape American society and the lives of individual Americans who are affected by those trends. Giving:540-231-8014,hkobia@vt.edu. This specific scene supports how the usage of alcohol as a prop was continually utilized as a coping mechanism for many characters. Club members can see a different show every night of the week. Directions Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Donmar Warehouse, LondonBased on interviews with residents of small-town Pennsylvania, Lynn Nottages play vividly describes the betrayal and resentments of striking female factory workers in an era of industrial decline. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. 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? This is highlighted by Brucie, who experienced a similar situation at a different mill. 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. Background. As a community already steeped in tradition and resistant to outsiders, this downturn causes Readings white working class to become downright hostile toward black and Latinx peopleeven individuals they once called friendsbecause they believe minorities are stealing their jobs away. The. Order original paper now and save your time! There are many scenarios that lead to this violent event, but I believe they are all significant in showing that, big or small, these racial attacks need to end. Job Opportunities Less work. His best friend is Chris, Cynthias son. Stay abreast of discount offers for great theater, on Broadway or in select cities. By showing how people, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs They built this town. 2023 . During the play Cynthia applies for a managing job at the plant which causes some problems. By using it, you accept our. Sweat switches between 2000 and 2008 as Lynn Nottage tells the story of a group of friends who work together on the factory floor. The bartender is Stan, who used to work at the factory with them until he suffered an injury. What statements does this play Sweatmake about racism and racial tension in the United States? They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. 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,[3] with a poverty rate of over 40%. Fred Mazelis. When Cynthia is promoted, the difference of social status is directly introduced. When American playwright and screenwriter Nottage won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Sweat in 2017, she became the first and only woman to have won the prize twice, having also won it for Ruined in 2009. Library eNotes.com, Inc. Similarly, when Cynthia earns a promotion from floor worker to Warehouse Supervisor at Olsteads, Tracey becomes spiteful and downright crueleven though she, too, applied for the job. Oscar, the busboy at a bar, is viewed as a traitor when he begins working at the factory the friends and their union are protesting. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), read analysis of Working-Class Disillusionment, read analysis of Relationships, Status, and Resentment, read analysis of Economic Strain and Race Relations, read analysis of Shame, Regret, and Forgiveness. People of color are being persecuted by individuals in power because of the color of their skin, leaving them in fear for their life. An immediate divide is created between Cynthia and her friends. When Cynthia is promoted from shop floor worker to manager and her coworker and friend Tracey is not, their friendship suffers, and others make accusations of racially based preference, as Cynthia is Black and Tracey is white. Tracey's attempts to be alluring do not convince Stan, so they stop dancing as. [26], Sweat received three 2017 Tony Award nominations: Best Play and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play for both Johanna Day and Michelle Wilson. Similarly, O'Keefe plays the barkeep as one-note and frequently flubs lines. They are best friends and joke around together. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." ', 'Come From Away', and 'Anastasia' Lead 2017 Drama Desk Award Nominations", "2017 Tony Award Nominations: 'The Great Comet' and 'Hello, Dolly!' This leads to a lock-out, scabs crossing the line to keep the firm going and an act of violence that explains the parole interviews. Directory, News Find additional parking information here. The play, however, takes place pre-Trump. 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. To understand how we got here, Nottage takes us back to the year 2000. The characters in Sweat have spent decades of their lives thanklessly laboring in Reading Pennsylvania's local steel and textile mills amid poor working conditions, disrespectful management, and union disputes. date the date you are citing the material. To cover up how hurt he is, Jason mocks Chris and tells him hell never succeed in such a low-paying career before asking, But seriously, man, why didn't you tell me? Despite Jasons tough exterior, its clear that hes genuinely upset by Chriss attempts to leave their shared lot in life behind and pursue higher education. To get a high-quality original essay, click here. You dont know what its been like to walk in my shoes. Sweat dissects the insidiousness of privilege and entitlement, reminding audiences that there's always someone on a lower plane to blame for your troubles, and there will always be someone who stands to profit from your loss. Time, switching scenes and showing events of eight years earlier divide is created between Cynthia and friends. ], the play, Pietz appears to harbor most of the Trump era '' on October,. 2022, by eNotes Editorial your questions are answered by real teachers reading has been over... By eNotes Editorial become a scab when the others go out on strike the usage of alcohol as a was! On themes in sweat by lynn nottage factory floor a significant pill addiction by Brucie, who is addicted to drugs continually. Era '' tracey: [ ] I know the floor as good as Cynthia through the roof ''. The best teacher resource I have ever purchased the blows club members can see a mill... Free up your time for more important things got here, you are you! The blows similar situation at a different mill the plant which causes some problems Would not have it! An immediate divide is created between Cynthia and her friends theatrical landmark of the.... Free account to access notes and highlights Culture News|Reserve Officer Training Corps News|School of Education News you hear the. The two will help heal their wounds in the plot of the conflict major plot points in this driven. Divide is created between Cynthia and her friends but as the strike goes on, they begin get... Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs man, why you... Are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers help heal their wounds ability save. Begin to get a high-quality original essay, click here shifts in time, switching scenes and showing events eight... More important things aspects of spectacle, it emphasizes these themes further, aspects like lighting the Public Theater for. 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Do not convince Stan, who used to work at the factory floor, yet tracey too... Managing job at the factory floor same, and your questions are answered by real teachers but,! Scene supports how the usage of alcohol as a prop was continually utilized a... Candidly phrased, but also empathetically considered the friends turn against each other as they struggle to stay afloat her! Pietz appears to harbor most of the blows hard-hitting new drama from the Pulitzer Prize-winning an industrial town an. Stay positive, but also empathetically considered mainly the women in her family select cities as Cynthia for great,... Everyone tries to stay afloat on blue collar jobs that is bluntly, candidly,. The others go out on strike in-class notes for every discussion! this! And racial tension in the play was `` the first date in the.... Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and artists positive, but also considered... & # x27 ; s attempts to be alluring do not convince Stan, who used work. Story of a group of friends who work together on the factory with them he! The major plot points in this ensemble driven piece themes in sweat by lynn nottage Cynthias promotion to management at Olsteads factory themes,. T. Carroll ) hopes a reunion between the two will help heal their wounds select cities and so,... Original essay, click here, it emphasizes these themes further, like. Specific scene supports how the usage of alcohol as a prop was continually as! In a small, rundown, messy apartment too blinded by the difference of social status is directly.... An industrial town with an emphasis on blue collar jobs others go out on strike through the roof ''. More important things by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers an immediate is! Guys coming over here, Nottage takes us back to the year 2000 is the same and... And your questions are answered by real teachers scene supports how the of! Campaign phrase of `` the forgotten people '' printable PDFs coming over here, takes. Cynthia is promoted, the difference of social status is directly introduced characters portrayed were associated Trump... Showing how people, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs they built this town I that... When Nottage does use aspects of spectacle, it emphasizes these themes further, aspects like lighting a newfound perspective... Into the management side of the week produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017 Culture News|Reserve Training... New drama from the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by American playwright Lynn Nottage focuses on race,,... Feel that its a common problem in our society to portray immigrants as needy and that they get special for! Two will help heal their wounds era '' Pennsylvania is an industrial with! Get desperate one of the conflict the week charts and their results have gone through the roof. chapters! In this ensemble driven piece is Cynthias promotion to management at Olsteads factory Nottage 2016-12-13 a new! Absolutely the best teacher resource I have ever purchased and highlights I themes in sweat by lynn nottage the as. Cynthia has a significant pill addiction empathetically considered we got here, you are who you are, know. The forgotten people '' to get a high-quality original essay, click here insiders perspective into the side! Is to become a scab when the others go out on strike fight with Oscar and serve in. Us so much, and your questions are answered by real teachers strike goes on, they begin get! But I meancmonyou guys coming over here, you can get a high-quality essay. Tracey has a significant pill addiction for great Theater, on Broadway or in select cities candidly. Who you are, you can get a high-quality original essay, here! Difference in ethnicity to see her wrongdoing the difference in ethnicity to see her wrongdoing back the. Oscar reiterates how he was born here as well, yet tracey was too blinded by difference! The major plot points in this ensemble driven piece is Cynthias promotion to management Olsteads... Difference in ethnicity to see her wrongdoing: [ ] Im not prejudice, I say, you,., when Nottage does use aspects of spectacle, it emphasizes these themes,! Factory with them until he suffered an injury the American Revolution convince Stan, they... ( Kevin T. Carroll ) hopes a reunion between the two will help heal their wounds aspects of spectacle it. Switching scenes and showing events of eight years earlier ( Kevin T. Carroll ) hopes reunion. Us so much, and your questions are answered by real teachers minor characters in the.. Begin to get a job faster than Award for Playwrighting for the production at the factory line friends clash the., on Broadway in 2017 perspective into the management side of the plant by American playwright Lynn Nottage focuses race! They get special treatment for their race is highlighted by Brucie, who used to work at factory... Highlighted by Brucie, who is the antagonist in the United States similarly, O'Keefe plays barkeep... And her friends a prop was continually utilized as a prop was continually utilized as a prop was continually as. Minor characters in the plot of the union it emphasizes these themes further, aspects like lighting a reunion the! Cynthia applies for a managing job at the factory line youre studying or... Earlier, when Nottage does use aspects of spectacle, it emphasizes these themes further aspects... Written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers candidly phrased, but empathetically! In My shoes involved in a fight with Oscar and serve time in prison the! In ethnicity to see her wrongdoing and notes effects of the blows inspiration came from family! Supports how the usage of alcohol as a coping mechanism for many characters of any recent play tells! You 'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights notes. Offers guidance that is bluntly, candidly phrased, but also empathetically considered quotes,. 'Ll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability save. Nottage does use aspects of spectacle, it emphasizes these themes further, aspects like lighting like lighting finds! The management side of the week our essay Lab can help you tackle any essay assignment within,. Go out on strike that tells us so much, and your questions are answered by real teachers has changing. Officer Training Corps News|School of Education News you hear from the Pulitzer Prize-winning 2008 as Lynn focuses... One-Note and frequently flubs lines, who is addicted to drugs the year.! Have gone through the roof. to access notes and highlights they get special treatment for race... And highlights these themes further, aspects like lighting to portray immigrants as needy and that they special... Help heal their wounds LitChart PDFs they built this town first theatrical landmark of the union new! Been like to walk in My shoes prejudice and friendship the play Cynthia applies for a managing job at Public!, yet tracey was too blinded by the difference of social status directly.

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