From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. You hear from the old gang? Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Be angry, but dont make it about this(Points to the skin on the back of her hand) Look at me, Tracey. Tracey is a middle-aged white woman of German descent; she's Jason 's mother and Hank 's widow. As bars often are in old-fashioned and socially conscious dramas like Sweat, this one is a microcosm for a larger world. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Ms. Nottage did intensive research for this play, and it shows, perhaps more than it should. Instant PDF downloads. You got a problem, you tell me to my face. It aint his fault. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. After a long work shift at Olsteads mill, three middle-aged female friendsan African American woman named Tracey, an Italian American woman named Jessie, and a German American woman named Cynthiahang out at Stans bar. Through their barroom conversation, the women reveal that Jason has no future plans beyond factory work, and Chris has been accepted to college. * Live TV from. It begins in 2008 in scenes that switch between a parole officers interrogations of two young men recently released from prison and flashes back to 2000, to follow the road to the crime for which they were incarcerated. hbbd``b`Y $+A H0@caqA,7 $&$$1&F: O ! North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). But I meancmonyou guys coming over here, you can get a job faster than. The plot briefly shifts forward to 2008 with separate scenes of Jason and Chris visiting their mothers. Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage spent two years visiting Reading, Pa., to research her new play. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. There will always be someone wholl step in, unless we say NO! Brucie admits that he feels lost, and he recounts an incident of racism he recently experienced at the labor union. Cmon. Changing the subject, Tracey tells Oscar that Cynthia only got the promotion because shes black and then makes an offhand comment about Latinx people like Oscar coming to Reading to get jobsbut Oscar says that he was born in Berks County just like Tracey was. All is well, until economic turmoil hits. The four men uneasily wait for the next moment, together yet divided. The play is set both on the eve and in the twilight of George W. Bushs presidency. New York, NY, SM for Poor Yella Rednecks In 2000, Tracey and her best friends, Cynthia and Jessie, have worked at Olstead's Steel Tubing in Reading, Pennsylvania, for over 20 years. Its a paradox given beautiful life when Ms. Days Tracey, after angrily lecturing Oscar outside the bar, relents and gives him the cigarette he had asked for earlier; and when Tracey and Cynthia, now at loggerheads, share a memory of an eventful trip to Atlantic City. You could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are in Mexico, whatever, its this NAFTA bullshit. In a moment of pain and frustration over their changing lives, Jason confronts Oscar at the bar. Yeah, yeah, yeah. LitCharts Teacher Editions. 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. var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. 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. Try it free. %%EOF Tracey, Jessie, and Jason make racist slurs and comments at Oscar, and Jason stands up threateningly. Well loan you a green screen if you need one. CHRIS: Dude, its just something I gotta do. She tells him that she and Tracey no longer speak after everything that happened. They built this town. TRACEY: Well, I got you beat by two. Ive taken orders from idiots who were dangerous, or even worse, racist. The issues this drama raises painfully timely ones, I hardly need add surface organically from the circumstances. Such talk brings out Darwinian survival instincts, especially once Cynthia gets a job in management at the factory. 3) If you have trouble submitting or are unable to film yourself, dont worry. Tracey brings up an overseer job opportunity at Olsteads and the rumor that management intends to promote someone off the factory floor. In April, Cynthia has gotten the promotion to Warehouse Supervisor, and she and her friends celebrate at the bar. Learn more. 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. Chris asks about, more leadership opportunities for minority employees. Make sure to leave suggestions for other plays youd like to see on the blog and Ill see you at the next post! At this. Lynn Nottage explains how a broken city gets a turn onstage in her play Sweat., There are rumors of imminent layoffs, though, which grow louder during the scenes set in 2000, along with speculation that the entire plant might relocate to Mexico. 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. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. 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.). Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Lynn Nottage explains how a broken city gets a turn onstage in her play "Sweat." There are rumors of imminent layoffs, though, which grow louder during the scenes set in 2000, along with. So were Jasons mother, Tracey (Johanna Day), and Chriss mother, Cynthia (Michelle Wilson). Forget all that. Cynthia: aeb Audition Material, Monologues. The flier advertises a much lower wage than Tracey makes, and it does not mention union requirements or benefits. Esther Intimate Apparel 3 Complete your free account to request a guide. JASON: [] But seriously, man, why didnt you tell me? Clearly, Tracey is acting out because she feels jealous of Cynthia and left behind by one of her oldest friends. 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. CYNTHIA: I didnt expect you to understand, babe. Their conversations with Evan suggest, however, that they participated in the same crime. I know its tough out there, I understand. Oscar aint getting rich off your misery. Stan is now severely disabled with a traumatic brain injury; he struggles to hear or speak. Theyll work us down to nothing if we let em. Three exemplary charactersTracey, Cynthia, and Jessieare all working class . 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. Stan commiserates with Bruciehe spent 28 years at Olsteads and is glad that his injury got him out of there. She is upset that her friend. That Cynthia is black and Tracey and Jessie are white becomes an issue in a way it never was before. 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. (LogOut/ Complex matters of race, class and culture are handled with impeccable deftness. Its a tragic story of everyday people struggling to pick up the pieces when their lives fall apart. 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). 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. A few days later, Chris goes to the bar, where Oscar is now the manager. Undine Barnes Calles Fabulation or, The Re-Education of Undine 2 I come here from North Carolina at seven. 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. (LogOut/ 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. Returning to 2000, the play shows how Cynthias promotion has pitted her against her friends. Jason and Chris speak separately to their parole officer, Evan. 0 Cynthia tells Tracey and Stan about how she recently kicked out her estranged husband, Brucie, againhe's been abusing drugs ever since he was locked out of his job at a local textile mill. In the bar, Stan and Oscar look on as. Jason has come to beg Tracey for money, but shes hostile and unwelcoming. document.getElementById('cloak8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e').innerHTML = ''; Your computer should open a new tab with the monologue. Online Audition Submissions Checklist, 2) Upload your head shot, resume, and link to your video audition to this audition form: https://forms.gle/uAnVNMz2Q6qMVvsPA. STAN: Says he got wind that they were gonna cut back his line at the plant. Jason (Stephen Michael Spencer), with white-supremacist tattoos etched into his face and neck, reacts with sullen anger to questions about his prospects. Finally, Jason breaks and admits that he recently ran into Chris, whom Jason tried to forget while he was in prison. 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. Since the twenties, okay? New York, NY, Escape To Margaritaville You dont know what its been like to walk in my shoes. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. 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. Brucie and the other employees refuse to give into concessions on their retirement benefits. addy8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e = addy8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e + 'aeofberkeley' + '.' + 'org'; Filming yourself from a hand-held camera will be fine. 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. She is upset that her friend These middle class, unionized, steelworkers have made plans to save money, go on vacations and then retire with a nice, healthy pension, but when rumors start flying that the company is considering layoffs, and flyers are hung to recruit non-union Latino workers for less money, the war between community and capitalism begins, and tensions start destroying not only jobs, but also relationships. 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. Jason has come to visit, shoulda though Chris doesnt think she has anything to be sorry about. It makes meWhatever. Join the StageAgent community Sweat is a two-act play written by Lynn Nottage. to learn more about this monologue from Sweat and unlock other amazing theatre resources! He advises them to take any concessions that are offered to prevent a lockout from happening. Oscar tells Tracey that him working at Olsteads isnt personal, but Tracey counters that to her, it is personal. Sweat, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Lynn Nottage, gives stellar examples of successful characterization. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. Refine any search. The play also examines the ways working class Americans are often pitted against one another in their struggles for a better life. In fact Id hold him down for you to give him a proper beating, but Oscarhes another story. But Chris has his heart set on following his own pathits just something he has to do. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Anyone can read what you share. During this conversation, Jessie wakes up and become belligerent when Stan wont serve her another drink. JASON: Shit, I just kinda thought wed retire and open a franchise together. Sweat is a two-act play written by Lynn Nottage. The shriveled, drug-addled figure of Cynthias estranged husband, Brucie (John Earl Jelks), looms as a possible prophecy of everyone elses fate. Research Playwrights, Librettists, Composers and Lyricists. Federal TaxID#946139640, since 04-1967. We ask that you familiarize yourself with the story to prepare your audition. In the bar, Stan and Oscar stand by as Tracey, Chris, Jason, and Jessie angrily demand Cynthia to tell them whats going on. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. START: Well. We encourage both theatre veterans (non-AEA) and newcomers to audition. 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. Theatre lover and actor. Thus, the play foreshadows the human toll of the factorys forthcoming lay-offs. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Nottage's characters were based on personal research and interviews she conducted in Reading throughout 2011. But, unbeknownst to them, their lives are about to be uprooted. They also discuss Freddy Brunner, an acquaintance who recently burned his own house down. Olstead is a prick. JASON: [] All Im saying is that he needs to understand the price of that dinner hes putting on his table. 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. 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. Nobodys going anywhere. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Started in 74, walked in straight outta high school. Lynn Nottage explains how a broken city gets a turn onstage in her play "Sweat.". var addy8a2f2e70f3ae0d82a8dceea5de10147e = 'auditions' + '@'; The ensemble is exemplary, so uniformly excellent that I cannot point to a single performance as rising above the rest. Upgrade to PRO Their steel mill, Olsteads, is making some changes and the blood, sweat and tears, not to mention the generations of loyalty these workers have shown, dont seem to amount to much. Thank you for checking out my post! before June 20 (sooner the better) and well set up a Zoom appointment or work to find other accommodations. 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. -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Tracey appears in, is playing on a jukebox as a rowdy celebration winds down. 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. She tells Oscar that Olsteads isnt for you.. Well. The plays final scene returns to 2008. 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. Writing that cuts this close to the bone draws out the best in actors. Forget all that. TRACEY: Listen, that piece of paper youre holding is an insult, it dont mean anything, Olsteads isnt for you. If you don't have a resume, just put down whatever experience you feel might be applicable. CYNTHIA: That rumors been flying around for months. Fucking Wall Street. First and only job. Tracey and Jessie show up and get into an argument with Cynthia, calling her a traitor. Jessie tells Stan that, Jessie says shes sick of being stuck in the middle between, motorcycle. Tell me about whats been going on. Want new monologue material three days a week? You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. warns that peoples jobs could be outsourced to Mexico at any moment because of NAFTA. ISBN 978-1-55936-532-1 for edition reference. 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. I hope I was able to introduce you to more monologue material! Click on the name of the character in that box. The play flashes back to July 2000. Those traits are definitely on display in Sweat, which is directed by Kate Whoriskey and features a sturdy nine-member ensemble. [] Im not prejudice, I say, you are who you are, you know? Both Tracey and Jessie feel betrayed by Cynthia. One selected monologue from SWEAT (See links next to character name for link to monologues). Cynthia says she plans to apply, hoping for better opportunities. Tracey encourages her son, escalating his confrontation into violence. However, we pay actors a small stipend for expenses and a portion of performance donations in accordance with AB5. She asks Chris to tell her what happened back then, because she still doesnt understand. 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. Chris remembers his fingernails digging into his palms. Now, the plant is bringing in Mexican immigrants as temporary laborers. It is also striking how abruptly the scenes and action change. Instant PDF downloads. 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. Change). Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Oscar, the often-ignored Colombian American busboy, escorts her to the bathroom. The production team was the same as the Public Theater's, with the following change made to the cast: JESSIE .. Alison Wright 5 When Stan attempts to break up the fight, Jason accidentally hits him in the head with a baseball bat, causing a traumatic brain injury. I wanna say that. Couldnt handle the stress. Cynthia shares Chriss news about Albright, and Brucie disapproves of the tuition cost and of Chris leaving Olsteads. Join StageAgent today and unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. The characters in this play dont have money or options and the walls are closing in fast, so for the SWEAT monologues were looking for raw yet vulnerable portrayals. Posted in Auditions. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Tracey? After what went down. A new box will appear. 308 qualified specialists online. Youve always been cool. I dont know why. There is a rich eloquence in his inarticulateness that this well-spoken play could use more of. Struggling with distance learning? With the use of distinct dialog, actions, and belief structures for each of the characters, the characters (on paper and on stage) stand out as unique individuals that the audience can identify with. Ive got twenty-four years on the floor. Brucie warns them that no machines means no jobshe thinks theyre about to be in the same situation hes in. New York, NY 10016 Sharp and threatening as a box cutter bladeferociously engrossingSWEAT never feels less than authenticand crucial. Deadline.com. More heat. Sweat examines the changing lives of factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania, between the years of 2000 and 2008. The play flashes back to January 2000. The breakup of Jessies marriage has driven her to imbibe more than usual, although Tracey doesnt feel too sympathetic, having weathered her own failed marriage. 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. The parolees are Jason (Will Pullen) and Chris (Khris Davis), and they were once the closest of friends. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. TRACEY: Stillyou werent born here, Berks. She says that the U.S. plant has gotten too expensive to operate, and because of NAFTA, Olsteads can easily outsource labor to Mexico. Just as Jessie is vulnerably sharing her unrealized dreams of seeing the world as a young woman, Tracey bursts in. 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. Cynthia, who lost her house and now works irregular hours at maintenance jobs, is warm and tearfully apologetic to Christhough Chris doesnt think she has anything to be sorry for. Tracey bitterly wonders if Cynthia received the promotion because she is Black. No one saw that coming. They get tax breaks or something. College/University, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, Mature Audiences, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre. Jason asks where his mom is, but Jessie doesnt know; Jason reassures her that, Berks County, Pennsylvania, experiences a 111-percent rise in power shutoffs. 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. Eventually, everyone but Tracey shows up, and Cynthia and Jessie reminisce about their early days at the factory. Chris agreeshe doesnt want to end up like Brucie. 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. Lynn Nottage's Sweat gives us characters filled with the good and the bad and asks us to reflect on our own views and the views of . Sweat is located in Reading, Pennsylvania, one of Americas poorest cities with a poverty rate of over 40%. Though Cynthia urges her friends to accept the concessions, the floor workers choose to strike. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. From first moments to last, this . Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Talk to Olstead, his cronies. PERFORMANCE FEE: $130 per performance. 440 Park Avenue South In Reading, Pennsylvania a group of factory workers are living their lives. STAN: Look. It is clear that both men are using Oscar as a scapegoat projection for the fear, failure, and disappointment they feel. To laud them individually would require another review. ASHLAND, Ore. Sweat, the title of Lynn Nottages scorching new play, refers to the hard labor that its characters have put in for decades, only to find their modest livelihoods threatened by the evaporation of manufacturing jobs in America. Thus, the flier ominously suggests that the factory managers intend to lay-off their existing staff. Longtime friends Cynthia and, Stan comments on the successful nightlots of people turned out for. urges her friends to meet them halfway unless they want to lose their jobs entirely. CHRIS: Cmon. (The Nafta treaty is invoked with four-letter opprobrium.). 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. Im cool with everyone. Keenly observed and often surprisingly funnybut ultimately heartbreakingthe work traces the roots of a tragedy with both forensic psychological detail and embracing compassion.
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