We ask that you familiarize yourself with the story to prepare your audition. Chris and Jason are clearly apologetic but cant yet bring themselves to verbalize what theyre thinking. For full extended monologue, please refer to clips or the script edition cited here: Nottage, Lynn, Sweat, Theatre Communications Group, 2017, p. 49. The plays final scene returns to 2008. It is clear that both men are using Oscar as a scapegoat projection for the fear, failure, and disappointment they feel. Jason has come to beg Tracey for money, but shes hostile and unwelcoming. Welcome to the Actors Ensemble of Berkeley website! Thank you for checking out my post! 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. She is upset that her friend Click on the name of the character in that box. Lynn Nottage explains how a broken city gets a turn onstage in her play "Sweat.". Jason panics and goes to leave, but he stops when Stan enters to wipe down tables. The plot of Sweat shifts between the present year of 2008 and an extended flashback to the year 2000. 239 0 obj <> endobj var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. John Earl Jelks SWEAT was originally produced on Broadway at Studio 54 by Stuart Thompson and Louise L. Gund, premiering on March 26, 2017. Sweat by Lynn Nottage - The Monologue Blog Well. Sweat (Play) Monologues | StageAgent Couldnt handle the stress. 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. CYNTHIA: Why the hell not? Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. However, Tracey is adamant that German immigrants like her own grandparents built the town. (LogOut/ Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. (LogOut/ It was awarded the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2017 Obie Award for Playwrighting, and three 2017 Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Talk to Olstead, his cronies. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Forget all that. 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. 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. Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs Not us. 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. 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. Nobodys going anywhere. The play was produced Off-Broadway in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. (including. If he was here I wouldnt stop you. Sweat is a two-act play written by Lynn Nottage. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. However, we pay actors a small stipend for expenses and a portion of performance donations in accordance with AB5. 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. New York, NY, SM for Poor Yella Rednecks Learn more. Ms. Whoriskey and Ms. Nottage drew on interviews with residents of Reading, Pa., ranked among the poorest cities in America, as part of their research for the play. They get tax breaks or something. Sweat examines the changing lives of factory workers in Reading, Pennsylvania, between the years of 2000 and 2008. He thinks Jason and Chris should move on and get out of Reading. Teachers and parents! More vacation. Nottage never tells us whos right or whos wrong, but always shows us whos human. 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. Change). A few days later, Chris goes to the bar, where Oscar is now the manager. 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. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. MONOLOGUE: Sweat Cliff Rooks 32 subscribers Subscribe 1.6K views 5 years ago This is a monologue from the play "Sweat" by Lynn Nottage We reimagined cable. But, unbeknownst to them, their lives are about to be uprooted. Chris remembers his fingernails digging into his palms. Theatre lover and actor. PDF Sweat play by lynn nottage pdf Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage spent two years visiting Reading, Pa., to research her new play. That includes not only Reading, Pa., the steel town where the play is set, but also a beleaguered part of the United States in which jobs are under siege and identity is fraying. Brucie warns them that no machines means no jobshe thinks theyre about to be in the same situation hes in. 3) If you have trouble submitting or are unable to film yourself, dont worry. (Both Chris and Jason, not incidentally, also work at the plant, although Chris has higher aspirations.) -Graham S. The timeline below shows where the character Tracey appears in, is playing on a jukebox as a rowdy celebration winds down. 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. Though Cynthia urges her friends to accept the concessions, the floor workers choose to strike. But I meancmonyou guys coming over here, you can get a job faster than. It is August 4, 2000. The following month, Brucie sits at the bar and confides in Stan about the lockout at his textile mill, which has been going on for nearly two years. You could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are in Mexico, whatever, its this NAFTA bullshit. Video submission deadline: Sunday, June 20, 11:59 p.m. Small stipend. You dont know what its been like to walk in my shoes. 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. And to describe the play as a trenchant and insightful analysis of the consequences of the sharp decline in factory work in the country, and the gutting of once-mighty unions, may make it sound like a hortatory tract aimed at raising awareness of the human blight these trends have caused. That Cynthia is black and Tracey and Jessie are white becomes an issue in a way it never was before. Shakespeare in the Woods 2023 Season I do. var path = 'hr' + 'ef' + '='; JASON: [] But seriously, man, why didnt you tell me? These scenes depict Tracey struggling with pill addiction, and Cynthia living in a small, cluttered, low-rent apartment. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. 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. Youve always been cool. urges her friends to meet them halfway unless they want to lose their jobs entirely. tailored to your instructions. 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. Ms. Nottage did intensive research for this play, and it shows, perhaps more than it should. In the plays opening scene, Chris tells his parole officer about his first encounter with Jason after theyve been released from prison. Struggling with distance learning? Ms. Nottageis writing at the peak of her powers NY Times. After some urging from Cynthia, Tracey also agrees to apply (albeit with some misgivings). Complete your free account to request a guide. 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. TRACEY: Listen, that piece of paper youre holding is an insult, it dont mean anything, Olsteads isnt for you. Oscar aint getting rich off your misery. Ive got twenty-four years on the floor. He encourages both men to let go of their shame and self-blame and to meet up with each other to talk. From first moments to last, this compassionate but cleareyed play throbs with heartfelt life, with characters as complicated as any youll encounter at the theater today, and with a nifty ticking time bomb of a plot. CYNTHIA: I didnt expect you to understand, babe. 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. Your computer should open a new tab with the monologue. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. They built the house that I live in. College/University, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, Mature Audiences, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre. Writing that cuts this close to the bone draws out the best in actors. "They white,". CHRIS: Dude, its just something I gotta do. PDF SWEAT - Dramatists Play Service We can suggest monologues, just ask. The full script is available in print and e-book at multiple area libraries. It is foolish to underestimate the anger in places like these, as the most recent presidential election confirmed. He went through hell when his plant locked him out, I understand, but I cant have it. Now, the plant is bringing in Mexican immigrants as temporary laborers. Also, a thank you to Theatre Bay Area for a grant of $2,500.00. Its a tragic story of everyday people struggling to pick up the pieces when their lives fall apart. Sweat Character Tracey Gender Female Age Range Adult, Mature Adult Style Dramatic Act/Scene Act One, Scene Five Time & Place April 2000, Outside a bar Length Long Time Period Contemporary Show Type Play Tags worker working class memory nostalgia family legacy emotional Context Tracey is outside the bar smoking. Afterward, they go to the barwhere Jessie is once again passed out at a tableand excitedly tell Stan about it, but Stan isnt impressed. Started in 74, walked in straight outta high school. Tracey's rude behavior toward Cynthia is driving a wedge in their decades-long friendship. Be angry, but dont make it about this(Points to the skin on the back of her hand) Look at me, Tracey. %PDF-1.4 % The mood becomes tense, and Tracey and Cynthia get into a spat: Tracey clearly resents Cynthia for getting the promotion over her. Clearly, Tracey is acting out because she feels jealous of Cynthia and left behind by one of her oldest friends. SWEAT Broadway Reviews | Broadway World Im cool with everyone. TRACEY: Stillyou werent born here, Berks. "Sweat" is by no means a thinly dramatized op-ed piece. When Oscar returns, she hurls racial slurs and goes to lunge at him, but Stan holds her back. As Tracey privately muses over the citys changing landscape, feeling nostalgia for the days when people were honored for working with their hands, Oscar shows her a Spanish-language job posting for Olsteads. I got eyes. This confuses Tracey, as shes adamant that theyre not hiring. Oscar tells Tracey that him working at Olsteads isnt personal, but Tracey counters that to her, it is personal. Brucie admits that he feels lost, and he recounts an incident of racism he recently experienced at the labor union. The soliloquies might just as easily belong to a series of human-interest news features as to a play. She tells Oscar that Olsteads isnt for you.. dpsinfo@broadwaylicensing.com. Well loan you a green screen if you need one. CYNTHIA: More money. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. PDF SWEAT - Cold Reads/International Want new monologue material three days a week? But a little more indirection would be more dramatically satisfying. Lynn Nottage Monologues Monologues from shows associated with Lynn Nottage Start: There you have it! 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. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." 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). But now, theres nothing on Penn. 4) New to auditioning? 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. 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. 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. to learn more about this monologue from Sweat and unlock other amazing theatre resources! When Stan attempts to break up the fight, Jason accidentally hits him in the head with a baseball bat, causing a traumatic brain injury. Tracey and the others are outraged. Nottage's characters were based on personal research and interviews she conducted in Reading throughout 2011. Note: We are restricted by licensing concerns to casting to type. Whatd he ev Start: Yeah? In 2000, Tracey and her best friends, Cynthia and Jessie, have worked at Olstead's Steel Tubing in Reading, Pennsylvania, for over 20 years. In fact Id hold him down for you to give him a proper beating, but Oscarhes another story. You go into buildings, the walls are covered over with sheetrock, the wood painted gray, or some ungodly color, and it just makes me sad. [2] The play premiered at the Oregon You can also copy the link and paste it in your browser. But Chris has his heart set on following his own pathits just something he has to do. There will always be someone wholl step in, unless we say NO! 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. (including. Tracey comes into the bar while Oscar is in the back, and she tells Stan about how lost and humiliated she feels without a job. Returning to 2000, the play shows how Cynthias promotion has pitted her against her friends. Brucie and the other employees refuse to give into concessions on their retirement benefits. CYNTHIA: Fuck her. CYNTHIA: [] I dont deserve the things youve been saying. Stan warns Oscar that he is putting himself in a dangerous position and stirring animosity among longtime employees. Sharp and threatening as a box cutter bladeferociously engrossingSWEAT never feels less than authenticand crucial. Deadline.com. She tells him that she and Tracey no longer speak after everything that happened. First and only job. In the bar, Stan and Oscar stand by as Tracey, Chris, Jason, and Jessie angrily demand Cynthia to tell them whats going on. TRACEY: [] It was back when if you worked with your hands people respected you for it. Cynthia and Tracey worry that Jessies problem with alcohol could get her fired. 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. 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. Tracey and . 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. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. To laud them individually would require another review. The play opens in a Reading parole office in 2008, panning back and forth between Jason and Chris. Suddenly, they hear a drunken commotion from the bathroom, and Cynthia and, him out after his 21st birthday last October. It makes mewhatever. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. CYNTHIA: [] You know after everything. Anyone can read what you share. Most of the plays action takes place in a local bar run by Stana former factory worker who was chronically disabled when he injured his leg in a machineand Oscar, a young Colombian American man who helps with stocking and cleaning. 264 0 obj <>stream At this. Fucking Wall Street. Try it free. Character building in 'Sweat' - aesantana Instant PDF downloads. CYNTHIA: Ive stood on that line, same line since I was nineteen. TRACEY: Yeah? Buy new (amazon), new (dramatists play service) or used. Sweat (Play) Plot & Characters | StageAgent Jason and Chris meet one another at the local bar, where Oscar is now the manager. 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. Sweat explores how industrial decline affected workers in the former steel and textile town. Teachers and parents! 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. 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. 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. Oscar plays a handheld video game behind the bar. I dont know why. There is a rich eloquence in his inarticulateness that this well-spoken play could use more of. Brucie ends up begging Cynthia for another chance, but she stays strong with Tracey and Jessies support. They also discuss Freddy Brunner, an acquaintance who recently burned his own house down. It is also striking how abruptly the scenes and action change. Tracey Character Analysis in Sweat | LitCharts 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. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. 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. Though Chris initially attempts to calm Jason and prevent an eruption of violent anger, he joins Jason as he beats Oscar. He tells her that hes in a rehab program, which doesnt impress Cynthia. Stan enters the room, wiping down tables just as Oscar did in the plays early scenes. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. 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.
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