THE SEEING PLACE THEATER (TSP) Presents

SWEAT

By LYNN NOTTAGE

Featuring

MIGUEL ALJANDRO FANA, LORI KEE, LOGAN KEELER, JUANES MONTOYA, DAVID NIKOLAS,
JUSTIN PHILLIPS, PHILLIPE D. PRESTON, JOY SUDDUTH, and EILEEN WEISINGER

Directed by BRANDON WALKER
Stage Management: SHANNON FORMAS
Producers: ERIN CRONICAN, BRANDON WALKER
Scenic Design & Costume Design: ERIN CRONICAN
Sound Design: BRANDON WALKER

Streaming February 29 – March 3, 2021

Tickets: THESEEINGPLACE.COM

Friends and family meet at a local bar to unwind after another day at the local factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. The talk mostly centers around gossip, goings-on at the plant, daily trials and tribulations, and for those who dare, dreams. Lynn Nottage’s SWEAT encompasses the time frame of 2000 to 2008. Slowly creeping into the gatherings are complications of immigration, racism, sexism, white supremacy, and economic recession. And as the town’s main source of employment deals with the consequences of a deflating financial system, the group looks for someone or something to blame for their changing lives.

Throw in a pandemic and the rise of domestic terrorism and SWEAT could be a modern-day play. There are so many essential time-worn elements that are addressed. As we have clearly defined essential workers in 2020, Congress refuses to pass a minimum wage law in 2021. The luxury of choosing your path and standing up for your rights vanishes as survival and life-saving procedures take precedence. This superb cast breathes life into characters struggling with these issues and passionately presents their multi-faceted viewpoints. In life, where does SWEAT get you?

This production is supreme in its production and timely in its message. By far it is the best Zoom production I have seen so far. SWEAT is a glance at the past, a confirmation of the present, and probably a prediction for the future. Quite an accomplishment!

- Laurie Lawson -