Acting Response #1
Written by Lynn Nottage, Sweat is a play set in Pennsylvania fluctuating in time periods between
2000 and 2008. This entire play is very cleverly written. The play creates an excellent juxtaposition
between the two moods in the different time periods, and it does this by consistently shifting back
and forth between the settings rather than just doing it once, or even not at all. I like how the play
from the beginning switches back and forth between the two protagonists we meet and their
conversations. It was just an incredibly engaging way to get me hooked, and something I could
imagine myself incorporating if I wrote the play. I don’t find it to be as feasible to do in person
unless executed to perfection using creative lighting and a clear-cut difference. The other clever
trick Nottage does is she doesn't reveal the exact crime each of the characters committed nor does
she reveal their relationship with each other. This creates mystery, which I think is what made the
play worth reading. I had to know what happened, how these two men were related, and why one
was more talkative than the other. If I had to set up this scene, I would set up two symmetrical
stages right next to each other and have the stagelight completely dim on one side while it
completely lights up on the other when the conversation switches. I did find the ending a little
underwhelming though as I feel the opening scene made out Jason and Chris as instigators in this
crime rather than the girls, which does not really match the gist of the story.
There were parts of this play I thought would be particularly more powerful if they were performed
in person rather than being read. Nottage set up a play with three outspoken female characters and
got them to turn on each other. That is a great opportunity to have three passionate actors sell their
displeasure towards each other with emotion. Reading it doesn’t really provide the same effect since
you kind of have to imagine it in your head as opposed to witnessing and feeling the aggression and
discomfort.
A significant theme that can be observed in this play is how economic disparage led to a gap
between people:
“Americans think {that a report] that the booming stock market is widening the income gap between the
poorest and richest U.S families.”
Although the quote addresses rich and poor, we find that it even caused rifts between friends of the
same socioeconomic class. If this was performed as a play, a good way to demonstrate this would be
to utilize clothing well. As Cynthia gets her promotion, she could dress better and fancier while her
jealous friends throw on trashy blue jeans and ripped shirts. This would really emphasize the
difference of economic classes the story was attempting to highlight.
The scene between Cynthia and Tracey on pages 58 and 59 was my favorite since this was where
there was a giant swing in the relationship between the two girls. It starts off with Cynthia asking
Tracy if “We good?... I definitely feel some tension…” Honestly, the entire conversation unfolded
exactly how I would have worded it, and it seemed very realistic. It’s one of the few parts of the play
I don’t think would be better acted out since it already connected with me just written.
Overall, SWEAT is a decent play that has the potential to be executed extremely well as a play, but
loses some of its value just being written.