“Sweat”, Lynn Nottage, Act 1, Pt. 1 Synopsis
The setting takes place in a parole office on September 29, 2008, with the town’s Annual Fall Festival happening in the background. We are then introduced to Jason, a white American, twenty-nine-year-old man with white supremacist tattoos, and Evan, and older African-American man in his forties. At first the two men make small talk, but gradually their conversation becomes aggressive. This establishes a power imbalance between the two men, with Evan being placed in the more powerful role as the parole officer and Jason likely being a convict. After Jason is interrogated about his black eye and busted lip, the young man becomes agitated and calls his superior a racial slur. The tension begins to alleviate, and Evan begins to recall his encounter with a mutual acquaintance, Chris. Chris is a twenty-nine-year-old African-American man who is neatly dressed but demonstrates some neurotic behavior. During the conversation between Chris and Evan, Chris reveals that he’s having a hard time landing a job and does not have a stable home. He also reveals his aspirations to finish his degree and find solace in God. Chris also mentions his chance encounter with Jason on the street. While initially being off-put by Jason’s new white supremacist tattoos, both men notice recognize each other in passing. his triggers an emotional response in both men, leading both men to hug one another. The scene ends with Chris being on the verge of tears and time jump out of 2008.
Act. 1, Pt. 2:
In the second act, we are set back to January 18, 2000, eight years before the events of Scene 1. The scene prefaces with a newspaper headline about the booming stock market. The act takes place in a cozy bar with loud at music at the end of a celebration. We are then introduced to Cynthia, a forty-five year old African-American woman, Tracey, a forty-five year old white American woman (who is a little too drunk), the bartender Stan, a fifty-year old man in his fifties, and Jessie, an Italian-American in her forties. Both Cynthia and Tracey are dancing while Stan is behind the bar and their friend Jessie lays passed out on the table. The music ends and Stan brings up the question of who is going to take care of Jessie and bring her home. After both women jokingly refuse to do so, Stan walks out with a pronounced limp and flirts with Tracey. We are then introduced to Oscar, a Colombian-American busboy in his twenties. Cynthia expresses the desire to go home right away so she can wake up early for her shift, yet reluctantly stays at Tracey’s insistence for more drinks. Cynthia rambles to her friends about Brucie, who she spent Christmas with, and how they got into an altercation that ended with her arrest. Both Stan and Maggie proceed to bring up men in their town who have burned down their houses. Tracey then proceeds to make a racist assumption towards Oscar, who Stan redirects into a conversation about Freddy, one of the men who had burned their house down. Jessie wakes up from her stupor and calls Stan a cripple in her drunken rage. Cynthia reveals that Jessie has been resorting to alcohol as a coping mechanism for the leave of her presumed husband, Dan. Both women and Stan bring up how Butz is getting promoted and moving out of state, and Cynthia reveals her desire to apply for Butz’ old position. Afterwards, the group discusses how the factory hasn’t changed in decades and discusses the new generation of Olstead’s running the company. Stan mentions how very few young men work in the factory because they feel entitled to better jobs since they are well-educated.
Act 1, Scene 3:
The scene jumps to February 10, 2000. We are still in the bar, but this time we are met with younger versions of Chris and Jason from the first scene. Both Stan and Oscar are present as well. Through their conversation, we learn that Jason is Tracey’s son. Both Chris and Jason discuss the temptations of new materialistic items, such as sneakers, that thwart their attempts to save money. Chris also reveals that he was accepted to a teaching program in Albright. Stan stresses to Chris about the importance of staying in the town at Olstead’s, since according to him he won’t make much more money than what he’s already making in the factory. However, Chris is firm about his decision and tells both men that he has aspirations. Jason jokes about his friend and Black History month, revealing his distaste towards the celebration because it makes him feel bad for being white. He ponders about why White Celebration Month isn’t a thing, and Chris is quick to bring up the appearance of Klan members. Jason is slightly mad about being blindsided about Chris’ decision to go to college, but both end the scene by taking a shot of alcohol.
Act 1, Scene 4:
Scene 4 takes place one month later, on March 2, 2000. The scene takes place in the bar, with Brucie, an African-American man in his forties, sitting at a bar with his drink with the Republican Debate playing on a television in the background. Stan asks Brucie about his preferences towards the political candidates, and Brucie claims he likes Bradley while acknowledging that all the candidates will take advantage of them in the end. During their conversation, Brucie reveals that he’s been locked out for ninety-three weeks, since he doesn’t want to take a new contract and have pay cuts as well as no retirement. He also reveals that the factory brings in Spanish workers every three months. We later learn that Brucie is tired about constantly worrying about his financial security even though he is well into his 40s, and feels like he will not be able to retire in the same way his father did. Stan reveals more details about the circumstances surrounding his injury, since the Olstead’s faulty machine landed him in the hospital and the refused to apologize to him. We get a sense of the company’s indifferent attitude towards their employees, since Stan admits they treat them all like nobodies. Brucie shares his frustrations with dealing with a white man who loost his job at the union office. In the middle of their conversation, Cynthia, Tracey, and Jesse enter the scene. Brucie tries to make a conversation with Cynthia, but she rebuffs him. After approaching her the second time, she still rebuffs him and Brucie flies into a rage. Tracey and Jesse defend their friend as Cynthia’s ex explains that he’s trying to get better, but she doesn’t want anything to do with him. After they discuss their son, Chris, getting into college and Cynthia’s desire to apply for the higher position in the company, the two end their interaction with a kiss.
Act 1, Scene 5:
It is April 17, 2000. The scene opens in the bar exterior, with Tracey standing outside smoking a cigarette. She is accompanied by Oscar, who bums her for a cigarette. However, she rebuffs him. There is a small standoff between the two, but Tracey finally relents and gives him a cigarette. Oscar questions her about her job at the plant after he saw a flyer about hiring positions at the Latino Community Center. Tracey is skeptical, and tells him that he needs to be in a union and have connections to get a job. Oscar inquires about the celebration in the bar, and Tracey tells him Cynthia just got promoted. She also reveals that while she’s close to her friends, she gets kind of sick of them. Tracey also begins to ramble about how she is just as qualified as Cynthia, but didn’t get the position due to her being white and the plant wanting more minorities in higher positions. She also delves into her family’s history, and how her grandfather was a craftsman. Tracey compares and contrasts this to the newer buildings, which lack the personalization of the older buildings that her grandfather helped decorate.
Act 1, Scene 6:
It’s May 5, 2000. The news begins with the U.S.’s unemployment rate, which has tumbled to a 30-year low at 3.9%. The scene takes place in the bar, with Stan preparing a gimlet, Oscar playing a portable video game, and Jessie eyeing a birthday cake. Jessie reveals that Cynthia and Tracey were supposed to meet her at the bar over an hour ago, but reveals that Cynthia’s promotion has created tension between the two. Stan tells Jessie that Tracey has been spreading racist rumors about Cynthia, but Jessie insists that Cynthia was qualified for the position. Just as Jessie is about to cut the cake, Cynthia bursts into the bar and apologizes for being late. Cynthia revels about the perks of her new position to anyone who will listen. Both Chris and Jason appear and crash the party. Jason reveals that he bought a new bike, which Stan congratulates. Jason inquires about his mother Tracey, and Jessie and Cynthia discuss how and when they first met. Jessie expresses regret about not experiencing the world more, when Tracey shows up to the bar. Cynthia confronts Tracey about the recent tension between them, while Tracey confronts Cynthia about the plant laying employees off.
Act 1, Scene 7:
It is now July 4, 2000. The news highlights the narrowing wage gape between men and women. The scene takes place outside of the bar, with Brucie smoking a cigarette and being clearly high. Chris and Jason rush out of the bar. Brucie confronts Chris on his way out and asks him if his mother, Cynthia, is inside. He then proceeds to ask his son and Jason for money. Chris finally relents and lends his father a ten dollar bill. The boys reveal to Brucie that the plant is revealing the names of workers who they are laying off, which worries them. Brucie insists that its all a part of the plant’s plan to pull their workers into submission.
Questions
- Is there a change in Evan’s demeanor when he is interacting with Jason as opposed to Chris? Or does he impose his position of power on both of them regardless of how well they respect him.
Throughout Act 1, Pt. 1, there is less tension during Evan’s interaction with Chris as opposed to his interaction with Jason. When Evan is interacting with Jason, he appears to be more aggressive, as shown by when he tells Jason to piss in a cup. In contrast, he seems to be calmer and more inquisitive around Chris, since he wants to know what he’s up to and what happened during his interaction with Jason.I feel like Nottage includes subtle examples of racial tension as a way to bridge into larger scenarios. For example, when Cynthia got the promotion, Tracy believes she only got it because she was black. The factory, and to an extent the town’s, attitudes towards race are a reflection of how tradition and racist attitudes are ingrained in the town.
- How do Chris’ white supremacist attitude and Jason’s unstable lifestyle reflect the younger generation of the town?
The fact that both the children of the factory workers, i.e., the new generation, are leading volatile lives represents the detrimental effects of the town’s mentality. The factory town that Nottage tries to portray has limited options and more pressure to work in the factory. This in turn hinders the younger generation, because they feel more inclined to follow the more traditional path of working in the factory as opposed to seeking out social mobility.