Plot & Events
Where does Sweat take place?
Reading, Pennsylvania
Who is the bartender and owner of the bar where much of the play takes place?
Stan
What major economic issue is at the heart of Sweat?
Deindustrialization and the loss of factory jobs.
What is the main structure of the play (e.g., time frame)?
It moves between 2000 and 2008, showing both the events leading up to and the aftermath of the factory closure.
What city and state did this play take place?
Reading, Pennsylvania
What job do most of the main characters have at the beginning of the play?
They work at the Olstead steel tubing factory.
Which two women are best friends but later have a falling out due to work tensions?
Cynthia and Tracey
How does the play explore race relations in the workplace?
Through tensions between Black and white workers over promotions, loyalty, and perceived fairness.
How does Nottage use the setting of the bar symbolically?
The bar represents community, stability, and later, the collapse of solidarity among workers.
In what place do most of the scenes in the play take place?
The bar
Why are the workers locked out of the factory?
Because they refuse to accept lower wages and loss of benefits after the company decides to cut costs.
Who is Cynthia’s ex-husband, and what problem does he struggle with?
Brucie, who struggles with drug addiction and unemployment.
What does Sweat suggest about the idea of the “American Dream”?
That it is becoming unreachable for the working class as job security and opportunity disappear.
What role does dialogue play in revealing class and identity?
The characters’ speech patterns and slang reveal their social background, values, and emotional states.
The play moves between these two years, both before and after the economic downturn
2000 and 2008
What does Oscar do that angers the other factory workers?
He takes a job as a non-union worker (a replacement) during the lockout, which they see as betrayal.
How does Cynthia’s promotion change her relationships with the other workers?
It causes jealousy and resentment, particularly from Tracey, who believes she deserved the promotion instead.
How does Lynn Nottage show the impact of globalization on the working class?
By depicting how corporate outsourcing and cheaper labor abroad destroy small-town American industries.
How does the non-linear timeline affect audience understanding of the story?
It creates suspense and allows the audience to see the long-term consequences of the characters’ actions.
What major economic issue during this time threatens the factory jobs throughout the play?
Jobs moving overseas (outsourcing)
How does the factory’s closure affect the lives of the main characters?
It leads to unemployment, poverty, broken friendships, addiction, and violence, showing the deep personal toll of economic collapse.
What does the conflict between Chris and Jason symbolize about their generation?
It reflects how economic decline and racial division trap young people in cycles of anger and hopelessness.
In what ways does the play critique power and privilege in American society?
It exposes how corporations and social hierarchies exploit workers while pitting them against each other.
How does Nottage’s use of realism contribute to the play’s emotional impact?
By portraying believable, everyday people and situations, she encourages empathy and social awareness in the audience.
Where do most characters get their main source of employment at the start of the play?
Olstead’s Steel Factory