About this Video

• Video Title: Lynn Nottage on the origins of SWEAT | The Public Theater
• Channel: PublicTheaterNY
• Speakers: Lynn Nottage
• Duration: 00:04:03

Introduction

This video features playwright Lynn Nottage discussing the genesis of her play Sweat. She details her research process in Reading, Pennsylvania, focusing on the impact of factory closures and economic hardship on the community and how these experiences shaped the play's narrative.

Key Takeaways

• The play Sweat originated from an email from a close friend who experienced job loss and subsequent economic hardship.
• Nottage's research in Reading, Pennsylvania, in 2011, revealed the significant impact of factory closures and the practice of "lockouts" on steel and textile workers. This differed from previous labor conflicts where strikes and collective bargaining were possible.
• Nottage initially expected resistance to her research efforts but found residents eager to share their stories due to feelings of isolation and invisibility. Her research lasted two and a half years.
• The play aims to foster dialogue and understanding, bringing together diverse voices from a struggling community to highlight shared experiences and the broader American narrative of economic insecurity.
• Nottage hopes the play encourages conversations about economic inequality, prompting audiences to engage with those from different backgrounds and to hold lawmakers accountable.

Nottage initially assumed the residents of Reading, Pennsylvania wouldn't want to speak with her, viewing herself as an "outsider". However, she discovered they were eager to share their experiences because they felt invisible and isolated, suffering in silence. The extent of their frustration regarding job loss, economic hardship, and the lack of effective means to address their situation became apparent during her extensive research period.

Nottage hoped the play would spark conversations and encourage dialogue, not just amongst audience members but also between the audience and those in power. She wanted the play to highlight the shared narrative of economic hardship and to make people more willing to engage with storytelling and understand its power. Specifically, she hoped that audiences would talk to people they wouldn't normally talk to and would hold legislators and those with power accountable.