Sweat

Reading, Pennsylvania, is a blue-collar town with generations of hardworking folks, many of whom work at Olstead’s factory and down cold beers together after hours. But the post-Y2K economy is changing, NAFTA is a new reality and rumors fly about layoffs. Promotions and pride inevitably collide, forming cracks in decades-old friendships that crumble when the factory breaks with the union. From the politically charged opening scene to its electrifying conclusion, Sweat boldly confronts issues of race, immigration, deindustrialization and the ever-slipping grip on middle-class life — all with Nottage’s signature humor and heart.

Dramaturgy of the Projections

Sweat is a unique script. Included in the text are headlines of world events as part of the introduction of each scene. For myself this was a beautiful starting point. As a design team we were investigating the local, national, and global events of the time, both behind the headlines as well as the context of the scenes. One of the paths of investigation for myself and the dramaturg of the production centered around the question: what is the relationship of Minneapolis to the period and the themes of this production, particularly related to industry and economy?

Primary materials are gold. It often takes more work to get to them, but in the end it’s worth it. I spent a long time trying to contact the local news organization. Then they had to dig through their archives for the coverage for the stories we were requesting, which turned out not to be digitized since they were from 2000 and 2008, so we paid for them to be digitized. I dug through the archives of the Clinton white house and the Bush white house. I dug through public domain archives. Through this avenue of research, I gained a deeper understanding of not only what the various media outlets were putting into the world on a national level, but also how the narrative was being translated on a local level. What I ended up with was a design that began rooted in text and evolved into a rich visual tapestry rooted in place and time.