Theatre And Dance At Wayne State Brings Lynn Nottage's SWEAT To The Detroit Stage

The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance, a program within the College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts at Wayne State University is proud to present Lynn Nottage's timely and powerful drama Sweat at the Hilberry Theatre November 1 to 17, 2019.

Filled with warmth, humor and tremendous heart, Sweat tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on the factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in a heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat.

The cast and creative team are excited to bring this relevant and particularly timely script to the city of Detroit. Guest director Calandra Hackney says, "The Pulitzer Prize-winning play Sweat allows the audience a front row seat to the realities of working class America. Two questions that I consistently asked during this process were 'Who is allowed to consider themselves working class?' and 'Why even in 2019 are working class Americans still bearing the burden of job loss, poverty in some instances and the feeling of being unheard?' I urge audience members to consider those questions as well as you go on this journey with us." Hackney is also drawn to Lynn Nottage's work because of her ability to capture the true essence of human spirit in her writing. Hackney says, "Lynn is an actor's, and frankly a director's, playwright because she gives you everything you need in the written words on the page.

Sweat premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015 and was produced Off-Broadway at The Public Theater in 2016 and on Broadway in 2017. The Broadway production received three 2017 Tony Award nominations including Best Play. In 2017, the play was honored with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Erin Negley of "Lancaster Online" described the play as "a powerful and emotional look at identity, race, economy, and humanity." "The New Yorker" said the play was "the first theatrical landmark of the Trump era," noting the political and economic similarities in the play with Rust Belt America.

Tickets range from $15 to $27, not including fees, and may be purchased online at theatreanddanceatwayne.com or by phone at 313-577-2972. Group rates and school discounts are available. The Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

About the Wayne State University
Wayne State University is one of the nation's preeminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://research.wayne.edu/