Nottage's Latest Is All Blood, 'Sweat' and Tears

l-r Mary Mara (Tracey) and Portia (Cynthia) star in Sweat

By Darlene Donloe

Shit just got real!

If you want to find out who your real friends are, or who people are in general, watch “them” lose their livelihoods while simultaneously realizing “you” still have your income.  Watch them think their friend, with whom they’ve worked side by side for 20 years – has abandoned them because they have become management.  Watch how tempers escalate quickly and friendships dissolve when one friend thinks another friend has betrayed them.  And, of course, the plot thickens when race becomes part of the equation. You see, some of the players are white and the others are black. 

This, in a nutshell, is the premise behind Lynn Nottage’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Sweat, currently playing at the Mark Taper Forum through October 7, 2018.

The show opens in 2008 with a parole officer (Kevin T. Carroll) questioning a white, tattooed parolee named Jason (Will Hochman), who is full of anger about what happened eight years prior. Next, we see the parole officer questioning Chris (Grantham Coleman) a black parolee full of remorse about what happened eight years before. Jason and Chris were friends in 2000, but an event changed both of their lives sending them both to prison.  Of course, we’re not privy to what the friends did to land themselves in prison. We have to wait until nearly the end of the play to find out.

Fast backward.

Picture it, the year is 2000 and several Pennsylvania factory workers who are longtime friends who frequently meet at a neighborhood bar in Reading, appear to be happy as clams because they have good blue collar jobs, health benefits and friends for life. Or do they? The jobs, which they think are secure – because they have had them north of 20 years, are also held by some of their family members. 

The friends are Cynthia, who is black and Tracey, who is white.

Their happiness takes a serious left when one of the friends, who is black, is promoted and things begin to change at the factory. Soon layoffs, promotions 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 dialogue-heavy, drama-driven race-tinged show, which had its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015, is unapologetically emotional with spurts of hilarity. It’s full of racial issues, economic concerns, political outrage and even entitlement due to tenure.  Once confident in their futures, factory workers must now worry about the efforts of NAFTA possibly ending their livelihoods.  The workers are not willing to go quietly

A case study on characters, Nottage’s show, which clocks in north of two hours, well defines each of the nine personalities featured. The apex of the play is how quickly a once colorblind friendship can turn due to racial division and, ultimately, survival.

The two main characters are Cynthia, played by Portia, and Tracey, played by Mary Mara. Tracey’s family has worked at the factory for decades. Both Cynthia and Tracey, who have been friends for decades, also have sons who work at the factory. Both women have strong, fiery, take-no-shit personalities.  When Cynthia gets a promotion, one Tracey was also vying for, their friendship is put to the test.  Tracey begins to fill betrayed because she thinks Cynthia, who is part of the administration, refused to give them a head’s up when layoffs were going to begin at the factory. Although Cynthia tries to smooth things over, it’s to no avail.  Race and loyalty have raised their ugly heads.

When Chris (Cynthia’s son) and Jason (Tracey’s son) get wind of a scab taking one of the jobs at the factory after the two of them have been laid off, things get a bit violent.

The outcome is horrific and, unfortunately, something they can’t come back from.

There are excellent performances by all of the players. John Earl Jelks, who plays Brucie, Cynthia’s ex-husband and Chris’s father, illuminates the stage, as does Michael O’Keefe who plays Stan (the bar owner), Kevin T. Carroll (Evan), who plays Jason’s and Chris’s parole officer, and Portia and Mary Mara.

Noteworthy performances from Amy Pietz, who plays Jessie, a longtime factory worker and Peter Mendoza, who plays Oscar, the man who works in the bar with Stan, but leaves to cross the picket line and take a better job at the factory.

Lisa Peterson’s direction is fluid and crisp, while Christopher Barreca’s massive set design deserves an applause.

The entire show, lethargic at times with its heady monologues and lack of action, rings of authenticity. Kudos to the production team and the actors. The show is worth every drop of Sweat.

Sweat, directed by Lisa Peterson and written by Lynn Nottage, stars Portia, Mary Mara, Kevin T. Carroll, Mary Mara, Michael O’Keefe, John Earl Jelks, Will Hochman, Grantham Coleman, Peter Mendoza, Amy Pietz.

The creative team includes set design by Christopher Barreca, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Anne Militello, sound design by Paul James Prendergast and projection design by Yee Eun Nam. The production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Sweat gets an E (excellent).

Sweat, Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave. L.A.; 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays (call for exceptions); ends October 7; Tickets: $30-$99 (subject to change). Information: (213) 628-2772 or www.centertheatregroup.org.

Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (including intermission)

International City Theatre Announces 2019 Season

International City Theatre has announced its 2019 season of five plays at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, where ICT is the resident professional theater company. 

“ICT’s 34th Season has something for everyone,” says artistic director caryn desai [sic]. “Each production will open new doors to understanding, reflection and inspiration, Every subscriber will help us keep the doors open to a year of entertainment and education for our region.”

The season will open on Feb. 22 with the award-winning jukebox musical Life Could Be A Dream by Roger Bean. Return to Springfield High (where "The Marvelous Wonderettes" matriculated) and meet the "Crooning Crabcakes," the boy group banned from the senior prom. The singing foursome is hoping for fame and fortune – if only they can win the local radio contest on Big Whopper Radio. Songs from this musical journey to the past include "Runaround Sue," "Tears on My Pillow," "Earth Angel" and "The Glory of Love.” Performances will continue through March 10, with two low-priced previews on Feb. 20 and Feb. 21. 

Next up, The Price will open on May 10. In Arthur Miller’s riveting masterpiece, called “one of the most engrossing and entertaining plays that Miller has ever written” by The New York Times,two estranged brothers meet after a 16-year separation to dispose of their late father's belongings. Performances continue through May 26, with previews set for May 8 and May 9.

Beginning June 14, ICT will present the world premiere of Bestseller, a new comedy by internationally acclaimed playwright Peter Quilter (Glorious, End of the Rainbow) about writers, how they write, the stories they tell and the secrets they keep. When three young novelists arrive at an isolated cottage for a writer’s retreat, their hilarious and compelling books suddenly come to life. Performances continue through June 30; two previews take place on June 12 and June 13.

Beast on the Moon is Richard Kalinoski’s haunting, poetic play about a photographer and his mail-order bride who find refuge in Milwaukee from the Armenian genocide in Turkey. As they struggle to define family amidst their grief and displacement, these kindred strangers discover hope, healing, redemption, and love. Winner of the American Theatre Critic’s Association Osborn Award and the Khorenatsi Medal, Armenia’s highest cultural award, this moving drama will open on Aug. 23 and run through Sept. 8, with previews on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22.

Finally, Lanie Robertson’s Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill will bring Billie Holiday to life at ICT beginning Oct. 18. The iconic singer will take us on a journey through the highs and lows of her tumultuous life, interspersed with stunning renditions of her beloved repertoire. Through Nov. 3; previews are set for Oct. 16 and Oct. 17.

Recognized by Long Beach as the City’s resident professional theater company, International City Theatre is the recipient of over 400 awards, including the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s prestigious Margaret Harford Award for “Sustained Excellence” and the LADCC’s 2016 Polly Warfield Award for an “Excellent Season.” In addition to its professional theater productions, ICT offers six community and educational outreach programs each year. The company’s commitment to the community also includes ongoing collaborations with Long Beach’s African American community and other minority organizations. Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe called ICT “a cultural treasure.”

All performances take place Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For more information about ICT’s 2019 season and to purchase subscriptions or single tickets, call(562) 436-4610 or visit www.internationalcitytheatre.org

Wadado Leo Smith and Golden Quintet To Perform

Iconic composer, trumpeter and Pulitzer Prize finalist Wadada Leo Smith and his Golden Quintet – Smith, pianist Anthony Davis, bassist John Lindberg, drummer Pheeroan akLaff, and cellist Ashley Walters along with video artist Jesse Gilbert – will perform the complete version of Smith’s masterwork America’s National Parks on Sunday, September 23 at 6 p.m. at the Monterey Jazz Festival.  

http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org/schedule#/artist/wadada-leo-smith
 
America’s National Parks is a six-movement suite inspired by the scenic splendor, historic legacy, and political controversies of the country’s public landscapes. Smith’s six extended works explore, confront and question the preserved natural resources that are considered the most hallowed ground in the U.S. – and some that should be.
 
Cuneiform’s 2-CD recording of the work (released October 14, 2016) was named the Jazz Album of the Year by DownBeat’s 65^th International Critics Poll and earned a place on numerous best of the year lists including those of the New York Times, NPR Music and many others. JazzTimes wrote that the album “unites political engagement with a soul-deep connection to nature…rich with ineffable majesty, [the suite] fully engages with tensions at the heart of the American experience.”  
 
The spark for the project came from two places: Smith’s own research into the National Park system, beginning with Yellowstone, the world’s first national park; and Ken Burns’ 12-hour documentary series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.
 
“The idea that Ken Burns explored in that documentary was that the grandeur of nature was like a religion or a cathedral,” Smith says. “I reject that image because the natural phenomenon in creation, just like man and stars and light and water, is all one thing, just a diffusion of energy. My focus is on the spiritual and psychological dimensions of the idea of setting aside reserves for common property of the American citizens.”
 
Smith’s 28-page score for America’s National Parks, penned for his Golden Quintet, showcases the composer’s vigor and daring.  Where many composers would be seduced into romantic excess by the sweeping vistas and majestic panoramas of Yellowstone’s grand waterfalls or Kings Canyon’s towering redwoods, Smith takes a far more investigative and expansive view, with inventive and complex scores that prompt stunning improvisations from his ensemble.  In fact, he has yet to visit many of the parks paid homage in the pieces, opting instead for thorough historical research.
 
“You don't really need to visit a park to write about a park,” Smith insists. “Debussy wrote ‘La Mer,’ which is about the sea, and he wasn’t a seafaring person. I would defend his right to do that, and I would contend that ‘La Mer’ is a masterpiece that clearly reflects his psychological connection with the idea of the sea.”
 
The idea of the parks, rather than their physical and geographical beauty, is central to Smith’s conception of this music. In its marrying of natural landmarks and political challenges, it can be traced back to some of the composer’s epic masterpieces like The Great Lakes and especially Ten Freedom Summers. “It became a political issue for me because the people that they set up to control and regulate the parks were politicians,” Smith says. “My feeling is that the parks should be independent of Congress and organized around an independent source who has no political need to be reelected. So it’s a spiritual/psychological investigation mixed with the political dynamics.”
 
Smith’s suite also takes inventive liberties with the definition of a “national park;” half of its inspirations aren’t, technically speaking, considered as such. The album opens with “New Orleans: The National Culture Park,” which argues that the entire Crescent City deserves to be recognized for its influential contributions to American history and culture. “New Orleans was the first cultural center in America and therefore it produced the first authentic American music,” Smith says.
 
The second piece, “Eileen Jackson Southern, 1920-2002: A Literary National Park,” takes an even broader view, suggesting that the African-American musicologist, author and founder of the journal The Black Perspective in Music, to which Smith has contributed, should be honored for her efforts to document a musical common ground shared by all Americans. Another piece represents the “Deep and Dark Dreams” of the Mississippi River, which Smith calls “a memorial site which was used as a dumping place for black bodies by hostile forces in Mississippi. I use the word ‘dark’ to show that these things are buried or hidden, but the body itself doesn’t stay hidden; it floats up.”
 
The other three pieces are based on more conventionally recognized national parks: Yellowstone, which became the first place in the world so designated in 1872; Sequoia & Kings Canyon, whose trees Smith marvels at as some of the largest and oldest living things on the planet; and Yosemite, which contains striking glaciers and some of the deepest lakes in the world.
 
While these preserved landscapes offer the inspiration of powerful natural beauty, Smith’s always open-minded view of the world leads him to find that same inspiration wherever he is. “Every concrete house is from nature,” he says. “Every plastic airplane that flies 300 people across the ocean comes out of nature. Every air conditioner conditions a natural piece of air. I think that the human being is constantly enfolded in organic nature and constructed nature, so I’m constantly inspired, inside the house or outside the house.”
 

Trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser Wadada Leo Smith is one of the most boldly original and influential artists of his time. Transcending the bounds of genre or idiom, he distinctly defines his music, tirelessly inventive in both sound and approach, as "Creative Music." For the last five decades, Smith has been a member of the legendary AACM collective, pivotal in its wide-open perspectives on music and art in general. He has carried those all-embracing concepts into his own work, expanding upon them in myriad ways. Throughout his career, Smith has been recognized for his groundbreaking work.  A finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, he received the 2016 Doris Duke Artist Award and earned an honorary doctorate from CalArts, where he was also celebrated as Faculty Emeritus. In addition, he received the Hammer Museum's 2016 Mohn Award for Career Achievement "honoring brilliance and resilience." In 2017 Smith topped three categories in DownBeat Magazine’s 65th Annual Critics Poll: Best Jazz Artist, Trumpeter of the Year and Jazz Album of the Year, and was featured as the subject of a cover story in the August 2017 issue. The Jazz Journalists Association (JJA) also honored Smith as their 2017 Musician of the Year as well as 2017 Duo of the Year for his work with Vijay Iyer. The JJA has also named him their 2016 Trumpeter of the Year, 2015 Composer of the Year, and 2013 Musician of the Year, and he earned top billing in two categories in the JazzTimes 2016 Critics Poll: Artist of the Year and Composer of the Year. Smith's Ankhrasmation scores – which use non-standard visual directions making them works of art in themselves as well as igniting creative sparks in the musicians who perform them – have been exhibited worldwide. In October 2015 The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago presented the first comprehensive exhibition of these scores, and they have since been featured in exhibitions at the Hammer Museum, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kadist in San Francisco, the University of Virginia and Smith’s CREATE Festival in New Haven, CT, among others. Born December 18, 1941, in Leland, Mississippi, Smith's early musical life began at age thirteen when he became involved with the Delta blues and jazz traditions performing with his stepfather, bluesman Alex Wallace. He received his formal musical education from the U.S. Military band program (1963), the Sherwood School of Music (1967-69), and Wesleyan University (1975-76). Smith has released more than 50 albums as a leader on labels including ECM, Moers, Black Saint, Tzadik, Pi Recordings, TUM, Leo and Cuneiform. His diverse discography reveals a recorded history centered around important issues that have impacted his world, exploring the social, natural and political environment of his times with passion and fierce intelligence. His 2016 recording, America’s National Parks earned a place on numerous best of the year lists including the New York Times, NPR Music and many others. Smith’s landmark 2012 civil rights opus Ten Freedom Summers was called “A staggering achievement [that] merits comparison to Coltrane’s A Love Supreme in sobriety and reach.”

Jocelyn Bioh's 'School Girls' Opens September 8

L-R: Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole, Paige Gilbert, Joanna A. Jones, MaameYaa Boafo and Latoya Edwards in the MCC Theater production of “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. Written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Rebecca Taichman, “School Girls” will run through September 30, 2018.
Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Performances have begun for the hit MCC Theater production of Jocelyn Bioh’s “School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play” directed by Rebecca Taichman. Currently, in previews, the production will open September 8 at 8 p.m. and continues through September 30, 2018, at Center Theatre Group’s Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Following the Los Angeles run at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, the MCC production of “School Girls” will have an encore run at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York from October 16 through November 25, 2018.

The cast for “School Girls” includes, in alphabetical order, MaameYaa Boafo, Latoya Edwards, Paige Gilbert, Joanna A. Jones, Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole and Myra Lucretia Taylor and Zenzi Williams.

The creative team includes set design by Arnulfo Maldonado, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Jen Schriever, sound design by Palmer Hefferan, dialect coaching by Deborah Hecht and casting by Telsey + Company/Adam Caldwell, CSA, William Cantler, CSA, Karyn Casl, CSA. Laura Wilson is the production stage manager and Ayisha Hunt is the stage manager.

Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter—and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. Jocelyn Bioh’s buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe.

'Instant Family' Set To Open November 16

VIEW THE TRAILER: https://youtu.be/IUfZq3DUd3Y

SYNOPSIS: 

When Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child but when they meet three siblings, including a rebellious 15-year-old girl (Isabela Moner), they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must hilariously try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hopes of becoming a family. INSTANT FAMILY is inspired by the real events from the life of writer/director Sean Anders and also stars Octavia Spencer, Tig Notaro, and Margo Martindale. 

 

DIRECTED BY:

Sean Anders 

 

WRITTEN BY: 

Sean Anders and John Morris 

 

STARRING: 

Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, Isabela Moner, Tig Notaro and Margo Martindale 

Actor Michael Washington Brown Talks About Being Black! In One-Man Show At The Zephyr

Michael Washington Brown

By Darlene Donloe

Michael Washington Brown is unapologetically Black. So much so, that he has written and performs a 90-minute play called, what else, Black!, discussing and highlighting what it means to be black - through the voices of four distinct Black men from different cultures (England, Jamaica, Africa and the U.S.).

The show opens September 9 at the Zephyr Theatre in Hollywood.

A British actor, playwright, and storyteller, Brown’s one-man show has been called funny and deeply truthful as he attempts to shatter stereotypes by playing out the life stories of the four aforementioned men.

Brown, whose mother’s family is from Barbados and father’s side from Jamaica, is the first generation born in England. When he talks about being Black – the richness of his pride comes through in his cadence. He loves being Black and through this show, he wants everyone to know it.

I recently caught up with Brown to discuss being Black!.

DD: What does it mean to be black?

MWB:  I love that you asked that. I feel this incredible sense of responsibility now more than before I wrote the show. I think of my parents and grandparents. There is a common denominator of strength. You think of what we’ve been through and how we have clawed our way up. As an adult and playwright, it’s even deeper for me. To honor the sacrifices that have been made have allowed me to be in the position I am in today.

DD: What is your message?

MWB: Initially, the idea, the impetus came to me that it was a God message. I know the difference between my ego speaking to me and God speaking to me. As an artist, I come from a strong and prideful black family that lives in London. My family is from Jamaica and Barbados. I connect with black brothers and sisters here and in England. Over the years I’ve made jokes about our DNA and how we acknowledge each other and certain situations.

For me, the impact of the show and the message is that there is a tremendous amount of similarity among black people. There are also a tremendous amount of differences.  There are differences from one country to the next, in fact, one state to the next. There is more that bonds us than divides us. We should celebrate the things that bring us together. It breaks my heart to see blacks killing blacks. It hurts when we put each other down.

Michael Washington Brown

DD: Why were these four characters chosen to deliver your message?

MWB: They are from the U.S., England, Jamaica, and Africa — each of whom is black, but each of whom has a very different idea about what that means.  I’m not here to create a conclusion. I just want to give a different perspective. Everyone has to have their own, 'Ah, Ha' moment or their own, 'Oh, Wow' moment. Everyone has their own experiences in life.  I would love for us as black people to celebrate our differences.

DD: Do you believe in your lifetime there will ever be a time when racism is not an issue?

MWB: Sadly, no! I would love to say, yes. Not because there isn’t the potential for improvement. I just don’t think the conclusion will happen in my lifetime.  I’m not here to solve problems, just to give hope and create a conversation. Let's not focus on differences.  We are all the same. We are getting hung up on the exterior and not looking at the interior.  It seems we elevate by putting other people down. We need to take the time to understand each other.  

DD: What do these four men add to the conversation?

MWB: They are going to bring their individual experience of growing up black based on where they grew up. I hope the audiences get to assess where there are similarities and differences. Actually, all four of these men are woven into one.

DD: Why did you write this show?

MWB: Because nobody else had written it. This is my artistic expression. I’ve played a lot of different roles. I’m fed up and tired of only seeing certain representations of black people. There is a lot about us that is not and has not been revealed. I can’t complain and then not step up. This show is me stepping up. These are my thoughts and views and what I would like to see and say.

DD: Why are you the right person to write this?

MWB:  It is silly to think that a white executive could be inspired to do a story on the black perspective. It’s not their story to tell. We have to tell it. I have a voice. It’s not only about what I say on stage. It’s what's happening inside. I need to tell the story. I need to be a vessel.

DD: Is it more important for white people to see this show or for black people to see it?

MWB:  It’s important for anybody who is breathing to see this show. When you see Black – you think it’s only for Blacks to see the show. All shades have told me they connected with things the characters have said.  The audience has to be open to understanding it. It opens up dialogue. Certain things will be presented where individual audiences will say, ‘Oh, I didn’t think about that. Oh, wow what can I do to be more conscious of what I say and do and step out of my comfort zone.’

DD: While writing this show, did you find something out about yourself that you didn't already know?

MWB: Yes, I found out that there is a reservoir of life experiences I’m able to pull from, some are my own. Some are a tapestry of those who have been in my life. They could have been there a year or a month. They have drip dropped life into me. When I go on stage I’m not alone. I feel the presence of my late grandmother. People in my life are showing up with me. That’s the one place I don’t mind being vulnerable – on stage. I’m very private. The show has given me the ability to understand the depths of my own voice.  I’m not responsible for how people respond to the show.

DD: You’ve done the show in New York, Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle and San Francisco.  Talk about the differences in audiences.  Do you switch up your act depending on the audience?

MWB: I can’t switch up. I have to be a clear vessel. I’m employed by these characters. I work for these characters. That’s my responsibility. Coming to Los Angeles – I don’t know the scene there. I can’t let the intimidation affect me. If there is evolution, it’s in the material – or some staging things. The messaging can’t change.

Michael Washington Brown

DD: Talk about your writing process.  How did this come to be?

MWB:  I write in solitude. No music. If an idea comes to me, I’ll send myself an email. It ’s incredibly like meditation. I switch off the phone. There is no outside interference. With Black! I’d start at 10 at night. It was a crystal time. It was quiet. I would open my computer and wait for the characters to show up. I would just write until I get to a point and then the characters would say this is it for the day. That’s my process. Some days I don’t feel it. I won’t put a word on the page. It feels like I’m carrying a burden of words. I have to get it out of me.  It lives inside me so I have to put it somewhere.

DD: You’re Black, but you’re not an African American. What do you think about African Americans?

MWB: My personal experience from England and parts of the West Indies is that the most visible Blacks throughout the world in terms of a voice is the African American. We have a really good representation.  Black Americans have the torch of what’s possible. Black Americans represent hope. They are a visualization of what hope looks like.

DD: This show sounds deep. I hope your audiences will be ready.

MWB: I just want them to come with a blank slate and an open mind. I just want them to embrace what these characters have to say and leave with a sense of being uplifted, informed, inspired, and educated.  That's the most I could ever ask for. Obviously, I hope they enjoy the show.

BLACK!, Zephyr Theatre, 7456 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; 7 p.m., Sundays; Sept. 9 – Oct. 14; $25; (800) 838-3006 or go to blackonemanshow.brownpapertickets.com

'Sweat' Opens At Mark Taper Forum September 5

Portia and John Earl Jelks in the Center Theatre Group production of “Sweat” at the Mark Taper Forum.
Directed by Lisa Peterson and written by Lynn Nottage, “Sweat” will play through October 7, 2018.
Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Center Theatre Group’s production of “Sweat” by Lynn Nottage will open at the Mark Taper Forum on Wednesday, September 5 at 8 p.m. Directed by Lisa Peterson, the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play is currently in previews and continues through October 7, 2018.

The cast includes, in alphabetical order, Kevin T. Carroll, Grantham Coleman, Will Hochman, John Earl Jelks, Mary Mara, Peter Mendoza, Michael O’Keefe, Amy Pietz and Portia.

The creative team includes set design by Christopher Barreca, costume design by Emilio Sosa, lighting design by Anne Militello, sound design by Paul James Prendergast and projection design by Yee Eun Nam. The production stage manager is David S. Franklin.

Filled with warm 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, promotions 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.