KU Theatre explores labor and community in award-winning drama ‘SWEAT’

LAWRENCE – The University Theatre will present Lynn Nottage’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “SWEAT,” which explores the lives of Rust Belt factory workers and the pressure of productivity.

Performances are in the William Inge Memorial Theatre at Murphy Hall. “SWEAT” will play at 7:30 p.m. March 22, 23, 26, 27 and 28 and at 2:30 p.m. March 24. Tickets are available for purchase at kutheatre.com/sweat, by calling 785-864-3982 or in-person at the box office in Murphy Hall from noon-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“SWEAT” was based on research and dialogue that arose from Nottage embedding herself with the working class community of Reading, Pennsylvania, exploring how marginalized people build community and how they respond when that community is divided against itself. At times the text allows the characters space to cut loose and have fun before returning to serious subjects, like job security, prejudice and addiction, with globalization and neoliberalism as a backdrop.  

The production is directed by acclaimed playwright Darren Canady, KU professor of English, who writes about the Black experience in the Midwest. His work has been produced at theatre companies across the country.

“’SWEAT’ is really about labor in America and how it affects the ways a community relates to its members, how a community builds its sense of joy and how the labor of that community also leads to its destruction,” Canady said. “It also asks, ‘What makes me who I am?’ and ‘How do I make a meaningful life in a society that decides my value based on my productivity?’” 

The work confronts dehumanization as a byproduct of corporate greed and the dangers of defining a person’s value by their productivity. ‘SWEAT’ has mature language and violence depicted on stage and may not be appropriate for all audiences.

 Canady’s recent directing and dramaturgy work have been seen at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Helen Hocker Theatre and Theatre Lawrence. His own plays have been seen at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, American Conservatory Theater, Sound Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, Horizon Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Fremont Centre Theatre, Congo Square Theatre, the BE Company, American Blues Theater, KC Rep and London’s Old Vic Theatre.

He is an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University, New York University and the Juilliard School. Canady currently teaches playwriting at the KU. His participation in SWEAT is made possible in part by the LeWan Alexander Spiritship Fund.

The creative team is rounded out by Rana Esfandiary, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance, as scenic and costume designer; Elliot Bowman, a senior in theatre, math and linguistics from Topeka, as lighting designer; Jane Barnette, associate professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance, as dramaturg; Dan Heinz, a guest artist and freelance actor, director and fight director based in Lawrence, as fight director; and Connor L. Maloney, a junior in theatre design from Wichita, as stage manager.

Cast members are ShonMichael Anderson, a sophomore in theatre performance from Wichita; Katelyn Arnold, a sophomore in theatre performance from Topeka; Alex Haynes, an actor, KU lecturer, and alum; Myles Hollie, a senior in theatre performance from Richmond, Virginia; Jordan Nevels, a senior in theater performance from Overland Park; Caleb Jonathan Parish, a senior in theatre performance; Nicole Piekalkiewicz, a senior in theatre performance from Lawrence; Sergio L. Román Alicea, a Ph.D. student in theatre studies from San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Casey Schenk, a sophomore in theatre performance and math from Topeka. 

The University Theatre and University Dance Company are production wings of the University of Kansas’ Department of Theatre & Dance, offering public productions throughout the academic year. The University Theatre and University Dance Company productions are funded in part by KU Student Senate fees, and the theatre’s season is supported by Truity Credit Union.

The Department of Theatre & Dance is one of three departments in the School of the Arts. As part of the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the School of the Arts offers fresh possibilities for collaboration between the arts and the humanities, sciences, social sciences, international and interdisciplinary studies. For more information on the Department of Theatre & Dance, visit theatredance.ku.edu. For the most recent updates on KU Theatre public performances, visit kutheatre.com and for KU Dance performances, dance.ku.edu.