PURE Theatre to Remount Critically-Acclaimed “Sweat” for 2019 Piccolo Spoleto Festival

Press Release

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On Tuesday, May 28th, PURE Theatre will open the remount of 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama winner, Sweat at the Queen Street Playhouse. Written by two-time Pulitzer prize-winning playwright, Lynn Nottage, and directed by PURE Theatre Artistic Director, Sharon Graci, Sweat returns by popular request and demand following its Southeastern Regional Premiere at the Dock Street Theatre where it made record attendance for PURE in the 2018 MOJA Arts Festival.

Sweat is 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. Filled with warm humor and tremendous heart, Sweat is “a topical reflection of the present and poignant outcome of America’s economic decline.” – Theatre Communications Group

“Sweat is powerful theatre,” says Director, Sharon Graci. “It’s electric and dynamic. It’s a near perfect arc plot. It’s provocative, satisfying, well crafted, and well acted. It is truly one of the star offerings this Piccolo Spoleto Festival. It achieves a visceral exploration of the human cost of deindustrialization by examining the effects of post-industrialization from the ground-zero perspective of laborers. Yet, make no mistake, Sweat offers few definitive comments on complex issues such as trade agreements, collective bargaining, unionization, workers rights, and wage distribution. It asks many more questions than it provides answers. It is an exceptional platform for discussion of some of the most pressing and complex issues of our times, including corporate consciousness, globalization, disenfranchisement of the working class, and the resulting impact on race relations as well as the rise of recessive social movements and attitudes such as anti-immigration, amplified bigotry, and fascist philosophies as they relate to the destruction of labor. As Artistic Director of PURE Theatre, I make three promises on behalf of my company: We will always tell you a story worth listening to. We will always pursue the highest standards of artistic excellence. We will always gift you with something to talk about when you leave the theatre. Sweat prefers to cue the questions, and I’m keeping my promises. It’s up to us, all of us, to find the answers.”

The remount will feature original cast members: Henry Clay Middleton, Jacob Milano, David Perez, and PURE Core Ensemble members, Cristy Landis, Douglas Scott Streater, R.W. Smith, Joel Watson, Joy Vandervort-Cobb, and Erin Wilson.

Piccolo Spoleto Festival performance times are as follows:

• Tuesday, May 28th at 5 pm
• Saturday, June 1sg at 2 pm
• Sunday, June 2nd at 5 pm
• Tuesday, June 4th at 6 pm

Tickets for Sweat are on sale now at piccolospoleto.com and at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival Box Office at the Gaillard Center (95 Calhoun Street). Advance purchases are strongly recommended.

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