Sweat

play by Nottage

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July 23, 2026

Quick Summary

Sweat is a play by Lynn Nottage that won her the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2017. The play is set in a bar in a Pennsylvania town that was once a steel-producing hub. It takes place between the years 2000 and 2008 and offers a realistic portrayal of the American working class and the economic struggles in the Rust Belt. Nottage conducted over two years of interviews in former steel towns to gather details for the play. The play's themes often revolve around marginalized communities, the working class, and race relations in America.12

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Lynn Nottage
Plays of the American working class: Sweat and Clyde’s
In 2015 Nottage premiered Sweat, which won her second Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Set in a bar in a shuttered steel town in Pennsylvania, Sweat received rave reviews from critics and audiences for capturing a realistic portrait of the American working class and the growing economic crisis in the…
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In 2015 Nottage premiered Sweat, which won her second Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Set in a bar in a shuttered steel town in Pennsylvania, Sweat received rave reviews from critics and audiences for capturing a realistic portrait of the American working class and the growing economic crisis in the…
Read More