Center Repertory Company Presents the Masterful Contemporary Drama “Sweat”

     Center Repertory Company’s presentation of Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “SWEAT,” directed by acclaimed actor/director Elizabeth Carter, eloquently captures the malaise among a group of longtime co-workers at a Berks County, Pennsylvania, mill. This play follows a group of friends who have spent their lives working together on the factory floor, sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs. However, as their career prospects fade when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, they turn on one another, and these lifelong companions become combatants in this heart-wrenching fight to stay afloat. Race, class, and friendship are all elements that collide in this explosive drama.

     “Sweat” features a truly remarkable ensemble and creative team. Cathleen Riddley plays Cynthia, an African American factory worker interested in becoming a manager. Lisa Anne Porter plays the role of Tracey, a white factory worker who is friends with Cynthia, and Maryssa Wanlass plays Jessie, a friend of both Cynthia and Tracy. However, their friendship becomes destabilized when Cynthia moves into management.

     Adam KuveNiemann and Eddie Ewell each is making his Center REP debut; Adam as Jason, Tracey’s son who lost his job at the factory, and Eddie as Cynthia’s son, who works at the factory and aspires to attend college. The two of them are vibrant buddies whose hope curdles into anger and violence. Robert Parsons and Roman Anthony Gonzalez also make their Center REP debut; Parsons as Stan, a kindhearted bartender who formerly worked in the factory, and Gonzalez as Oscar, a Colombian American who works at the bar.

     Other cast members include Michael J. Asberry, who plays the role of Brucie, Cynthia’s estranged husband and Chris’ father, and David Everett Moore as Evan, a parole officer.

     “Sweat” features scenic design by Kelly James Tighe, costume design by Becky Bodurtha, sound design by Cliff Caruthers, lighting design by Kevin Myrick, props design by Alyssa Tryon, and fight direction by David Maier.

     “Sweat” communicates its points with maximum grit, along with rage, despair and even violence. Stage plays don't get much more topical or dramatic than "Sweat," a true portrait of lost American dreamers adrift in an economic wasteland. This play truly grabs the audience with its ripped-from-the-headlines social and political resonance.

     “Sweat” runs approximately 3 hours, with a 15-minute intermission, and is currently performing through April 16 at the Lesher Center for the Arts (1601 Civic Dr.) in Walnut Creek, CA. For tickets or more information, please phone (925) 943-7469 or visit LesherArtsCenter.org.

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Photo caption: Jason (Adam KuveNiemann) confronts Oscar (Roman Anthony Gonzalez) about a situation at Olstead's Bar as Tracey (Lisa Anne Porter), Chris (Eddie Ewell), and Stan (Robert Parsons) watch in Center Repertory Company's production of Lynn Nottage's "SWEAT," performing through April 16 at Lesher Center for the Arts. (Photo Credit: Kevin Berne)