• 2017 Pulitzer Prize Winner

• "Potent and powerful"

  - Chicago Tribune

• ★★★★ (out of four)

  - Chicago Sun-Times

• "Sweat at Goodman Theatre [is] better than Broadway's"

  - Chicago Tribune

• ★★★★★ (out of five)

  - Time Out Chicago

• "Impassioned performances"

  - Daily Herald

• "Intensely felt"

  - Chicago Tribune

• "Director Ron OJ Parson has always been a superb orchestrator of actors, and Sweat is a symphony"

  - Time Out Chicago

• "Lynn Nottage goes into the heart of working-class America"

  - Variety

• "Passionate and necessary...a masterful depiction of the forces that divide and conquer us"

  - Time Out New York

• "A raw, prescient portrait of the American working class"

  - Entertainment Weekly

• "A Greek tragedy whose gods have been replaced by unseen corporate moguls"

  - Time Out Chicago

• "Keenly observed and often surprisingly funny"

  - The New York Times

• "Extraordinarily moving drama"

  - The New York Times

• "A heartbreaking glimpse into the domino effect of what happens when life as you know it is pulled out from under you"

  - Entertainment Weekly

• 2017 Tony Award Nominee

• A great show with so many layers. The acting was superb and the production first-rate.

  Barbara Y. via Facebook

• The best drama and acting I've seen. Thanks for a great show!

  Pat P. via Twitter

• Wonderful, powerful production. Very intense and so thought-provoking. We just talked about the play and its message all the way home. Bravo.

  Nicole G. via Facebook

• Powerful, relevant, timely, engaging and really worth seeing. The storylines weave past history and current events in a compelling way. The acting is outstanding!

  Debra S. via Facebook

• Earth-shatteringly good theater. Saw it today. Can't remember the last time I was so invested in a play. Excellent cast.

  Joan M. via Facebook

• Great ensemble piece, terrific acting. You know these people: topical, honest writing.

  Patrick M. via Facebook

• 

  Drinks & Discussion Events

  Throughout the run

  Enhance your theater-going experience with one of our Drinks & Discussion Series events! Stay after select performances for a Post-Show Discussion and a complimentary glass of wine, or come early to select performances for a PlayTalk Session and a complimentary glass of wine.

  LEARN MORE

• 

  Working-Class Frustrations Boil Over in a Most Powerful "Sweat"

  From Chicago Sun-Times's Catey Sullivan

  "Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Sweat” is both a story you already know and one you don’t. That paradox drives the heartbeat of Nottage’s unblinking look at a once-prosperous city bottoming out in an abyss it won’t rise from in the lifetime of its struggling residents."

  READ MORE

• 

  "Sweat" at Goodman Theatre: Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize Winner Set in a Factory Town is Now in Chicago—And Better than Broadway's

  From Chicago Tribune's Chris Jones

  "Playwright Lynn Nottage's potent and powerful Sweat, which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2017 and can now be seen for the first time in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre, comes closer than any recent play to attempt to voice the feelings of (in this case) union workers in a Pennsylvania steel town in 2010, long-serving folk whose decent contract is slowly whittled away by a company salivating over the savings promised by the North American Free Trade Agreement."

  READ MORE

• 

  Time Out Chicago Gives "Sweat" ★★★★★ (out of 5)

  From Time Out Chicago's Alex Huntsberger

  "Set in Reading, Pennsylvania, Nottage’s 2015 drama is a portrait of blue-collar collapse and an inquiry into the cold-blooded murder of the American Dream. Chief among the many culprits is a capitalist system that treats workers like disposable parts. But when those workers don’t stand together, they look for easier targets to blame—including, usually, people who don’t look like them."

  READ MORE

• 

  Q&A with "Sweat" Actor Edgar Sanchez

  An Interview with N'DIGO's TJ Armour

  "N’DIGO recently caught up with Sanchez to learn about his acting influences, how he prepares for each show, and the surprising way he leisurely makes money in his spare time."

  READ MORE

• 

  Ron OJ Parson Shares Insight on Directing "Sweat" and Revolutionary Theater

  An Interview with Rolling out's Eddy "Precise" Lamarre

  "Parson returns to the Goodman to direct the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sweat by playwright Lynn Nottage. Rolling out spoke with Parson about his perspective as a director and why the theater is important to Black culture."

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• 

  Reading, Pennsylvania: A Brief History

  Resident Dramaturg Neena Arndt on the Setting of Sweat

  "Lynn Nottage sets her play Sweat in Reading, Pennsylvania—a once-prosperous city 48 miles northwest of Philadelphia—captivated by its early 21st century economic struggles. Reading’s story, from its earliest pre-Revolutionary beginnings to its apex in the 1930s to its current state of economic decline, mirrors that of many cities across the nation that have undergone sweeping changes in their economic landscapes."

  READ MORE

• 

  Blue Collar Blues

  Playbill's Thomas Connors on the Appeal of Sweat

  "Set in a bar in blue-collar Reading, Pennsylvania (one of the poorest cities in the country), Sweat moves back and forth between 2000 and 2008 as it charts the achievements and defeats of residents whose lives depend upon the fortunes of a local factory."

  READ MORE

Join us for any of the following accessible performances.

The Goodman is proud to offer an inclusive range of programs that help make performances accessible to all audiences, including enhanced performances, accessible seating, braille and large print programs, complimentary Assistive Listening Devices and complimentary tickets for Personal Care Assistants and professional caregivers.

Questions? Please contact 312.443.3800 (voice), 312.443.3829 (TTY/TDD) or email Access@GoodmanTheatre.org.

Touch Tour and Audio-Described Performance
Saturday, April 6: 12:30pm Touch Tour & 2pm Performance
Sunday, April 14: 2pm Performance (without Touch Tour)

For reserved seating for this service, use promo AUDIO.

Reservations for the touch tour are available at check-out for no additional charge. For more information, please call the Box Office or email Access@GoodmanTheatre.org.

American Sign Language-Interpreted Performance
Wednesday, April 10 at 7:30pm

For reserved seating for this service, use promo SIGN.

Open-Captioned Performance
Saturday, April 13 at 2pm

For reserved seating for this service, use promo OPEN.

 See All Accessibility Information for Sweat