It’s the year 2000 in Reading, Pennsylvania. A group of friends go to work at the steel mill and then decompress at the bar as they’ve done for over 20 years. They don’t know that their lives are about to be uprooted.

Their steel mill is making some changes and the blood, sweat and tears, not to mention the generations of loyalty these workers have shown, don’t matter.

These middle class, unionized, steelworkers have made plans to save money, go on vacations and then retire but when rumors start flying that the company is considering layoffs, and flyers are hung to recruit non-union Latino workers for less money, the war between community and capitalism begins.

Sweat takes the stage at Steel River Playhouse, 245 E. High Street in Pottstown, opening April 22nd.

Playwright Lynn Nottage spent time interviewing residents of Reading to capture the atmosphere of a town in decline.

Directed by Reginald C. Brown, this Pulitzer Prize winning play explores the effects of the loss of jobs and the increase in racial tension on a working class city which was classified as one of the poorest in the US at the time the play was written. This play contains violence as well as adult language and content.

Director Reginald C. Brown notes “I am greatly pleased and privileged to direct and share the play Sweat, by the illustrious playwright Lynn Nottage. Sweat is a work of immense power and timeless relevance. The play is reflective of actions and occurrences that prove ruinous to a once convivial working-class community, yet it also serves as a microcosm for society as a whole.”

The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM from April 22nd through May 1st.

Tickets are $29 for adults, $24 for Seniors 65+, and $17 for students.  Tickets may be purchased online here, or by calling the box office at 610-970-1199. 

Patrons are asked to mask up upon entering the theater. For more information about volunteer opportunities or other questions please email info@steelriver.org. 

See this us thought-provoking story at Steel River Playhouse!