A Peak Inside the Rehearsal Room

By Franny Mestrich

(Rehearsal image of The Public Theater's production of Sweat)

Two weeks from opening night, there is a buzz of anticipation in the rehearsal room. During a ten minute break, actors gather in a group, faces illuminated by their cell phone screens. They just received another notification in what seems like a never-ending stream of news updates. Tonight from the Trump Administration: steel tariffs.

"It's crazy," says Paul (or Jason, as we know him in Nottage's world), "I can't help thinking how screwed everyone in this play would be. I mean, it seems like they're always getting screwed but tonight especially."

He has a point. Most of the characters in Sweat work in a steel mill in Reading, Pennsylvania. A town heavily damaged by the 2008 financial crisis and the de-industrialization of America, it cannot be a good night in Reading.

"So many of these characters remind me of my family," chimes in Erica, the actress playing Tracey. "I grew up in a town like Reading. My dad worked in an iron factory. So did his dad's dad, and his dad's dad's dad...as far back as you can imagine." Does he still work there? "No. The factory closed ten years ago. He's a janitor now, in the town high school."

The actors notice the director listening to them.

"Remember this," he says. "Always remember this. You've been given the gift of telling that story. That's something we get to do every night."

The actors nod.

The stage manager calls the end of the break. The actors put their phones aside and take their places.

But I think I notice them standing up a little straighter.