Student production of SWEAT premieres at Stockton’s PAC

By The Argo on October 3, 2022

Written for The Argo by Zuzanna Niepostyn

For those who happened to miss the Thursday and Friday night showings of the play SWEAT by Lynn Nottage, don’t SWEAT it; The Argo has got you covered! SWEAT is a two-and-a-half-hour play written by Brooklyn, NY, playwright Lynn Nottage. It tells the story of the impact that corporate greed and racial divide have on the average working person.

Over the past few weeks, freshman seminars focused heavily on this play and some professors even required their students to watch the Stockton students’ production of SWEAT when it premiered this past weekend. The play premiered for Stockton students on Thursday, September 29th, at 12:30 p.m. and was shortly followed by a 7:30 p.m. showing in the Performing Arts Center. On Friday, September 30th, at 7:30p.m., the showing opened up to the general public.

Those in attendance greeted the cast with warm applause. Student Gabby Czyzewski called the play “very interesting” and complimented the cast’s acting, adding she felt there was “lots of personality in them.” Other students were awed by the cast’s wardrobe. “The story came to life with the outfits, it made it feel more real and personal,” said Mike Reilly. Freshman Tyler Tarabocchio specifically noted the fight scene looked “very realistic” and that he was “surprised the actors could make it look that real without actually hitting each other.”

SWEAT makes its premiere at Stockton’s PAC. Photos courtesy of Zuzanna Niepostyn.

The unanimous praise, however, went to the cast members, who brought the story to life with their emotional range. A fan favorite was Katelyn Appiah-Kubi, who played Cynthia; the whole auditorium applauded loudly when she took her bow at the end of the production. Some other notable performers included Tehilla Newman, who played Tracey; Brendan Ell, who played Stan; Grant Jay, who played Jason; Anthony George II, who played Chris; Christopher Ortiz, who played Oscar; Willow Bethke, who played Jessie; Aaron Fredrick, who played Brucie; and Aaron Fredrick, who played Evan. Positive feedback was also received on the behalf of the creative directors, including Scenic and Costume Designer Venustiano Borromeo, Lighting Designer Daniel Write, Sound and Projection Designer Justin Maciejewski, Director Heidi Mae, and Fight Director Rick Sordelet.

For more information about SWEAT and other upcoming performances, see Stockton PAC’s website: https://www.stockton.edu/pac/