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ASHTABULA - The Ashtabula community has announced a free performance of The Public Theater’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “SWEAT” by Lynn Nottage and directed by Kate Whoriskey for one night only on Friday, Sept. 28.

SWEAT, part of The Public Theater’s inaugural Mobil Unit National Tour, will play G.O. Ministries at 5:30 p.m. with free ticket registration available at thepublic.nyc/ sweatashtabula on the calendar.
“SWEAT” tells the story of a group of friends who have spent their lives sharing drinks, secrets, and laughs while working together on a factory floor. But when layoffs and picket lines begin to chip away at their trust, the friends find themselves pitted against each other in the hard fight to stay afloat.
It premiered in New York at The Public Theater in 2016, with critics writing about the play’s breathtaking timeliness, compassion, and power. The play opened on Broadway on March 26, 2017, won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.
“‘Sweat’ tells the story of Reading, Pennsylvania, but it could be any post-industrial city across the landscape,” said playwright Lynn Nottage. “One of the beautiful things about what we’re trying to do with the Mobile Unit National Tour is to link narratives and bring people not just in the communities into dialogue, but people across communities into dialogue and figure out how can we strategize and shift the national conversation.”
Initial casting for the SWEAT MOBILE UNIT NATIONAL TOUR includes Carlo Albán (Oscar), Benton Green (Brucie), Hunter Hoffman (Jason), Steve Key (Stan), and Lance Coadie Willams (Evan).
“SWEAT” will feature scenic design by Wilson Chin, costume design by Christopher Metzger, and sound design by Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen.
With its inaugural production of “SWEAT,” The Public’s MOBILE UNIT NATIONAL will increase the reach of the current Mobile Unit program in New York and strengthen The Public’s commitment to belief that theater belongs to all by producing world-class productions in partnership with community partners nationwide. For more information, please visit thepublic.nyc/mobilenational.
MOBILE UNIT NATIONAL is made possible by the Ford Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional support provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
THE MOBILE UNIT is made possible with the support of Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The Tow Foundation, The McLaughlin Children’s Trust, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and JetBlue Airways. Additional support provided by Open Society Foundation, Susan & David Edelstein and The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The Luesther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater’s year-round activities.
Playgoers will be able to see the artwork created for the Ashtabula community by NYC artist Stevie Walker-Webb and Catherine Rodriguez, of The Public Theater Mobile Unit.

photos by Joan marcus
John Earl Jelks and Khris Davis in The Public Theater’s 2016 production of Sweat, written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Kate Whoriskey.