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Three reasons to book your ticket for Sweat now

There are just a few days to go until the Scottish premiere of Sweat and we can’t wait to share this new staging of Lynn Nottage’s highly acclaimed play about class, race and the dignity of labour.

Not booked your tickets yet? Here are three reasons you really don’t want to miss your chance to see this monumental contemporary drama.

1. Lynn Nottage is one of the foremost American playwrights of today

Lynn Nottage is renowned for her extensive research, emotional intelligence, and dedication to amplifying overlooked voices.

She is the first (and only) female playwright to win the prestigious Pulitzer Prize twice – first in 2009 for her play Ruined and again in 2017 for Sweat. The Pulitzers are among the highest honours for US based authors, and it firmly places Lynn Nottage alongside celebrated writers such as Eugene O’Neill, August Wilson and Tennessee Williams.

Gritty, unapologetic, and never timid… Sweat is just the latest testament that there is perhaps no better contemporary playwright at combing the rich nexus of history and humanity than Lynn Nottage

Patrick Maley, Exeunt Magazine NYC

A model box showing the set for Sweat.
Director and actor studying a script together in the rrehearsal room.
Wall of the Rehearsal room for Sweat

2. It’s a brilliant play

You don’t have to take our word for it – Sweat’s many awards and 5-star reviews speak for themselves. As well as the Pulitzer Prize, this hard-hitting drama also won an Obie Award for playwriting and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.

The play has been widely staged and internationally praised for its sharp storytelling and incisive social insight. After a successful run on Broadway, it had a hugely acclaimed run at the Donmar Warehouse in London, winning the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play.

“emphatically one of the great American plays… Sweat is a thesis on the decline of the working class in the twenty-first century. It’s also a great story, with great characters.”

5 star rating

Time Out (Donmar Warehouse  2019 production)

 

“this is not only an insightful and gripping play but also a very important one.”

British Theatre Guide (Donmar Warehouse 2019 production)

3. It’s an urgent story for today

At its heart, this is a story about community, identity and what happens when people feel left behind by forces beyond their control. In a world where divisions continue to widen, Sweat offers a vital, human perspective on the social and economic pressures shaping people’s lives.

It’s everything the Citz stands for – theatre that asks questions, sparks conversation, and speaks to the world we live in. We’re proud to share it with audiences in Scotland for the first time and hope you’ll join us in Glasgow or at the Lyceum Edinburgh to experience it yourself.

Beer signs being painted for the production of Sweat.

“It’s a brilliant play and I think Scottish audiences deserve to see the best plays.”

A brown beer bottle with condensation on a wooden bar, with a large window behind showing a sunset over a factory.
Sweat

Sweat

Citizens Theatre - Main Theatre

02 – 16 May 2026