Debuting Artist: Kevin Reifel
Kevin takes the stage for the very first time with OpenStage in SWEAT!
Tell us about yourself! What theatre or other experiences did you have in this discipline before working on this show?
I spent about 20 years in the Off-off Broadway mines as an actor, director and sometime producer, mostly bringing new works to the stage.
What is something you spend your free time doing, outside of theatre?
I love kayaking, hiking, reading and whenever possible, travelling.
How did you hear about OpenStage?
OST&C was the first theatre I saw after moving to Colorado. I think the show was Little Shop of Horrors.
What has been the most fun part of the rehearsal process so far?
We’ve just started rehearsals and we’re beginning with the fight direction. Fight calls are ALWAYS fun!
What has been the most challenging aspect of playing this character so far?
There is a lot of talking past each other in this script. It requires both a lot of focus and a strong interior life.
What is your favorite thing about this show?
The language! Lynn Nottage is a rare talent and whatever accolades she has earned, they aren’t enough.
Why is a play like Sweat important? What do you hope audiences will get out of it?
I hope audiences walk away feeling like they’ve walked alongside a group of passionate and deeply flawed people through one of the toughest periods in their lives. I hope they get a sense for what it is that drives these folks to a place where desperate action seems to be the only solution.
What is your favorite role you’ve played in the past?
The one I’m playing now — always.
What is your favorite show?
Same as above.
What projects are you working on next?
I’ll be playing FATHER & CHARLES in Bas Bleu’s production of THE OPEN HOUSE by Wil Eno right after this show closes.
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Kenny Moten
January 13–February 10, 2024
Playing at the Lincoln Center Magnolia Theatre
Come see Kevin take the stage in “SWEAT” Jan. 13-Feb. 10!
The 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning Sweat is a humorous, heart-wrenching, and honest look at the decline of the working class in modern America. In 2008, in a bar in Reading, Pennsylvania, best friends Cynthia, Tracy, and Jessie shared their lives—the good, the bad, and many drinks. Suddenly, they find themselves facing the crushing weight of layoffs and picket lines at the local steel mill. As the union loses ground, trust erodes and they find themselves pitted against one another in a harrowing fight to stay afloat. Sweat boldly confronts issues of race, deindustrialization, and the ever-slipping grip on the “American Dream.”
