Event

A Raisin in the Sun

Set on Chicago's South Side in the 1950s, A RAISIN IN THE SUN follows the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of a black family. Determined to live a better life, they believe that they can succeed, and retain their dignity, in the harsh and changing world around them if they stick together and resolve to no longer defer their dreams. A RAISIN IN THE SUN was the first play written by an African-American woman to be produced on Broadway; the title comes from the poem "Harlem"(also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. This groundbreaking drama starred Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeill, Ruby Dee, and Diana Sands in the Broadway production, which opened in 1959; a film version was released in 1961 featuring the original Broadway cast. The original Broadway production ran for 530 performances and won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play; it received its first Broadway revival in 2004, staring Phylicia Rashad (Tony Award Best Actress in a Play), Audra McDonald (Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Play), Sean Combs, and Sanaa Lathan.

Artistic Director L. Peter Callender will direct A RAISIN IN THE SUN. "I am thrilled to direct this seminal American drama for African-American Shakespeare Company," said Callender. "It is a fiercely moving portrait of people whose hopes and dreams are constantly deferred. It is not just an African-American play, but an American play; it is a play that still resonates and speaks to all of us."