Nashville Rep Adds Dates to Eddie George-Led A RAISIN IN THE SUN

Nashville Repertory Theatre's production of A Raisin in the Sun, starring retired Tennessee Titan Eddie George, will now run through Saturday, April 22.

The original end date was the week prior - April 15. With strong ticket sales and spirited community support, the play has been extended an additional five performances.

Written by Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun is an American classic displaying the honest challenges of an African American family living in Chicago in the 1950's.

Three generations of the Younger family live in a "rat trap" of an apartment in Chicago that they've been renting for always. With the passing of the patriarch, a life insurance check of significant value arrives. How will the money best be spent for the benefit of the family? Should a home be purchased, a business venture be invested in, or medical school be paid for? And whose decision is it? Whose dream gets deferred?

The cast features Eddie George as "Walter Lee Younger," Matthew Carlton, Brandon Hirsch, Lauren F. Jones, James Rudolph, Tamiko Robinson Steele, and Jackie Welch. Russell Jacquese Acklin, Jr. and Zechariah Brown share the role of young "Travis," and TSU students AJ Harris, Marquan Martin, and Cheldrick Wooding round out the cast.

The production is directed by Nashville Rep's Producing Artistic Director, René D. Copeland with Tennessee State University's Marc R. Payne as assistant director. Designers are Gary C. Hoff (Scenic Designer), TrisH Clark (Costume Designer), Evelyn Thornhill (Props Master), and Phillip Franck (Lighting and Sound Designer).

A Raisin in the Sun is performed in Johnson Theater at Tennessee Performing Arts Center located at 505 Deaderick Street in downtown Nashville. Tickets are $25 for previews and start at $45 for regular run. Tickets can be purchased online at nashvillerep.org or by calling the Box Office at 615-782-4040.

Nashville Rep is a non-profit theatre creating classic and contemporary theatre for Nashville that inspires empathy and prods intellectual and emotional engagement in audiences. The 2016-17 season of shows includes The Last Five Years, Noises Off, A Christmas Story, Posterity, and A Raisin in the Sun. The season concludes with the Ingram New Works Festival in May - a showcase of new works created in Nashville for the American Theatre.

Pictured: Tamiko Robinson Steele and Eddie George. Photo by Shane Burkeen.