Lorraine Hansberry News

D.C.-based powerhouse actress and two-time Helen Hayes Award winner Dawn Ursula, last seen at Arena Stage in Love in Afghanistan, will return to play Ruth Younger in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun under the direction of Tazewell Thompson. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)will observe Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Today, January 14th from 11am - 2pm and is inviting people of all ages to engage, participate and learn about the lateRev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with FREE performances and arts education activities that will pay tribute to one of the most inspiring leaders of the 20th century. Dr. King's quest for unity, through triumph of the human spirit can best be understood through the arts where people can take a moment absorbing and reflecting on the significance and impact of America's greatest civil rights leader.

Harlem Repertory Theatre is extending its 2016-2017 Season with their crowd- pleasing shows: RAISIN IN THE SUN, THE WIZARD OF OZ, and AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'.

Katori Hall's Olivier Award-winning play, The Mountaintop, kicks off 2017 at Trinity Repertory Company and continues the 53rd season, Ghosts of the Past, Dreams of the Future.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC)will observe Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Saturday, January 14th from 11am - 2pm and is inviting people of all ages to engage, participate and learn about the lateRev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with FREE performances and arts education activities that will pay tribute to one of the most inspiring leaders of the 20th century. Dr. King's quest for unity, through triumph of the human spirit can best be understood through the arts where people can take a moment absorbing and reflecting on the significance and impact of America's greatest civil rights leader.

Dezart Performs will present the uproariously funny black comedy, Clybourne Park, a 2012 Tony Award-winning play written by Bruce Norris with a two-weekend engagement January 13-22, 2017 at the Pearl McManus Theater, located at the Historic Palm Springs Woman's Club. As described by The Washington Post during the 2011-12 season of the Seattle Repertory production, the play 'applies a modern twist to the issues of race and housing and aspirations for a better life….and is one of its feistiest, funniest evenings in years.'

Steppenwolf Theatre Company proudly announces stage director, singer and Tony Award-winning actress Phylicia Rashad as the 2017 honoree at the annual Steppenwolf Salutes Women in the Arts fundraising luncheon on Monday, February 6, 2017 at 12noon at Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, 221 N Columbus Dr. Ms. Rashad joins Steppenwolf Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro for a riveting conversation about her multifaceted career and her role as a leader in the field.

Katori Hall's Olivier Award-winning play, The Mountaintop, kicks off 2017 at Trinity Repertory Company and continues the 53rd season, Ghosts of the Past, Dreams of the Future.

American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)'s world premiere production of Joseph Dougherty's Chester Bailey this past spring was the recipient three 2016 Theatre Bay Area Awards, including Outstanding World Premiere Play, Outstanding Production of a Play and Outstanding Lighting Design (Robert Hand).

This country is in political and social turmoil. There is a President-elect who appears will win the Electoral College endorsement, while losing the election by a reported 2-million plus votes. There is a rise of xenophobia, the Alt-right, the presence of hate groups, possible destruction of the health care system, while the liberal-left pleads for protection against sexual imposition, women and gay rights, and clean air.

National New Play Network, the country's alliance of nonprofit theaters that champions the development, production, and continued life of new plays, is pleased to present the 15th annual National Showcase of New Plays (NSNP).

Theatre Bay Area announced the 2016 TBA Awards recipients at The 2016 TBA Awards Celebration on Monday, December 5 at A.C.T.'s Geary Theater.

Cherry Lane (Angelina Fiordellisi, Founding Artistic Director; Seri Lawrence, Janio Marrero, Producing Artistic Directors) is proud to announce this year's playwrights and mentors for their Obie Award-winning Mentor Project, culminating with fully-staged productions presented at Cherry Lane (38 Commerce St. in NYC) from February 22 to May 6, 2017.  

On the heels of 'Casa Valentina,' its enormously successful first production of the season, Dezart Performs will present the uproariously funny black comedy, Clybourne Park, a play written as a spin-off to Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 classic play A Raisin in the Sun which focuses on cultural and racial issues in a Chicago community. As described by The Washington Post during the 2011-12 season of the Seattle Repertory production, the play 'applies a modern twist to the issues of race and housing and aspirations for a better life….and is one of its feistiest, funniest evenings in years.' Clybourne Park has received multiple prestigious awards including the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play and the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House (CWRU/CPH) MFA Acting Program will open its 2016 - 2017 season in December with the multi-award-winning Clybourne Park.

Langston Hughes' poem DREAM DEFFERRED is the source of the title of short-lived but influential playwright Lorraine Hansberry's classic play A RAISIN IN THE SUN. She died at the age of 34 just six years after the play opened on Broadway in 1959, but her work still resonates today. The story of a black family's struggle in 1950s Chicago to accomplish their dreams in a world that didn't want to let them can be palpably felt in the context of today's world. It's a great choice, then, for Park Square Theatre's 2016-2017 season and for their student matinee program, which serves over 30,000 students every year. And it's an incredibly moving production that brings out all the richness of Hansberry's writing. The fantastic local cast and the intimacy of the Andy Boss thrust stage making you feel as if you're in the Younger living room with them, experiencing this devastating, life-changing, and hope-inspiring event.

Today, November 16 at 4:30 PM, a Sidewalk Signing and Honors Ceremony will be held onstage at Theater 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place.

The Morrisson Theatre Chorus, under the musical direction of Cesar Cancino, will present its Holiday Concert: Special Songs for a Special Time of the Year:  on December 15, 16 and 17 at 8:00pm and December 18 at 2:00pm. 

On Wednesday, November 16 at 4:30 PM, a Sidewalk Signing and Honors Ceremony will be held onstage at Theater 80 St. Marks, 80 St. Marks Place. 

With great excitement and anticipation, Seattle Repertory Theatre announces 11 projects for its nationally respected new work series, The Other Season, with additional projects to be revealed.