Lorraine Hansberry News

With the announcement of the Denver Center Theatre Company's 2009/10 Season, Artistic Director Kent Thompson continues his company's mission of new play development by selecting three world premieres - including two Denver Center commissions - while sending a resounding message to Colorado and the nation that uncertain economic times call for new and classic plays that hold a special relevance for us. 'The best way to overcome fear and uncertainty is to stir people's thoughts and hearts with stimulating ideas, different cultures, and imaginative stories,' said Thompson.

Representing the print and electronic media, 23 members of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle announce the winners of 37 Drama awards and 37 Musical awards from 257 nominated actors, designers, productions, and more reviewed in 2008. Over 400 productions were seen in 2008 by Circle critics reviewing theatre from San Jose to Santa Rosa, San Francisco to Concord.

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director, and Bernard Gersten, Executive Producer) has announced its 2009 Fall productions of two new plays which will mark the Broadway and New York debuts for their respective playwrights: IN THE NEXT ROOM or The Vibrator Play, by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Les Waters; and BROKE-OLOGY a new play by Nathan Louis Jackson, directed by Thomas Kail. IN THE NEXT ROOM or The Vibrator Play, which will be presented on Broadway while LCT's Tony Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC continues its run at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, will begin previews on Thursday, October 22 and open on Thursday, November 19 at a Shubert theater to be announced.

The SF Playhouse (Bill English, Artistic Director; Susi Damilano, Producing Director) and Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (Stanley Williams, Artistic Director; Quentin Easter, Executive Director) are pleased to announce casting for their co-production of The West Coast Premiere of The Story. 'A riveting drama about race, reporting and the truth'-Associated Press

Magnolia, Artistic Associate Regina Taylor's world premiere about possibility in the face of seismic social change, takes root at the Goodman this spring, March 14 - April 19, 2009. Directing for the first time at the Goodman, Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro helms a cast of 12 led by Academy Award nominee Annette O'Toole (Smallville, A Mighty Wind, 48 Hours) and Tony Award nominee John Earl Jelks (August Wilson's Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean) in the leading roles of Lily and Thomas. Tickets to Magnolia are $25 - $70. A complete performance schedule including dates, times and ticket prices appears at the end of this release. Target is the lead Corporate Sponsor Partner of Magnolia and Lead Diversity Night Sponsor.

The Guthrie is proud to present Penumbra Theatre's production of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Lou Bellamy. A co-production with Arizona Theatre Company and The Cleveland Play House, this presentation marks the 50th anniversary of the show's groundbreaking Broadway opening, and arrives at the Guthrie on the heels of two highly-lauded regional runs in Ohio and Arizona. A Raisin in the Sun previews March 12, opens March 13 and plays through April 11, 2009 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. Single tickets are priced from $24 to $60, with opening night prices ranging from $49 to $70. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org. A recent widow, Lena Younger (Franchelle Stewart Dorn) wants to use her husband's insurance money to buy a home for her family, freeing them from the cramped tenement in which she, her two children, daughter-in-law and grandson live. Her son, Walter Lee (David Alan Anderson), is determined to invest the money in a business - an opportunity for him to be his own man and not just the driver for his white boss. Lena refuses; in her eyes a house is a sturdy thing to build a dream on, one that can relieve the strains that poverty has put on the family. But when a white representative of the neighborhood 'welcoming committee' presents the Youngers with an offer to buy them out of their home to prevent integration in their community, the dream of the house quickly becomes a nightmare. The title comes from the opening lines of 'Harlem,' a poem by Langston Hughes ('What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?'). Throughout the play, the idea of deferred dreams is a prominent theme, as each member of the Younger family attempts to find his or her place amidst a number of difficult situations. While their future neighbors resist the Youngers' move, Walter Lee for the first time begins to value what money can't buy, and in the process achieves a new level of self respect and pride.

The Guthrie presents A Penumbra Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and directed by Lou Bellamy A recent widow, Lena Younger wants to use her husband's insurance money to buy a home for her family, freeing them from the cramped tenement in which she, her two children, daughter-in-law and grandson line.

Here are the Nominations for Outstanding Awards from the San Francisco Bay Theatre Area Critics Circle. Winners will from each catagory will be announced in approximately two weeks. A Gala Cocktail party will be held for the winners in each catagory at A.C.T. Columbia Room on May 4th. AEA Members are noted in * For 'Entire Production' and 'Best Ensemble' AEA Theatres are * THEATRES OVER 300 DRAMA

CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY begins Monday, March 9, 2009 at 7:00pm, by Lynn Nottage Directed by Seret Scott, with Laura Heisler ( Doris to Darlene, The Mistakes Madeline Made), Sadrina Johnson (The Book of Lambert, Southern Promises), Billy Eugene Jones (A Raisin in the Sun), Brenda Pressley (The First Breeze of Summer, Seven Guitars at Signature, and American Plan at Manhattan Theatre Club), Amina S. Robinson (Mamma Mia!) Commissioned by Second Stage Theatre in 1992

Three Programs at the Newark Public Library Explore the Life of Lorraine Hansberry and her Work A Raisin in the Sun. The Newark Public Library will explore the seminal work, A Raisin in the Sun by playwright Lorraine Hansberry through a series of programs over three days, which includes the screening of two movie versions of the play and a performance of Love to All, Lorraine.

CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE OF JOY begins Monday, March 9, 2009 at 7:00pm, by Lynn Nottage Directed by Seret Scott, with Laura Heisler ( Doris to Darlene, The Mistakes Madeline Made), Sadrina Johnson (The Book of Lambert, Southern Promises), Billy Eugene Jones (A Raisin in the Sun), Brenda Pressley (The First Breeze of Summer, Seven Guitars at Signature, and American Plan at Manhattan Theatre Club), Amina S. Robinson (Mamma Mia!) Commissioned by Second Stage Theatre in 1992

This year, the prestigious National Black Theatre Festival? will honor Jubilee Theatre Artistic Director Ed Smith with the festival's first annual Lloyd Richards' Director's Award. Smith is receiving this award because of his significant contributions to black theatre and American theatre in general. The festival will be held from August 3 through 8, 2009 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The theme for this year's festival remains the same as the past ten festivals: An International Celebration and Reunion of Spirit. Mr. Smith will be presented with the award at the Opening Night Gala Awards Banquet, which will be held on Monday, August 3.

The SF Playhouse (Bill English, Artistic Director; Susi Damilano, Producing Director) and Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (Stanley Williams, Artistic Director; Quentin Easter, Executive Director) are pleased to announce casting for their co-production of The West Coast Premiere of The Story. 'A riveting drama about race, reporting and the truth'-Associated Press

West 43rd Street will become a little pinker, as will the Easter Parade (and all of New York City in general) when the actor Leslie Jordan arrives to bring his acclaimed solo show, My Trip Down The Pink Carpet, to the Westside Theatre (407 West 43rd Street) this Spring. Producer Bruce Robert Harris announced that performances will begin on Wednesday, April 15, with an official opening night set for Monday evening, April 20. David Galligan directs the 6-week limited engagement.

On Monday Evening, February 23 at 7:00 PM, six New York theater institutions will participate in a special panel discussion featuring five current and upcoming Off-Broadway shows. Harlem Stage (150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street) will host producing companies Classical Theatre of Harlem, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater and Signature Theatre Company in an evening titled I'VE KNOWN RIVERS: A Conversation with Christina Anderson, Charles Fuller, Lynn Nottage & Liesl Tommy.

On Monday Evening, February 23 at 7:00 PM, six New York theater institutions will participate in a special panel discussion featuring five current and upcoming Off-Broadway shows. Harlem Stage (150 Convent Avenue at West 135th Street) will host producing companies Classical Theatre of Harlem, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, The Public Theater and Signature Theatre Company in an evening titled I'VE KNOWN RIVERS: A Conversation with Christina Anderson, Charles Fuller, Lynn Nottage & Liesl Tommy. The event marks a unique collaborative effort between six New York theater institutions: a panel discussion in which five gifted African-American theater artists - all of whom have projects happening almost simultaneously at five of New York's most respected non-profit theaters - will discuss their lives, work, and current projects. Moderated by actress Sabrina LeBeauf (Three Sisters, Classical Theatre of Harlem in partnership with Harlem Stage, February/March), the evening's four panelists will be Christina Anderson (author, Inked Baby, Playwrights Horizons, March/April), Charles Fuller (author, Zooman and the Sign, Signature Theatre Company, March/April), Lynn Nottage (author, Ruined, Manhattan Theater Club, January-March) and Liesl Tommy (director, The Good Negro, The Public Theater, March/April). The event title comes from a poem by Langston Hughes, 'The Negro Speaks of Rivers.'

A Raisin in the Sun will be performed in Tucson from January 10-31, 2009 and in Phoenix from February 5 - 22, 2009. In this award-winning drama, the Younger family searches for a way to grab their piece of the dream, even in the face of prejudice and discrimination. Since the play?s premiere exactly 50 years ago, Lorraine Hansberry?s towering masterpiece has moved audiences and broken down barriers wherever it has played. A Raisin in the Sun will be performed in Tucson from January 10 ? 31, 2009 and in Phoenix from February 5 - 22, 2009.

SIS Productions is excited to present the Northwest premiere of The Theory of Everything by Prince Gomolvilas running February 20-March 15, 2009 playing Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 4pm. There will also be an additional performance on Thursday, March 12 at 8pm. All performances will be at Richard Hugo House located at 1634 11th Avenue (11th Avenue, off of Pine Street) on Seattle's Capitol Hill. 'A refreshing look at Asian-American issues of race, gender and identity, layered with deeper questions of life and death. Gomolvilas's writing is tight, intelligent and funny. . . likeable characters and sharply written dialogue . . . a play worth seeing for its humor and humanity.' - The Business Times, Singapore

Magnolia, Artistic Associate Regina Taylor's world premiere about possibility in the face of seismic social change, takes root at the Goodman this spring, March 14 - April 19, 2009. Directing for the first time at the Goodman, Tony Award winner Anna D. Shapiro helms a cast of 12 led by Academy Award nominee Annette O'Toole (Smallville, A Mighty Wind, 48 Hours) and Tony Award nominee John Earl Jelks (August Wilson's Radio Golf and Gem of the Ocean) in the leading roles of Lily and Thomas. Tickets to Magnolia are $25 - $70. A complete performance schedule including dates, times and ticket prices appears at the end of this release. Target is the lead Corporate Sponsor Partner of Magnolia and Lead Diversity Night Sponsor.

Lorraine Hansberry Theatre (LHT) presents the Northern California premiere of William A. Parker's uproarious comedy/drama, Waitin? 2 End Hell, running from February 14 through March 1, 2009 (previews Feb. 12& 13) at PG&E Auditorium, 77 Beale Street, San Francisco. Buddy Butler, who has had a long relationship with the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, will direct Waitin? 2 End Hell.