Hansberry Project at ACT Presents Benefit Reading of 'The Sign In Sidney Brustein's Window' Sept. 19

The Hansberry Project at ACT presents a benefit reading of Lorraine Hansberry's The Sign In Sidney Brustein's Window, Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 7:30 p.m., in the Bullitt Cabaret at ACT Theatre. Tickets are $25. Funds raised support ongoing development of Hansberry projects and new works.

Lorraine Hansberry is best remembered for creating two masterpieces of the American theatre. With A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry gave us a movingly authentic portrayal of black family life in the inner city. Five years later, with The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, she gave us an unforgettable portrait of a man struggling with his individual fate in an age of social and political upheaval. These two plays remain milestones in the American theater cannon, remarkable not only for their historical value, but also for their continued ability to engage the imagination and the heart.

Set in 1960s Greenwich Village, this funny and provocative play is inhabited by Sidney Brustein, a liberal intellectual, his wife Iris (an aspiring actress), and their kooky circle of friends and family. Using the machinations around a stormy political campaign, Hansberry tackles the fragility of love, morality, drugs, rebellion, conformity, and commitment to the world.

"In thinking about how we might showcase not only Hansberry's tremendous talent as a playwright, but also her indomitable activist spirit, we chose to produce a staged reading of Sign.The questions it raises about individual responsibility for making change happen seemed especially relevant today," said Hansberry Project Artistic Director Valerie Curtis-Newton. "I was also fascinated by the fact that play was kept alive by the active support of members of the community. It initially received mixed reviews, but audiences were so moved that people began a campaign to keep it running. A group of high profile artists, including James Baldwin, Anne Bancroft, and Mike Nichols, even went so far as to take out an ad in The New York Times urging that the play continue. It worked and the play's run was extended more than once. It is great model for the kind of theatre we want to make. Theatre that is so artful and so relevant that our community is willing to step up and support it. A great cast of local actors will bring this work to life and we're hoping the community will join us for an entertaining evening with a master playwright."

The Sign In Sidney Brustein's Window is directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton and will feature Chris Ensweiler, Jane May, Gretchen Krich, Shanga Parker, Shawn Telford, Amanda Zarr, and Richard Hesik.

Tickets are on sale now via the ACT Ticket Office, (206) 292-7676 and 700 Union Street, and online at www.acttheatre.org. For more information, please contact Jacquelyn Rardin at (206) 292-7660 ext. 1327 or jacquelyn.rardin@acttheatre.org.