A Raisin in the Sun 1959 - Articles Page 5

Ages: 10+
Opened: March 11, 1959

A Raisin in the Sun - 1959 - Broadway History , Info & More

Belasco Theatre (Broadway)
111 West 44th St. New York, NY

Set on Chicago’s South Side, Lorraine Hansberry's celebrated play concerns the divergent dreams and conflicts in three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis, and matriarch Lena. When her deceased husband’s insurance money comes through, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. Hansberry's portrait of one family’s struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration.



. Upon its Broadway premiere in 1959, the play was a groundbreaking success for being the first play on Broadway written by an African American woman and the first with a Black director, Lloyd Richards. It brought to life the story of the Younger family's aspirations and struggles in Chicago's South Side, resonating deeply with audiences and critics alike. In 1960, the play was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Play, Best Actor in Play for Sidney Poitier, Best Actress in a Play for Claudia McNeil, and Best Direction of a Play for Lloyd Richards.



The play's significance extends beyond its Broadway success. It won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for best play in 1959, marking a major achievement for Hansberry and a pivotal moment for African American storytelling in the theater. "A Raisin in the Sun" not only ran for 19 months on Broadway but was also adapted into a 1961 movie starring Sidney Poitier and other members of the original Broadway cast. This adaptation further cemented the play's legacy, with Ruby Dee winning the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress, and both Poitier and McNeil receiving Golden Globe nominations.

A Raisin in the Sun - 1959 - Broadway Cast

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A Raisin in the Sun - 1959 - Broadway Articles Page 5

Podcast: BroadwayRadio's 'Tell Me More' Chats with Emmy-Winner Glynn Turman on his Career from Original A RAISIN IN THE SON to Netflix Film of MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM
by BroadwayRadio - Aug 18, 2019


On this episode of BroadwayRadio's 'Tell Me More,' Matt Tamanini talks to one of the most prolific character actors working today, Glynn Turman. After beginning his professional career playing Travis Younger in the original Broadway production of A Raisin in the Sun' in 1959, Turman has gone on to an incredible career as a series regular or memorable guest star on TV series like 'Peyton's Place,' 'A Different World,' 'The Wire,' 'In Treatment' for which he won an Emmy, 'House of Lies,' and as Nate Lahey Sr. on 'How to Get Away with Murder,' for which he is again nominated for an Emmy Award.

Big Play Festival! Wraps Up Summer At The Hangar Theatre
by Julie Musbach - Aug 14, 2019


The Hangar Theatre Company wraps up its 45th summer season with the Big Play Festival! (BPF!), featuring lightly staged readings of three big plays, all featuring the theme of the American family.

Lyric's CLYBOURNE PARK Opens In Black Box Theatre
by Stephi Wild - Jul 5, 2019


Bruce Norris' Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play, Clybourne Park, opens Friday, June 28. The Lyric Repertory Company (Lyric), part of the Caine College of the Arts at USU, features their third venue of the season-the Black Box Theatre.

BWW Review: Lyric Arts' Outstanding A RAISIN IN THE SUN Honors Deferred American Dreams
by Peggy Sue Dunigan - Jun 3, 2019


Poet Langston Hughes questions in 1951 through his poem "Harlem;" What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" The legendary poem inspired Lorraine Hansbury to write the award winning drama A Raisin in the Sun eight years later. In 1959, Hansberry became the first African American women to have her play produced at New York's Barrymore Broadway theater in an era when women in general, regardless of ethnicity, were published. Opening in '59 with a primarily African American cast, the play heralded a dramatic change for theater audience in years to come. At Anoka's Main Stage Theater, Lyric Arts presents an outstanding revised thirteenth anniversary production of the play directed by Austene Van, which features a stellar cast, two tiered set designed by Peter Lerohl and lighting designed by Matt McNabb.

Photo Flash: Garry Marshall Theatre's LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL In Rehearsal
by A.A. Cristi - May 14, 2019


Garry Marshall Theatre presents Deidrie Henry in the Broadway play Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill by Lanie Robertson for 15 performances May 15 to June 2, 2019 (press opening is Friday, May 17). The director is Gregg T. Daniel and playing Jimmy Powers is musical director Abdul Hamid Royal.  Daniel most recently directed The Mountaintop for Garry Marshall Theatre.

Fun Facts About All 41 Broadway Theatres
by Nicole Rosky - May 11, 2019


What makes a Broadway theatre? Technically any venue with 500 seats or more, located along Broadway in New York City's Theatre District is a Broadway theatre, and the art that is produced in these special places is widely considered the highest form of theatrical entertainment in the world. Today, forty-one theatres are technically Broadway houses, each with their own rich history. Below, we're giving you the scoop on the life of every one of them!

Deidrie Henry In LADY DAY Comes to Garry Marshall Theatre
by Stephi Wild - Apr 30, 2019


Garry Marshall Theatre presents Deidrie Henry in the Broadway play Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill by Lanie Robertson for 15 performances May 15 to June 2, 2019 (press opening is Friday, May 17). The director is Gregg T. Daniel and playing Jimmy Powers is musical director Abdul Hamid Royal. Daniel most recently directed The Mountaintop for Garry Marshall Theatre.

Yale Rep Announces 2019-20 Season
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 29, 2019


YALE REPERTORY THEATRE the multiple Tony Award-winning theatre dedicated to the production of new plays and bold interpretations of classic works, has announced its 2019-20 Season.

Lady Of The Day Is LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL at Beck Center
by BWW News Desk - Mar 15, 2019


Beck Center for the Arts to produce Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, featuring regional favorite and talent Nicole Sumlin.

Lady Of The Day Is LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL at Beck Center
by BWW News Desk - Mar 14, 2019


Beck Center for the Arts to produce Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, featuring regional favorite and talent Nicole Sumlin.

KC Melting Pot Theatre Announces 2019-2020 Season
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 8, 2019


KCMPT's 2019-20 lineup features some of the greatest names in African American theater: August Wilson, Lorraine Hansberry, and Ntozake Shange and newcomer Lewis J. Morrow. Newly minted Artistic Director Nicole Hodges Persley states "We wanted to give our audiences a "Greatest Hits" of African American theater.

Lady Of The Day Is LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL at Beck Center
by Julie Musbach - Feb 14, 2019


Beck Center for the Arts to produce Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill, featuring regional favorite and talent Nicole Sumlin.

Uma Thurman, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and More Among Performers Set For 2019 Williamstown Theatre Festival
by Stephi Wild - Feb 12, 2019


Williamstown Theatre Festival has announced its lineup for its 65th season. Among those set to perform are Uma Thurman in Ghosts, Jesse Tyler Ferguson in Grand Horizons, and more. 

Ensemble Kicks Of 2019 With The Award Winning A RAISIN IN THE SUN
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 7, 2019


ENSEMBLE THEATRE kicks off the New Year, continuing its 39th season- THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT- with the Award winning masterwork: A RAISIN IN THE SUN by Lorraine Hansberry Directed by Celeste Cosentino at MainStage Theater,

Boxcar Introduces SUNDAY SOLO SERIES In January
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 5, 2018


Boxcar Theatre is pleased to announce its inaugural SUNDAY SOLO SERIES at The Palace Theatre, home of The Speakeasy, starting in January. The Series will feature three exceptional artists: magician-storyteller Kevin Blake and actor-singers Doris Bumpus and Dedrick Weathersby.

Sanaa Lathan Enters THE TWILIGHT ZONE
by Kaitlin Milligan - Oct 11, 2018


Sanaa Lathan joins the first season of the new CBS All Access original series THE TWILIGHT ZONE and will star in the episode 'Rewind.' Lathan is the latest addition to THE TWILIGHT ZONE cast alongside previously announced host and narrator Jordan Peele.

BWW Review: RAISIN at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
by Carolan Trbovich - Oct 8, 2018


Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Stages an Impassioned RAISIN

BWW Review: FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE / WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF at Penumbra Theatre
by Karen Bovard - Sep 24, 2018


In keeping with their tradition of honoring the ancestors and artistic leaders of past generations, Penumbra Theatre is opening this season by revisiting Ntozake Shange's groundbreaking iconoclastic work, for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf, which won an Obie in 1976 for its Broadway run, which I saw. Let's pause to note that it was the first Broadway show written by a Black woman since Lorraine Hansberry's RAISIN IN THE SUN in 1959.

MCCC's Kelsey Theatre Presents A RAISIN IN THE SUN
by Julie Musbach - Sep 24, 2018


An heroic struggle for dignity, the importance of family, and the attainment of the American Dream take center stage in Lorraine Hansberry's acclaimed drama "A Raisin in the Sun," to be presented by Theater To Go at Mercer County Community College's (MCCC's) Kelsey Theatre.

Marquette University Announces 2018�"19 Theatre Season
by Julie Musbach - Jul 26, 2018


Marquette Theatre's 2018-19 season will be the 44th in the Evan P. and Marion Helfaer Theatre. Six selected plays around the theme "Reflections" will explore this phenomenon and draw connections and comparisons.

Ensemble Theatre Announces Its 39th Consecutive Season
by A.A. Cristi - May 21, 2018


ENSEMBLE THEATRE prepares to open its 39th consecutive Season! THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT. Our entire 2018- 2019 Season will take place in the heart of Coventry Village on the Coventry P.E.A.C.E. Campus !!!

SOME LIKE IT HOT Musical Adaptation in the Works from Producers Craig Zadan & Neil Meron, Casey Nicholaw to Direct
by Julie Musbach - May 14, 2018


The Shubert Organization and movie/television/theatre producers Craig Zadan & Neil Meron, fresh off their juggernaut NBC television event 'Jesus Christ Superstar LIVE,' announced today that they have acquired the coveted rights to adapt Some Like It Hot as an all-new musical for the stage from Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios.

Performances of A RAISIN IN THE SUN Added at A Noise Within
by A.A. Cristi - Mar 12, 2018


A Noise Within (ANW) presents A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Gregg T. Daniel, the sixth production of its 26th season performing February 25 to April 8 (Press Opening March 3). Now added - three performances - Wednesday, March 14 at 7:30 pm, Wednesday March 29 at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, April 8 at 7 pm.

WCSU to Present Bruce Norris Drama CLYBOURNE PARK
by Julie Musbach - Feb 21, 2018


Western Connecticut State University will present the award-winning drama, 'Clybourne Park,' in the MainStage Theatre of the Visual and Performing Arts Center on the university's Westside campus, 43 Lake Ave. Extension in Danbury.

Photo Flash: Virginia Rep presents A RAISIN IN THE SUN
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 20, 2018


"The play that changed American theatre forever" (New York Times) comes to Virginia Rep's November Theatre (114 West Broad Street) this February. Lorraine Hansberry's seminal masterpiece opens Friday, February 16th, 2018 , and runs through March 11th , with two preview performances on Wednesday, February 14th and Thursday, February 15th.

A Raisin in the Sun FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What productions of A Raisin in the Sun have there been?
A Raisin in the Sun has had 6 productions including Broadway which opened in 1959, Off-Broadway which opened in 1986, Broadway which opened in 2004, Broadway which opened in 2004, Broadway which opened in 2014 and Off-Broadway which opened in 2022.
What Tony Awards has A Raisin in the Sun been nominated for?
A Raisin in the Sun has been nominated for several Tony Awards. It has been nominated for Best Play and Best Direction of a Play for Lloyd Richards.
What awards has A Raisin in the Sun been nominated for?
A Raisin in the Sun has been nominated for several awards. It was nominated for Best American Play at the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, recognizing the work of Lorraine Hansberry. Additionally, Diana Sands received a nomination for Best Drama Performance at the Outer Critics Circle Awards. These nominations highlight the recognition and acclaim that the play and its performers have received in the theater community.
What awards has A Raisin in the Sun won?
A Raisin in the Sun has won several awards. Lorraine Hansberry, the playwright, received the Best American Play award from the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards. Diana Sands, who performed in the play, won the Best Drama Performance award from the Outer Critics Circle Awards. These accolades recognize the exceptional writing and acting in A Raisin in the Sun.

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