A Raisin in the Sun 1959 - Articles Page 6

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 6

Theater To Go Presents a Staged Reading Of A RAISIN IN THE SUN
by Stephi Wild - Feb 16, 2018


THEATER TO GO continues its staged reading series at the 1867 Sanctuary in February 2018 with a classic play about the African American experience, Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN, about one family's journey to home ownership We are pleased to have actor students from Trenton Central HS Visual and Performing Arts Academy as performers in this event.

Syracuse Stage Presents An American Classic
by Julie Musbach - Feb 14, 2018


Syracuse Stage continues its critically acclaimed season with a sterling production of Lorraine Hansberry's classic American play "A Raisin in the Sun," Feb. 21 - March 11, at the Syracuse Stage/Syracuse University Drama Complex in the Archbold Theatre, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse.

BWW Review: Lorraine Hansberry's Powerful A RAISIN IN THE SUN at American Stage - An Ageless Classic Done Right
by Peter Nason - Feb 13, 2018


Director L. Peter Callender guides a stellar cast. You won't see a better RAISIN IN THE SUN anywhere.

BWW Review: A RAISIN IN THE SUN at Downtown Cabaret Theatre
by Sean Fallon - Feb 10, 2018


Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN is presented at the Downtown Cabaret Theatre in Bridgeport CT, by a stellar cast who provide first rate performances in a manner universally appealing to audiences of different backgrounds.

A Noise Within's A RAISIN IN THE SUN Begins 2/25
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 2, 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).

Lorraine Hansberry's A RAISIN IN THE SUN Plays The Roxy Regional Theatre
by Julie Musbach - Jan 31, 2018


'What happens to a dream deferred?  Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?'  In 1959, with her landmark play inspired in part by the preceding lines from Langston Hughes' poem 'Harlem,' Lorraine Hansberry made history as the first black female playwright to have her work produced on Broadway. 

VIDEO: First Look - PBS Presents Documentary on A RAISIN IN THE SUN Playwright Lorraine Hansberry
by BWW News Desk - Jan 19, 2018


One week after the anniversary of her death, American Masters -- Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart premieres nationwide Today, January 19 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and will stream the following day at pbs.org/americanmasters and PBS apps. Check out the trailer below!

A RAISIN IN THE SUN to make it's Las Vegas Debut January 2018 at The Smith Center
by BWW News Desk - Jan 12, 2018


Broadway in the H.O.O.D continues with the third installment of its Resilience Personified season at The Smith Center with the Las Vegas premiere of Lorraine Hansberry's classic Tony Award-winning masterpiece, A Raisin in the Sun, January 12-14, 2018 in the Troesh Theatre.

Tony Winner Trezana Beverley to Star in A RAISIN IN THE SUN at Virginia Rep
by BWW News Desk - Dec 15, 2017


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.

VIDEO: First Look - PBS Presents Documentary on A RAISIN IN THE SUN Playwright Lorraine Hansberry
by Caryn Robbins - Dec 4, 2017


One week after the anniversary of her death, American Masters -- Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart premieres nationwide Friday, January 19 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and will stream the following day at pbs.org/americanmasters and PBS apps. Check out the trailer below!

New Work For The Stage: Sundance Institute And MASS MoCA Announce Theatre Lab Projects
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 1, 2017


Four projects representing diverse world voices, each with bold and independent visions of how art can elevate the human experience, comprise this year's selected projects for the two-week Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), convening December 3-17, 2017, with a public performance of another project slated for December 9. The Theatre Labs process is rigorous and generative. Dedicated to the creation and development of forward-thinking theater; projects are cast individually, rehearsed daily and benefit from concentrated, uninterrupted time and resources.

A RAISIN IN THE SUN to make it's Las Vegas Debut January 2018 at The Smith Center
by A.A. Cristi - Nov 9, 2017


Broadway in the H.O.O.D continues with the third installment of its Resilience Personified season at The Smith Center with the Las Vegas premiere of Lorraine Hansberry's classic Tony Award-winning masterpiece, A Raisin in the Sun, January 12-14, 2018 in the Troesh Theatre.

BWW Review: CLYBOURNE PARK at The Liminal Playhouse
by Keith Waits - Nov 6, 2017


I have watched some plays that were awarded the Pulitzer Prize and wondered, 'was this REALLY the best American play of the year?' Watching this production of Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park that thought never entered my mind. This is a play for which the word 'great' is fully justified, a reading of the American character in the last two generations destined to stand as a landmark for theatre in this country.

A RAISIN IN THE SUN to Shine on Stagecrafters Main Stage
by Julie Musbach - Oct 20, 2017


Stagecrafters proudly presents A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The show runs November 3rd through November 18th at the Baldwin Theatre, 415 S Lafayette Avenue, in downtown Royal Oak.

Time and the Broadways: A Look at the Theatre's Extensive Exploration of Time
by A.A. Cristi - Oct 15, 2017


Roundabout Theatre Company presents the new Broadway production of J. B. Priestley's Time and the Conways, directed by Tony winner Rebecca Taichman. Time and the Conways returns to Broadway for the first time since its premiere in 1938.

Two River Theater's A RAISIN IN THE SUN, Starring Brandon J. Dirden, Finds Full Cast
by BWW News Desk - Sep 15, 2017


Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, launches its 2017/18 Season with Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Carl Cofield.

Two River Theater's A RAISIN IN THE SUN, Starring Brandon J. Dirden, Finds Full Cast
by BWW News Desk - Aug 18, 2017


Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, launches its 2017/18 Season with Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Carl Cofield.

Dallas Theater Center Presents the World Premiere of MILLER, MISSISSIPPI
by Julie Musbach - Aug 3, 2017


2017 Regional Theatre Tony Award® Recipient Dallas Theater Center Presents the World Premiere of MILLER, MISSISSIPPI; a new play written by Boo Killebrew and directed by Lee Sunday Evans. Beginning with a Pay-What-You-Can performance on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m., the production runs through Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre Studio Theatre. Press Night will be Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to Miller, Mississippi are on sale now at www.DallasTheaterCenter.org and by phone at (214) 880-0202.

TROUBLE IN MIND by Alice Childress Comes to Theatricum
by BWW News Desk - Jul 29, 2017


Trouble in Mind, the scathingly funny backstage drama about interracial politics by pioneering African American playwright Alice Childress, will get a revival at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum beginning July 29.

TROUBLE IN MIND by Alice Childress Comes to Theatricum
by A.A. Cristi - Jul 5, 2017


Trouble in Mind, the scathingly funny backstage drama about interracial politics by pioneering African American playwright Alice Childress, will get a revival at Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum beginning July 29.

Joshua Jackson-Led CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD, Helmed by Kenny Leon, Opens Tonight at BTG
by BWW News Desk - Jun 24, 2017


Berkshire Theatre Group announces the final production of its upcoming 2017 Summer Season will be Mark Medoff's Tony, Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk Award-winning play, Children of a Lesser God, which began performances on Thursday, June 22 at The Fitzpatrick Main Stage. Opening night is set for tonight, June 24 at 8pm.

Rogue Machine Theatre LES BLANCS Opens 5/27
by A.A. Cristi - May 9, 2017


Lorraine Hansberry considered this to be her most important play. It was her final work. Directed by Gregg T. Daniel, Les Blancs depicts the waning days of colonialism crossing into the 20th century as it reveals the impossible moral choices faced by individuals who must reconcile personal happiness with idealism. What happens when what we want and what we think is right is not what must be done? This play is rich with music and dance and set in and around a mission compound in Africa. The time is yesterday, today, and tomorrow-- but not very long after that.  

Roundup: Check Out The Top Stories From Las Vegas You Might Have Missed 4/21 - CARRIE the Musical and More!
by BWW News Desk - Apr 21, 2017


Check out the top stories from Las Vegas you might have missed this week and more! Roundup: Check Out The Top Stories From Las Vegas You Might Have Missed 4/21 - CARRIE the Musical and More!

BWW Review: Arena's A RAISIN IN THE SUN Shines
by Benjamin Tomchik - Apr 10, 2017


Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun is making Arena Stage its home for the next five weeks and it should not be missed.

BWW Review: A RAISIN IN THE SUN at Kansas City Repertory Theatre
by Alan Portner - Apr 3, 2017


tells the story of an ordinary family struggling to live an ordinary life during difficult times

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