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Raisin in the Sun, A

Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking drama, a searing and timeless portrait of a family on Chicago's South Side, is an American classic.

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Description

  • Full Length Play
  • Drama
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 1950s
  • Target Audience: Adult
  • Cautions: Mild Adult Themes

  • Performance Group:
  • High School/Secondary, College Theatre / Student, Community Theatre

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of the Year (1959)
    Nominee! Four Tony Awards including Best Play (1960)
    Nominee! Four Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play (2004)
    Winner! Three Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play (2014)
    Winner! Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival (2023)
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.
REVIEWS:

"A milestone in the American Theatre."

 Ebony

"[A] pivotal play in the history of the American Black theatre."

 Newsweek

Premiere Production: A Raisin in the Sun premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on March 11, 1959. Directed by Lloyd Richards, the production featured Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Claudia McNeil. On April 26, 2004, the play returned to Broadway, directed by Kenny Leon and featuring Sean Combs, Audra McDonald and Phylicia Rashad. A third Broadway production opened on April 3, 2014. Again directed by Leon, this production featured Denzel Washington, Sophie Okonedo and LaTanya Richardson Jackson.

Characters

  • Casting: 8M, 3F
  • Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Role(s) for Black Actor(s), Roles for Multicultural Casting

  • RUTH YOUNGER
    TRAVIS YOUNGER
    WALTER LEE YOUNGER
    BENEATHA YOUNGER
    LENA YOUNGER (MAMA)
    JOSEPH ASAGAI
    GEORGE MURCHISON
    BOBO
    KARL LINDER
    MOVING MEN

    • Available Material

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    Raisin in the Sun, A Script This is optional. Order Now

    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.

    		$24.95

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