A Raisin in the Sun

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

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Cast Size

3w, 7m, 1boy(s)
Duration

More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
Subgenre

Period
Suggested Use
- Cutting Approved for Competition
- UIL Approved
- Competition or Audition Material
Target Audience

Adult

Accolades

Winner! 2023 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Revival
Winner! Three 2014 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play
Nominee: Four 2004 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play
Nominee: Four 1960 Tony Awards, including Best Play
Winner! 1959 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, Best Play of the Year

Also Available

Raisin

Details

Summary

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.

History

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.

Cast Attributes

Keywords

Performing Groups

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

Time Period 1950s
Setting The Youngers' apartment in the slums of Chicago's Southside, 1950s.
Features Period Costumes
Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
Cautions
- Mild Adult Themes

Media

“A milestone in the American Theatre.” – Ebony

“[A] pivotal play in the history of the American Black theatre.” – Newsweek

Videos

Denzel Washington & Co. on "A Raisin in the Sun" - Broadway.com
A Raisin in the Sun - Timeline Theatre Company
A Raisin in the Sun: An Introduction

Photos

Image: 2019 Williamstown Theatre Festival Production (Jeremy Daniel)

Image: 2019 Williamstown Theatre Festival Production (Jeremy Daniel)

Image: 2022 Public Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

Image: 2022 Public Theater Production (Joan Marcus)

Image: © Justin “Squigs” Robertson

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Music

Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

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Scripts

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Ticketing

Authors

Lorraine Hansberry

When Lorraine Hansberry’s (1930-1965) A Raisin in the Sun appeared on Broadway in 1959, the artist became, at 29, the youngest American playwright, the fifth woman, and the only African American to date to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play of the Year. ...

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A Raisin in the Sun