A Raisin in the Sun

“…the play that changed American theatre forever.” —New York Times

A Pulitzer Prize- winning play about the experiences of a black working class family living in south Chicago.

Echoing her own trials growing up in a racially-divided America, Hansberry’s masterpiece delves into the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of a lower-class Black family, in 1950’s Chicago, struggling to rise into America’s middle class.

Anticipating a big life insurance check, ‘Mama’ dreams of a beautiful new home in a white neighborhood. Her son, a chauffeur, dreams of being his own boss and opening a liquor store.  His sister dreams of medical school. The ensuing prejudice they encounter threatens to crush their hopes and dreams, causing them to dry up “…like a raisin in the sun.”

Hansberry wrote this Pulitzer Prize-winning play, her first, at age 27. It was the first by a Black playwright to be produced on Broadway, and to receive a Critic’s Circle award.

We are proud to bring you this iconic American story, presented by a talented and professional cast and the Artistic Director of the African-American Shakespeare Company.