DATE/TIME:
Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Sunday, May 24, 2026 at 3:00 PM
PRESENTED BY:
Athens Area Paine College Club and Collaborators
ADMISSION:
$30 (Advance)
$35 (At door)
Groups 10+ please call the Morton Theatre Box Office at 706-613-3770.
DESCRIPTION:
A Raisin in the Sun is a 1959 stage play written by Lorraine Hansberry. It portrays a Black working-class family in Chicago striving for a better life amid racial segregation and economic hardship. The play is celebrated as a landmark in American theater for centering Black voices and exploring systemic injustice with emotional realism.
Key Facts:
Author: Lorraine Hansberry
First performed: 1959, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York City
Setting: South Side of Chicago, post–World War II
Genre: Realist social drama
Awards: New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play (1959)
Background and Creation:
Hansberry drew inspiration from her family’s legal battle against racially restrictive housing covenants, which reached the U.S. Supreme Court in Hansberry v. Lee (1940). The title comes from Harlem, which asks what happens to a “dream deferred,” setting the thematic tone of aspiration and frustration that drives the play.
Plot and Themes:
The story follows the Younger family after receiving a $10,000 life insurance check. Each member envisions a different future—education, business, or homeownership—but racism and class barriers complicate their dreams. Core themes include generational conflict, gender roles, dignity, and resistance in the face of structural discrimination.
Cultural Impact:
A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by an African American woman produced on Broadway and the first directed by a Black director, Lloyd Richards. It helped redefine American theater by expanding narratives about race, identity, and family life, inspiring later playwrights and adaptations, including a 1961 film starring Sidney Poitier and multiple revivals on stage and television.
Legacy and Adaptations:
The play remains a staple in literature and drama curricula. Its influence extends through contemporary works addressing the Black experience and economic inequality, securing its reputation as one of the defining American plays of the twentieth century.
CONNECT:
Facebook: Athens’ Area Paine College Club
CONTACT:
Fred Smith, fsmithathens@gmail.com, 706-247-6777
