A RAISIN IN THE SUN Extended at Court Theatre Through Early March

Court Theatre has extended Lorraine Hansberry’s masterpiece, A Raisin in the Sun, due to overwhelming demand. 

New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award winner, Tony Award nominee for Best Play, and the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a stunning portrayal of a family’s fight for dignity and the right to dream. 

“The audience response to A Raisin in the Sun has been tremendous. It is such an honor to be doing this show, in this moment, in this place,” shares Director and Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent. “I am immensely proud of everyone who brought this dream to life and I am thrilled that even more audience members will now get to experience Hansberry’s stunning, poetic language.”

As the Younger family awaits their recently deceased patriarch’s life insurance check, they allow themselves to imagine a bigger life – a life with room to breathe – until those plans are thrown into jeopardy. Lorraine Hansberry’s language rings as wise and prescient as ever in her moving answer to Langston Hughes’s question, What happens to a dream deferred? Staged sixty years after Lorraine Hansberry’s passing, Senior Artistic Producer Gabrielle Randle-Bent (Antigone) brings Hansberry’s masterpiece home to Chicago’s vibrant South Side and Court’s stage for the very first time.

The cast of A Raisin in the Sun includes Shanésia Davis (Lena Younger/Mama); Brian Keys (Walter Lee Younger); Kierra Bunch (Ruth Younger); Martasia Jones(Beneatha Younger); Jeremias Darville (Travis Younger); Di'Aire Wilson (Travis Younger, alternating); Eliott Johnson (Joseph Asagai); Charles Andrew Gardner(George Murchison); Julian Parker (Bobo); Vincent Teninty (Karl Lindner); and J. Nicole Brooks (Mrs. Johnson).

The creative team includes Andrew Boyce (scenic design); Raquel Adorno, with Associate Jeanette Rodriguez (costume design); Maximo Grano De Oro(lighting design); Willow James (sound design); Khalid Long, PhD (production dramaturg); Becca McCracken, CSA, with Associate Celeste M. Cooper (casting); Kate Ocker (production stage manager); and Jaclynn Joslin (assistant stage manager).

Accompanying this production of A Raisin in the Sun is a suite of public programs, including:

●      Community Reads Series: Come together to discuss themes within the play, its inspiration, and its importance to the South Side; comprised of a social gathering, a book club, and a post-show discussion. The Community Reads Book Club will be held on February 26, 2025 at the Blackstone Branch of the Chicago Public Library; and the Community Reads Conversation will be held on March 1, 2025 at Court Theatre. Presented in partnership with Chicago Public Library at the Blackstone Branch.

●      Agora: A Dream Deferred – Black Mobility and Housing: An evening of art, exploration, and conversation about the history of housing injustice. This event will be held on February 13, 2025 at the National Public Housing Museum, featuring Dr. Lisa Yun Lee; Robin Bartram, PhD; Adrienne Brown; Philip Garboden, PhD; and Sandra Jackson-Opoku. Presented in partnership with the National Public Housing Museum.

●      Let’s Talk About Art: Dive into A Raisin in the Sun with two virtual lecture-style workshops, a trip to the theatre, and an in-person artmaking workshop at the Hyde Park Art Center. This series will take place from February 17, 2025 through February 20, 2025. Sessions will be conducted virtually, at Hyde Park Art Center, and at Court Theatre. Presented in partnership with the Hyde Park Art Center.

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