A RAISIN IN THE SUN Coming to Coventry's Belgrade Theatre

Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play, the first on Broadway written by a Black woman, will visit the Belgrade Theatre from Tues 22 - Sat 26 March in a new production directed by Eclipse Theatre's Dawn Walton. This intense family drama, written on the cusp of the civil rights era, sees the Younger family await the arrival of a cheque for a life changing $10,000. Driven to conflict as they encounter issues of inequality, housing and lack of opportunity that continue to resonate today, the play acts as a stark warning to anyone who measures happiness and personal worth in capital gain.

This brand new production will star Ashley Zhangazha as Walter, in one of the great roles of American theatre. Widely regarded as one to watch following performances in Henry V for the Michael Grandage Company and alongside Lenny Henry in Fences in the West End,Ashley won the 2013 Ian Charleson Award for his performance in Macbeth at the Sheffield Crucible.

He will be joined by Angela Wynter as Lena Younger, whose recent stage roles include Boi Boi is Dead at West Yorkshire Playhouse, A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes at the Tricycle Theatre and The Amen Corner at the National Theatre. Angela had a long-running role in EastEnders, playing Yolande Trueman between 2003 and 2008. Other notable roles include Rafiki in the West End production of The Lion King (2001) and the title character in Robert Icke's production of Catalysta. Angela will shortly be back on our screens as returning character Ifa Effanga in Holby City (BBC).

The cast will be completed by Susan Wokoma, Alisha Bailey, Everal A Walsh, Mike Burnside and Aron Julius. Adryan Dorset Pitt, Solomon Gordon and Kiano Samuels will share the role of Travis Younger.

Following its debut on Broadway in 1959, Lorraine Hansberry adapted her play into a critically-acclaimed film starring Sidney Poitier as Walter. Testament to its continuing power and relevance, A Raisin in the Sun has been revived numerous times in the intervening years and Walter has been portrayed on stage by actors including Denzel Washington and Danny Glover.

Speaking about the production, Eclipse Artistic Director Dawn Walton said "In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry has meticulously created the world of a family in a small apartment in 1950s Southside Chicago that has the power to resonate across the Atlantic and through time with us here to today. It's a joy to work with such strong talented actors - Ashley, Alisha, Susan and Angela as they transform into the Younger family".

The inspiration for Nina Simone's much-loved song 'Young, Gifted and Black', Lorraine Hansberry won the New York Drama Critics' Best Play of the Year Award at just 29 years old, becoming the first Black woman to do so. Before her untimely death at the age of just 34, Hansberry was a keen activist, applauded by many as an inspirational figure. Alongside the National Theatre's forthcoming production ofLes Blancs, the revival provides a timely re-evaluation of Lorraine Hansberry's work as one of the most significant American playwrights of the period.

Artistic Director Dawn Walton began her directing career at the Royal Court Theatre and was awarded the first Jerwood Young Director's Award at the Young Vic. After a year as Acting Head of Studio at the National Theatre, Dawn formed Eclipse Theatre Company in 2010. Her previous work for Eclipse includes One Monkey Don't Stop No Show and The Hounding of David Oluwale for which she was nominated for a TMA award for Best Director. Dawn has also developed, produced and directed '10by10', a series of 10 short film dramas for the digital arts platform The Space (ACE/BBC).

Eclipse Theatre Company is the leading Black-led national touring company. The Company began in 2003 as an Arts Council England initiative to address the absence of Black Theatre on the regional and middle-scale touring network and is led by Artistic Director Dawn Walton. With an impressive track record of drawing new audiences, Eclipse continue to expand on their bespoke audience development programme to ensure that new and existing audiences are engaged with. Eclipse aim to use the Black British experience to create new work to enrich the cannon of British Theatre through national tours. By engaging and developing new audiences, and raising the profile of Black theatre makers, Eclipse deliver diverse programming in regional theatres. Previous tours include The Hounding of David Oluwale (2009), SUS (2010), One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (2011 + 2013) and Sizwe Banzi is Dead (2014).

In 2014, Eclipse launched the award-winning Revolution Mix, a three year equality initiative to create permanent change in British Theatre supported by the Arts Council. Working with 16 writers, 11 regional theatres and a canvas of 500+ years of Black and Asian British history, Revolution Mix will develop and produce theatre, film and radio - culminating in the largest ever delivery of new Black work.

A Raisin in the Sun will run in B2 from Tues 22 - Sat 26 March. Tickets are priced from £12 - £27 with concessions available. To book, call the Box Office on 024 7655 3055 or visit www.belgrade.co.uk where tickets are cheaper.

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