A Raisin in the Sun - Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

A Landmark of American Theatre That Still Resonates Today

By Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by Akeem Davis

June 25 to July 13 | Schubert Theatre

The members of the Younger family dream bigger than the cramped apartment where they live on the south side of Chicago. When a life-changing insurance check arrives, three generations are suddenly given the chance to turn their hopes into reality. Walter longs to be his own boss, Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor, and Mama Younger envisions a home where they can finally flourish. As they navigate the complex landscape of 1950s America, the Younger family discovers that unity, resilience, and love can overcome even the toughest challenges in their pursuit of a better life.

A Raisin in the Sun is a landmark of American Theatre history. Lorraine Hansberry’s powerful voice is an essential thread in the fabric of this country’s shared cultural narrative, and this production reaffirms PSF’s commitment to sharing stories that more deeply investigate what it means to be American.

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.
Content Advisory: Contains mature language and themes.
Recommended Age: 13+

A Raisin in the Sun is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

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Show Extras:

-Opening Night, Friday, June 27: Join the PSF actors and staff for a friendly post-show champagne toast.
– Director’s Dinner- specialty dinner themed to the play with behind-the-scenes insights: Wednesday, July 9, 5:00pm.
– Meet the actors for an informal talk-back after the show: Thursday, July 3 and 10.
– Audio Described performance: Saturday, July 12, 2:00pm.

Artists

Cast

Brandon E. Burton*
Walter Lee Younger

Kian E. Cooper
Travis Younger

Kimberly S. Fairbanks*
Lena Younger

Jamir Fisher
George Murchison/Moving Man

Noelle Diane Johnson*
Ruth Younger

Keith Livingston
Bobo/Moving Man

Matt Pfeiffer*
Karl Linder

Isaiah Caleb Stanley*
Joseph Asagai/Moving Man

Octavian Suomie
Travis Younger

Billie Wyatt*
Beneatha Younger

Creatives

Akeem Davis*
Director

Marie Laster
Scenic Designer

Leigh Paradise
Costume Designer

Thom Weaver
Lighting Designer

Jordan McCree
Sound Designer

Kim Carson
Intimacy Director

Patreshettarlini “Ms. Pat” Adams*
Stage Manager

Ian Rose
Fight Director

Elliot M. Schenck*
Assistant Stage Manager

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Stage Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Show Features

A Director’s Letter to A Raisin in the Sun

Have you ever been to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.? It’s a breathtaking, exhaustive place—filled to the brim with history and teeming with information. In the time leading up to rehearsals for A Raisin in the Sun at Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival this summer, I’ve often thought about my visits to this Smithsonian institution. Partly, it’s because the African American Smithsonian tells the unvarnished truth—as all museums should—but also because it clarifies the significant distinction between a fossil and an artifact.

This will mark my eighth summer in the Lehigh Valley, so I know that a renowned Shakespeare fest like ours is precisely where leadership, artists and patrons unite in their shared aversion to fossilized productions—those that are dusty, sleepy, tired, and obsolete. Our Festival is only interested in rendering work that is rich, and useful, and ringing loud with the exhibited significance of an artifact. For us, A Raisin in the Sun must be a reckoning, a re-evaluation, a fresh realization. That is my aim, and I’m grateful to the Festival for the opportunity to achieve that goal.