This week, we honor the Black People Magic of history-making Chicago native, playwright Lorraine Hansberry.
60 years after her death and nearly 70 years after she made history with this Broadway debut, her play set on the South Side, A Raisin in the Sun returns to the stage here at the Court Theatre (5535 S. Ellis Ave) in Hyde Park.
The play shines a light on the lives of Black Americans in Chicago living under racial segregation. The title of the play was taken from the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes that asks, “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
It premiered in 1959, becoming the first play by a Black woman to debut on Broadway. The production also won Hansberry the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play when she was 29, making her the first Black woman and youngest playwright to earn that honor. Hansberry died of pancreatic cancer on January 12, 1965, at just 34 years old.
This production of A Raisin in the Sun is directed by Hansberry scholar, Gabrielle Randle-Bent and due to popular demand, the show’s run has been extended through March 9th... get tickets at this link.
& Remember to always celebrate your magic! xo\