Press Release: ABCT Presents A Raisin in the Sun
A Golden Anniversary for ‘Raisin’
ABCT Proudly Presents the 50th Anniversary Production of Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark dramatic play, A Raisin in the Sun
50 years ago, an unheralded drama by an unknown playwright opened on Broadway. Since its debut, Raisin has become a permanent fixture in the theatrical world. The Washington Post hails it as “one of a handful of great American plays – it belongs in the inner circle, along with Death of a Salesman, Long Day's Journey Into Night and The Glass Menagerie.” “Never before in the entire history of the American theater had so much of the truth of Black people’s lives been seen on the
stage”, novelist James Baldwin once wrote. In celebration of its 50th Anniversary, The Anthony Bean Community Theater
(ABC
T) is retelling the story of the Youngers, a struggling African-American family whose members deal with poverty, racism, and painful conflict among themselves as they reach for a better life. Directed by Will Williams. Starring Anthony Bean, Patricia McGuire Hill, Samant
ha Beaulier & Nicole James –Francois. Performances are October 30, 31-November 1, 6-8, 13-15, & 20-21. On Friday and Saturday at 8:00 pm. and Sunday matinee at 3:00 pm. Special Note: On November 1st, Sunday's performance will be at 8:00 pm. ONLY! Tickets are $18.00 for adults, $16.00 for students and seniors, and are available by calling the Box Office at (504) 862-7529. (Box Office hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 2-6 pm. and two hours before performances.) You can also charge by phone or charge on line at www.anthonybeantheater.com
A Raisin in the Sun was nominated for four Tony awards when it opened on Broadway in 1959, lauded by The New York Times as a show that “changed American theater forever.” For the first time in history a production hailed an all-black principal cast, a black director and a black playwright.
It tells the story of a recent widow, Lena Younger (Pat McGuire Hill), who wants to use her deceased husband's insurance money to buy a home for her family, freeing them from the cramped tenement in which she, her two children, daughter-in-law and 
grandson live. Her son, Walter Lee (Anthony Bean), is determined to invest the money in a liquor store - an opportunity for him to be his own man. Lena refuses; in her eyes a house is a sturdy thing to build a dream on, one that can relieve the strains that poverty has put on the family but when a white representative of the neighborhood "welcoming committee" presents the Youngers with an offer to buy them out of their home to prevent integration in their community, the dream of the house quickly becomes a nightmare. The title comes from the opening lines of “Harlem,” a poem by Langston Hughes (“What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?”). Throughout the play, the idea of deferred dreams is a prominent theme, as each member of the Younger family attempts to find his or her place amidst a number of difficult situations. The cast also features Tyler Felix (Travis), Rusty L. Cormier (George Murchison), Nicole James-Francois (Beneatha), Samantha Beaulier (Ruth), Donald Lewis Jr. (Joseph Asagai), Tj Toups (Karl Linder), Harold X. Evans (Bobo), Donna King & Gwendolyne Foxworth (Mrs. Johnson), Ryan Lieteau & Chris Henry (Moving men).
A Raisin in the Sun
Written by Lorraine Hansberry Directed by Will Williams Scenic Designed by John Grimsley Costumes by Wanda Bryant
CAST
Mama------------------------------------------Pat McGuire Hill
Walter Lee-------------------------------------Anthony Bean
Ruth--------------------------------------------Samantha Beaulieu
Beneatha---------------------------------------Nicole James-Francois
Travis-------------------------------------------Tyler Felix
George -----------------------------------------Rusty L. Cormier
Asagai------------------------------------------Donald Lewis Jr.
BoBo--------------------------------------------Harold X. Evans
Mrs. Johnson-----------------------------------Donna King & Gwendolyne Foxworth
Karl Lindner------------------------------------Tj Toups
Moving Men------------------------------------Ryan Lieteau, Chris Henry
Performance Schedule October 30-November 22 Friday & Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Sunday Matinee at 3:00 p.m. Special Note: On November 1, Sunday performance will be at 8:00 p.m. ONLY!
Prices Adult: $18.00 Student & Seniors $16.00
Box Office (504) 862-7529 Box Office Hours 2-6 PM Tuesday-Saturday & 2 hours before performances Charge on line at www.anthonybeantheater.com
Address Anthony Bean Community Theater 1333 South Carrollton Ave. New Orleans, LA. 70118