A Raisin in the Sun

Inspired in part by the Langston Hughes poem ‘Harlem’, the title comes from the line ‘What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?’ The play centres around the promise of ‘The American Dream’ and the challenges faced by African Americans in 1950s Chicago under racial segregation in attaining this dream. The play tells the story of a family, who, after the tragic death of the father, are set to receive a life-changing amount of money. Led by a desire to improve their circumstances, the money is used to purchase a house in a white neighbourhood, to pursue further education, while the rest is invested and lost. The Younger family’s experiences provide the platform through which social issues such as housing discrimination, racism, identity, pride and assimilation are explored. In spite of the obstacles and hardships the family faces, they are resolute in their hope for a better future.

A Raisin in the Sun has been performed extensively in theatres and has been adapted for film, most notably in 1961 featuring the original Broadway cast and directed by Daniel Petrie, and in 1989 as a TV film directed by Bill Duke.