What Happens to a Dream Deferred:
Lorraine Hansberry and A Raisin in the Sun
September 10 — November 3, 2012
Lorraine Hansberry is one of the most important writers of the American theatre, and A Raisin in the Sun, her landmark drama, is one of the great plays of the twentieth century. With panel discussions, talkbacks, film screenings, and events for families, students and educators, What Happens to a Dream Deferred offers an opportunity to explore the artist and her remarkable creation—the historical context, contemporary relevance, and lasting influence.
What Happens to a Dream Deferred has been made possible through the generous funding of KPMG, Kate and Bob Devlin and The Devlin Foundation, Pitney Bowes Foundation, and The Graham Foundation of Connecticut.
SPEAKERS, PANELS AND DISCUSSIONS
Sunday Symposium: a Conversation with David Blackwell and Lynda Gravátt
Sunday, October 14, after the 3:00pm matinee performance
WCP Jason Robards Theatre
Free and open to the public
Actress Lynda Gravátt, who plays Lena Younger, and David Blackwell, associate director of the current Playhouse production, will join Playhouse Associate Artistic Director David Kennedy onstage for a lively discussion about Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun.
Commitment amid Complexity: Lorraine Hansberry’s Drama and Worldview
Sunday, October 21, after the 3:00pm matinee performance
WCP Jason Robards Theatre
Free and open to the public
Steven R. Carter, author of Hansberry’s Drama, and one of the most noted scholars on the life and work of Lorraine Hansberry, and Tracy Heather Strain, founder of the Lorraine Hansberry Documentary Project, discuss the evolution of Hansberry’s life and art.
Post-Show Conversation: A Day for Community
Sunday, October 28, after the 3:00pm matinee performance
WCP Jason Robards Theatre
Free and open to the public
This specially discounted matinee performance will be followed by a discussion centered on the theme of community as reflected in Lorraine Hansberry’s play, featuring David J. Dent, professor of journalism at New York University, and Larri Mazon, Chair of the Bridge Building Ministry at the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport. Further guests to be announced.
Talkback with the Actors
Thursday, November 1, after the 8:00pm performance
WCP Jason Robards Theatre
Free and open to the public
Join the cast of A Raisin in the Sun as they discuss the creative process and the challenges inherent in bringing Lorraine Hansberry’s play to life on the stage.
EDUCATOR WORKSHOPS
Techniques and Resources in Teaching African-American Literature: Lorraine Hansberry and Other Artists
Monday, September 10, 2012, 3:30 to 7:30pm
The Lucille Lortel White Barn Center at Westport Country Playhouse, Sheffer Studio
Free and open to all educators; reservations required
Lois A. Brown, Visiting Professor of English and African-American Studies at Wesleyan University, will lead a half-day workshop for educators on A Raisin in the Sun and its placement in the pantheon of African-American literature. The workshop will focus on the literary genealogy of Lorraine Hansberry, including an examination of a corpus of African-American authors whose works resonate with A Raisin in the Sun. Through a close reading of selected passages from the play, Professor Brown will draw connections to African-American stories of matriarchal power and literature written about the American city, as well as other literary contexts. The workshop aims to provide teachers with techniques and resources to evoke student engagement around the rich tradition of African-American literature.
Previously a visiting fellow at the Harvard University Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research and a professor of English at Mount Holyoke College, Professor Brown has lectured widely and published articles on African-American literature, women's writing, early American education, and African-American history and religion.
Teaching Matters of Segregation and Race: Finding a Context for A Raisin in the Sun
A Professional Development Workshop for Educators presented by Facing History and Ourselves
Monday, October 15, 2012, 3:30 to 7:30pm
The Lucille Lortel White Barn Center at Westport Country Playhouse, Sheffer Studio
Free and open to all educators; reservations required
Tracy Garrison-Feinberg, Senior Program Associate at Facing History and Ourselves, will present a half-day workshop for teachers exploring questions of identity, membership, and perceptions of difference in reference to racial and ethnic identity in the United States. Using case studies on topics from Jim Crow laws and the Brown v. Board of Education decision, the workshop will explore the history of segregation with particular reference to Northern cities, and will present classroom techniques and resources for explorations of the purposes, goals and successes of the civil rights movement.
FILM
To Be Young, Gifted and Black: A Film Screening - Cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy
Monday, October 29, 7:00pm
The Lucille Lortel White Barn Center at Westport Country Playhouse, Sheffer Studio
Free and open to the public
To be Young, Gifted and Black is an autobiographical, documentary film featuring excerpts from the plays, memoirs and other writings of Lorraine Hansberry. Featuring Blythe Danner, Barbara Barrie, Ruby Dee, Al Freeman Jr., and Lauren Jones, the 1972 film was adapted and compiled by Robert Nemiroff, Hansberry’s ex-husband and frequent collaborator.
FAMILY
Together at the Table Family Dinner
Thursday, October 18, 6:30pm
Thursday, November 1, 6:30pm
The Lucille Lortel White Barn Center at Westport Country Playhouse, Sheffer Studio
Discounted ticket price of $10 includes dinner and the show; must attend as a family group
During the run of A Raisin in the Sun, the Playhouse will host two Family Nights as part of our Together at the Table program. These Family Nights allow families to enjoy a communal dinner in our rehearsal barn and a casual conversation about the show before attending a mainstage performance. This program aims to make live theater accessible to more families, and to introduce young audience members to the Westport Country Playhouse in a warm and informal atmosphere. Together at the Table is made possible, in part, by the Westport Rotary Club.
A Day for Community
Sunday, October 28, 3:00 pm matinee
WCP Jason Robards Theatre
Discounted ticket price of $15
This specially discounted matinee performance will be followed by a discussion centered on the theme of community as reflected in Lorraine Hansberry’s play. Come early, and enjoy a pre-show reception in the lobby. A Day for Community is made possible through the support of Koskoff, Koskoff and Bieder, P.C.; Fairfield County Community Foundation; The Fairfield County Chapter of The Links, Inc; and The Greater Fairfield County Foundation.
STUDENT PROJECTS
Images of Home and Family: a Photographic Exhibit
a collaboration between Westport Country Playhouse, the McGivney Center, and Westport Arts Center
On display from October 9 – November 3
WCP Lobby and online at www.theplayhouseblog.org
Westport Country Playhouse and the Westport Arts Center will collaborate with the McGivney Center in Bridgeport on a student photo project that explores the power of autobiography and the unique ways we each experience the world. With disposable cameras, the students will visually document aspects their lives and neighborhoods in much the same way that Hansberry used the theater to document aspects of hers. The collected photos will be curated by Helen Klisser-During, Director of Visual Arts at the Westport Arts Center, and selected photos will be exhibited in the Playhouse lobby and online during the run of the show.
Writing from Life: A Creative Writing Project Inspired by Lorraine Hansberry
a collaboration between Westport Country Playhouse and the Carver Center of Connecticut
Published online at www.theplayhouseblog.org
Westport Country Playhouse will work with a select group of students from the after-school program at the Carver Center in Norwalk in a creative writing project. In conjunction with an accredited Language Arts teacher, WCP will participate in after-school lessons and discussions with students, exploring the autobiographical aspects of Lorraine Hansberry’s writing. Students will then draw on their own experiences in writing creatively, with the end goal of producing an autobiographically-inspired original work, whether in the form of a short story, drama, poem or cycle of poems. The students will be invited to attend a performance, and their work will be published and promoted on the WCP website. The project aims to encourage students to draw on their own life experiences in the creation of art and to gain an appreciation for other artworks that arise from challenging personal circumstances.
SPECIAL EVENTS
LGBT Night Out
Thursday, October 11, 6:30pm
Tickets: $35 (includes cocktail party and performance)
Geared specifically for the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender community and allies, enjoy mingling with friends, meeting up with colleagues and family, or chatting with someone new. The LGBT Night OUT subscription series boasts a fabulous pre-show cocktail party—complete with light eats and festive drinks—followed by the performance.
InteraCT: Playhouse Young Professionals Reception
Friday, October 19, 6:30pm
Tickets: $35 (includes pre-show reception and performance)
Meet and mingle with fellow young professionals while enjoying light appetizers and drinks followed by an 8:00pm performance. InteraCT utilizes Westport Country Playhouse as a vital cultural institution in Fairfield County where patrons under 40 can network and socialize, while strengthening their connection to their community. InteraCT will serve as a catalyst for young professionals to more deeply engage with the Playhouse and each other, enriching the experience of living and working in Southwestern Connecticut.
OFF-SITE EVENTS
A Raisin in the Sun: Is the Dream Still Deferred?
a collaboration with Norwalk Community College
Monday, September 24, 10:00am
Norwalk Community College, East Campus Forum
188 Richards Avenue, Norwalk
In a panel discussion with NCC President David L. Levinson, NCC faculty, staff and students explore the enduring themes contained in A Raisin in the Sun and their contemporary application.
The Politics of Race, Space, and Place in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
a collaboration with Sacred Heart University and TEAM Westport
September 27, 7:00pm
Sacred Heart University, Commons Auditorium
5151 Park Avenue, Fairfield
Sacred Heart University faculty will present a discussion on topics relating to the sociopolitical climate of the 1950s, the rhetoric of protest and activism as voiced by Hansberry’s characters, and the innovations of A Raisin in the Sun in the portrayal of black life that resisted, rebelled against, and re-visioned stereotypes.
Lorraine Hansberry's Feminism: Race, Class, and Gender in A Raisin in the Sun
a collaboration with Westport Public Library
Sunday, September 30, 2:00pm
Westport Public Library
20 Jesup Road, Westport
Sharon Friedman, professor of literature and drama at New York University and author of numerous essays on feminism in twentieth century theater, will bring a feminist lens to Hansberry's drama in the context of her exploration of racial, economic and political oppression in mid-century America.
An Open Discussion around A Raisin in the Sun
a collaboration with the Unitarian Church in Westport
Tuesday, October 2, 7:30pm
Unitarian Church in Westport
10 Lyons Plains Road, Westport
The Racial Justice Committee of the Unitarian Church in Westport will host a discussion of A Raisin in the Sun with Playhouse Associate Artistic Director David Kennedy. Attendees are encouraged to read the play or view the movie ahead of the discussion. The first fifteen minutes will be devoted to a recap of the principal themes. The remainder of the conversation will touch on the relevance of the play for our lives today and personal reflections. Participants are welcome to attend a performance together at Westport Country Playhouse and participate in a follow-up discussion.
A Civil Rights Film Series
a collaboration with the Westport Senior Center
From October 3 - October 24
Westport Senior Center
21 Imperial Avenue, Westport
In conjunction with A Raisin in the Sun, the Westport Senior Center is sponsoring a series of Civil Rights films by local filmmakers Bill Buckley and Tracy Sugarman on Wednesdays from 2:15 to 3:45pm, on October 3, 10, 17, and 24. For titles and information, please contact the Center at (203) 341-5099.
Art That Tells the Truth: Chicago Street Photography in the 20th Century
a collaboration between Westport Country Playhouse and Westport Arts Center
Friday, October 5, 6:00 – 7:30pm
Westport Arts Center
51 Riverside Avenue, Westport
Join WAC Director of Visual Arts, Helen Klisser During and WCP Associate Artistic Director David Kennedy for a guided exploration of powerful Chicago street photography, and for a lively discussion of the social and artistic milieu of Hansberry’s play in late-1950s Chicago.
PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
African-American Historical Association of Fairfield County
Amistad Center for Art and Culture at the Wadsworth Atheneum
The Carver Center of Connecticut
The Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport
Facing History and Ourselves
Fairfield County Community Foundation
Habitat for Humanity
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
Housatonic Community College
Links, Inc. of Fairfield County, New Haven, and Westchester
Long Wharf Theatre
Lorraine Hansberry Documentary Project
McGivney Community Center
Norwalk Community College
Sacred Heart University
TEAM Westport
The Unitarian Church in Westport
Urban League of Southern Connecticut
Westport Arts Center
Westport Public Library
