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When Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun first debuted in 1959 she did not expect it to be a success. But the story of the a Chicago-based African American family called the Youngers, resonated deeply with Americans. The title of the play is taken from a poem by Langston Hughes called Harlem: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” Hansberry’s play touched on on-going issues of racism and struggling to achieve the American Dream. It was considered to be “the first authentic voice of a black playwright to hit the Broadway stage.” The New York Times has said that A Raisin in the Sun “changed American theater forever” and the Washington Post called it “one of a handful of great American plays.” A Raisin in the Sun, whose original cast included Sydney Poitier and Ruby Dee, has continued to be performed over the decades and is part of the 2010-2011 season at LA Theater Works. It features actors Rutina Wesley, best known for her role as Tara in the HBO vampire series True Blood, Judyann Elder who has starred in a number of television sitcoms including That’s So Raven, Martin, and Family Matters, and multiple award-winning actor Deidrie Henry who starred in Yellowman and Athol Fugard’s Coming Home at The Fountain.

GUESTS: Judyann Elder playing Lena Younger, Rutina Wesley playing Beneatha Younger

Performances of A Raisin in the Sun take place on Wednesday, November 17 at 8 pm; Thursday, November 18 at 8 pm; Friday, November 19 at 8 pm; Saturday, November 20 at 2:30 pm; and Sunday, November 21 at 4 pm.

Tickets range from $20.00 to $49.00. L.A. Theatre Works at the Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd, off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Santa Monica Mountains (exit Skirball Center Drive).

For tickets and information, call the L.A. Theatre Works box office at (310) 827-0889 or go to www.latw.org.