A Raisin in the Sun

Synopsis

In Chicago’s south side, three generations of family search for a better life. Insurance money comes to them and they each have an idea of what to do with it. The prejudice they face and their heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world form this seminal American drama.

A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family’s experiences in the Washington Park Subdivision of Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood as they attempt to “better” themselves with an insurance payout following the death of the father. The New York Drama Critics’ Circle named it the best play of 1959.