A Raisin in the Sun – Submit your Creative Response

In 1925, Langston Hughes wrote his poem Harlem, which begins:

What happens to a dream deferred?

 

In 1959, Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, taking the title from Hughes’ poem, opened on Broadway. In this first Broadway play written by an African American woman, the Younger family in Chicago considers buying a house in the all-white neighborhood of Clybourne Park.

In 2011, Bruce Norris won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Clybourne Park. Leasing characters from Hansberry’s play, Norris imagines the Chicago home the Youngers seek to buy over five decades.

In 2012, the Arden presented Clybourne Park on stage, and now through April 21 we are presenting A Raisin in the Sun. 

So, we ask you: What happens to a dream deferred? 
Add your voice to the conversation that Hughes, Hansberry, and Norris have contributed to for almost 90 years. Create your own poem, play, story, song, painting, or video – use your imagination!

• Email your contribution to creativeresponse@ardentheatre.org (Videos should be sent as links to content hosted online. No attachment should exceed 5MB).
• Submit your response by Friday, April 5 at midnight. We’ve extended the deadline for submissions to Wednesday, April 10 at midnight!
• Members of the Arden staff will then select 10 finalists to be featured on the Arden blog. From April 11 through April 15 at 5pm, you can vote for your favorite response by leaving a comment on the entry here on this sight or on the Arden’s Facebook page.
• On Monday, April 15, we wil name the winner of the contest, at a reading of Clybourne Park reuniting the cast of last year’s production.
• 1 Grand Prize – $100 and an invitation for two to opening night of A Little Night Music
• 2 Runners Up – $50 each and two tickets to A Little Night Music
• All 10 Finalists will receive 2 tickets to A Little Night Music.

Get creating!

 The Arden reserves the right to post, share, and publicize all entries with proper credit to the creator.