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.
Great performance and what a wonderful cast. Brought back old days when my performing arts group from my church did the play and I played one of the lead parts. We could see everything, hear clearly and felt like we were a part of the performance. Thanks for a wonderful evening, including the reception.
Excellent script, of course, but truly wonderful casting, acting, and sets. Only wish we had seen it before Clybourne Park.
This was a fantastic production. After Endgame (which I hated because I am not a fan of Beckett) this was a wonderful reminder of why I love the Arden.
Good solid storytelling, wonderful cast and great attention to detail.
This production was powerful and exciting. I was moved so very much emotionally. The actors were sensational.
The feelings this evoked for me will remain with me for a long while.
I loved Raisin in the Sun. The actors were superb. It held my attention overwhelmingly for the entire time. I am telling everyone I know to come to see it. Thanks again for the invite.
I like the play (never had seen it before) but was very disappointed, and disliked the production (i.e., the performances). The grandmother of course was superb, but as good as she was she alone could not hold it together and make it real. Her son was a great performer but simply was not part of the play, or of the lives and meaning of the play. He performed for the audience but did not live in the play. The mother was fine, her son was fine, the community representative was fine. The aunt simply was not professional. I felt the director instructed the cast to speak clearly and directly to the audience, and forgot that this was supposed to be a family in crisis. [My wife thought the play was dated–I do not. A friend of mine liked it; I definitely did not.]
A first-rate production with an exceptional cast. But what was most impressive was how universal the themes remain, despite one’s race or culture. It’s relevance is as timely today as it was when written. Just a great theater experience.
Great show, we really enjoyed it giving it 9 out of 10 stars. Last year you had Claiborne Park which is a follow up to Raisin in the Sun, should have presented these shows in reverse order.
It was a joy to be in the audience for this play which was well cast, well produced. It left me with a feeling of both sympathy and guilt. the message can be felt for the era the play was written – and for today as well. Congratulations to a fine production.
I’ve always loved this play since I was younger and studied theater. I had never seen a live performance of “A Raisin in the Sun”. I thought the cast did an excellent job as did artistic team who produced it. Thanks Arden! Great job!
What an amazing production. The acting was superb, bringing me to tears at times. Let’s hope that society’s views today have changed since this show was first written. My only criticism is that the little boy was difficult to understand at times, as was the man from Africa. It was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!
A magnificent script and story line was completely overshadowed by some of the finest acting I have been mesmerized by in my 82 years.
I feel I may have not done what I was supposed to do for the creative response to this play… Were we supposed to address the question “what happens to a dream deferred?” Or could we respond to something else in the play? I guess Ruth saying that white people are afraid of interracial marriage spoke the most to me being a white man married to a black woman. Excellent production and moved me though.
This production of Raisin in the Sun was flawless!
Not to make a pun, it was anything but “a raisin!”
It was a fully blossomed and rendered depiction of how things were …. and, unfortunately, how things still are for too many in our country.
Therefore, it is as necessary and relevant today as it was when originally written. Bravo!!!
It was a wonderful production and the cast was, at best, exceptional, and at worst, really good. The set was really evocative of many of the old parts of Chicago I knew in the 60s. I also used to design and build sets, and I love to see sets that deal with the small details that create verisimilitude. For many plays, realism is crucial. It is also great to see a play that is so well written, where the writing gets the emotions, time, and place just right. No actor can make up for mediocre writing.
i saw the original cast of “raisin” on broadway and therefore i wish i could be more positive about your production. i thought “ruth” hit the mark with her characterization. the interpretation of the daughter made me uncomfortable–this was a very bright student with serious if misguided dreams–not a drippy immature girl. i think the director wanted very broad and loud emotions from the cast and i think it does a disservice to the dignity of the play. in spite of my criticism i love your theater and enjoy going to the plays you present. i’ll support you next year as well as the future. suzanne
In the Arden’s production of ‘Raisin in the Sun’ the family almost but did not dry up in spite of the fact that it seemed as if it could have. Just as the story that is being told will never dry up. It is timeless! This also shows that with positive survival instincts, there is a way to get out of a difficult problem. Life, fortunately, often does play out in a positive way. The story/play shows that a solid grape can turn into a delicious raisin!
Thank you for this marvelous, beautifully presented and amazingly acted performance which left us with a meaningful and lasting theatrical experience.
Evelyn & Arthur Levit
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize! […]
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize! […]
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize! […]
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize! […]
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand […]
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize! […]
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize! […]
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize! […]
[…] is a finalist in our A Raisin in the Sun Creative Response Contest. From April 17-19 you can visit our Facebook page to vote for this entry to win our grand prize! […]
I cast my vote for David Kurkowski’s song. Good job.
I vote for Dianna. Exceptional imagery!