On March 11, 1959, Lorraine Hansberry’s 'A Raisin in the Sun' opened on Broadway and changed the face of American theater forever. As the first-ever black woman to author a play performed on Broadway, she did not shy away from richly drawn characters and unprecedented subject matter. The play attracted record crowds and earned the coveted top prize from the New York Drama Critics’ Circle. While the play is seen as a groundbreaking work of art, the timely story of Hansberry’s life is far less known.
American Masters Pictures, ITVS
English
No trailer available
LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Narrator (voice)
Anika Noni Rose
Lorraine Hansberry (voice)
Harry Belafonte
Self
Sidney Poitier
Self
Glynn Turman
Self
Louis Gossett Jr.
Self
Lorraine Hansberry
Self (archive footage)
Shauneille Perry
Self
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