STUDY GUIDE A NOISE WITHIN PRESENTS A Raisin in the Sun BY LORRAINE HANSBERRY “Hold Fast to Dreams” STUDY GUIDES FROM A NOISE WITHIN A rich resource for teachers of English, reading arts, and drama education. Dear Reader, We’re delighted you’re interested in our study guides, designed to provide a full range of information on our plays to teachers of all grade levels. A Noise Within’s study guides include: • General information about the play (characters, synopsis, timeline, and more) • Playwright biography and literary analysis • Historical content of the play • Scholarly articles • Production information (costumes, lights, direction, etc.) • Suggested classroom activities • Related resources (videos, books, etc.) • Discussion themes • Background on verse and prose (for Shakespeare’s plays) Our study guides allow you to review and share information with students to enhance both lesson plans and pupils’ theatrical experience and appreciation. They are designed to let you extrapolate articles and other information that best align with your own curricula and pedagogic goals. More information? It would be our pleasure. We’re here to make your students’ learning experience as rewarding and memorable as it can be! All the best, Alicia Green DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Pictured: Donnla Hughes, Romeo and Juliet, 2016. PHOTO BY CRAIG SCHWARTZ. TABLE OF CONTENTS Characters ..........................................4 Special thanks to our 25th Anniversary Gala Synopsis ...........................................5 donors who kept the arts thriving this year by supporting our Student Matinees (SMATs): Playwright Biography: Lorraine Hansberry ................6 SMAT PRODUCTION WORKSHOP SPONSOR Lorraine Hansberry Timeline ...........................7 SPONSOR ($10,000+) ($500+) Lorrain Hansberry: A Trailblazer .........................8 Heather & Paul Haaga Mads & Susan Bjerre William & Martin & Nancy Chalifour Timelines: Priscilla Kennedy Angela Conner & James & Trevessa Terrile Kevin Speaks African American Theatre ..........................9 Jack & Becky Doody SMAT PERFORMANCE The Dutka Family Civil Rights Movement. .10 SPONSOR ($5,000+) David Dwiggins & Lorraine Hansberry: Civil Rights Activist .................11 Kathleen & Clare Baren James Drummy Patrick Garcia Escalation of activism and militancy ....................12 Rebecca & Stuart Bowne Kathleen Gilmore Sharon & Rick Ellingsen Diane Glatt & David Holtz Structural Racism Near and Far ........................13 Alan M. & Ryan & Denise Jay The Great Migration ................................15 Sheila R. Lamson Molly Joseph John K. & Theodore Krontiris & The Black Belt. .16 Barbara Lawrence Sue Parilla Roger & Kathy & John Kurfess The Persistence of Structural Racism: Gloria V. Mullendore Deborah Smith & Richard & Sally Roberts Carole Lambert Income Gaps in Chicago ..........................17 Ellen & Charlie Steinmetz Gloria & Tom Lang Income Gaps in Los Angeles .......................18 Lyn Spector Joe & Denise Lumarda Bill & Rebecca Woods Gene & Joanne Masuda Segregation in Chicago and Los Angeles .............19 Emily & Finnian Murray SCHOOL SPONSOR Barbara & Langston Hughes: “Harlem—Dream Deferred” ...........20 ($2,500+) Anthony Phillips Themes ...........................................21 Mr. & Ms. Vickie & Alex Taylor Roger Engemann Betsy & Frank Ulf Q&A with Set Designer ..............................24 Barbara Henderson Mark & Louisa Nelson BUS SPONSOR ($350+) Director’s Thoughts about A Raisin in the Sun ............25 Bill & Susan Boyd A Raisin in the Sun . CLASS SPONSOR Meg Huntington Cajero & Actor Interview: 26 ($1,000+) Paul Cajero Glossary and Colloquial Terms .........................28 William & Sasha Anawalt Mr. Laurence Eggers Peter & Molly Bachmann Katherine James & Essay Topics & Activities .............................29 Bill & Claire Bogaard Alan Blumenfeld Dennis & Susan De Pietro Jim Kelly Resources and Suggestions for Further Reading ..........31 Pat & Sandy Gage David & Bridget Prince Craig Gilmore & Louise Mayeri Spillman David Crocker Rhonda Stone Armando Gonzalez & Craig & Carolyn Watson A NOISE WITHIN’S EDUCATION PROGRAMS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY: Brenda Berg AMC The Jewish Community Shiela Grether-Marion & ADDITIONAL DONORS Mark Marion Marcelino Miyares Ann Peppers Foundation Foundation Pat Hoppe Linda Dozier Kenneth T. and Elyse Klein Elsbeth Collins Employees Community Valerie & Bruce Merritt Bob Novell Fund of Boeing Eileen L. Norris Foundation Terri Murray Janet Suzuki Capital Group Companies Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Cynthia J. Nunes & David Briden Barbara Nye Angela Howell Michael J. Connell Foundation Rotary Club of Pasadena Daniel Rothmuller Mayor Terry Tornek Margaret H. Sedenquist Bill Ukropina The Dick and Sally Roberts Pasadena Community Foundation Kate Austin Coyote Foundation Greg Derelian Edison International Steinmetz Foundation Patrick Ross The Green Foundation Dwight Stuart Youth Fund Wells Fargo 4 A NOISE WITHIN 2017/18 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2018 Study Guide A Raisin in the Sun CHARACTERS Lena Younger “Mama” as she is referred to in the play. She is the widowed matriarch of the Younger family. She is the mother of Walter Lee and Beneatha. Beneatha Younger Walter Lee Younger Ruth Younger Walter Lee’s younger Mama’s oldest child. He works as The peacemaker in the family. sister. She is a college a chauffeur for a wealthy white She is married to Walter Lee. student who dreams family, and dreams for a better She cares deeply about her of becoming a doctor. life. He is married to Ruth Younger. husband and family. Out of everyone in the family, she is the most excited about the prospect of moving to a new house. Travis Younger Ruth and Walter Lee’s son. He is close with both of his parents and loves his grandmother. Joseph Asagai Bobo Karl Lindner A student from Nigeria. Walter Lee’s business partner. A representative of the Clybourne Park He is in love with Bobo and Walter Lee try to Improvement Association who comes Beneatha. open a liquor store together. to make a deal with the Youngers. George Murchison George is Asagi’s competition for the affections of the lovely Beneatha. He’s really good looking and his family has tons of money. Edited from: https://actorstheatre.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/PlayGuide_RaisinintheSun.pdf 5 A NOISE WITHIN 2017/18 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2018 Study Guide A Raisin in the Sun SYNOPSIS In a crammed apartment on the south side of Chicago, the Younger family waits for a $10,000 life insurance check after the death of Mr. Younger. As they wait, differences arise as the members of the family try to decide how they should spend the money. Each adult family member has something for which they would like to use the money, whether it is education, a business investment, or a house to call their own. Dreams compete as each character pursues his or her vision of what life could be. What will happen when the possibilities of the money cause rifts in relationships? How will the family react when given a chance to compromise their dignity for their dreams? Where will they find their roots? In America or in Africa? In their apartment or a new home? Alone or together? Throughout the play, a number of important events occur: First, Lena decides to use a large portion of the money to buy a house in Clybourne Park, an all-white neighborhood in Chicago. Lena then gives the rest of the money from the insurance check to Walter Lee, and advises him to save a large portion of it to pay for Beneatha’s education. However, instead of saving the The “Hansberry House” money, Walter uses his share of the insurance check to try to open a liquor store with Bobo and Willy Harris. Only later does Walter Lee realize that he has been scammed, and that he has lost all of the money from the check that he invested in the store. The family struggles to remain optimistic, especially when Karl Lindner, a spokesperson from the Clybourne Park community, comes to make a deal with the Youngers. In an attempt to keep the family from moving to Clybourne Park, he offers to buy them out of their new house. This offer sends each member of the family into a whirlpool of mixed emotions and reactions. Walter Lee figures that giving in to “The Man” is the only way to get some money for his family. In the play’s climactic moment, Walter must choose between standing up for his family’s rights and standing up for his ego and role as the breadwinner. Ultimately, Walter Lee courageously stands up for civil rights and refuses Karl’s offer. The family will move into their new home. Edited from: https://actorstheatre.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ PlayGuide_RaisinintheSun.pdf 6 A NOISE WITHIN 2017/18 REPERTORY SEASON | Spring 2018 Study Guide A Raisin in the Sun ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT LORRAINE HANSBERRY Lorraine Hansberry is best know for her work, A Raisin in the Sun, a play about a struggling black family, which opened on Broadway to great success. Hansberry was the first African American playwright and the youngest American to win a New York Critics’ Circle award. Throughout her life, she was deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement. At the young age of 34, Lorraine Hansberry passed away from pancreatic cancer. EARLY LIFE Lorraine Vivian Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. Hansberry’s father was a successful real estate broker, and her mother was a schoolteacher. Her parents contributed large sums of money to the NAACP and the Urban League—organizations dedicated to advancing social, economic, and legal equity for African