Kristan Tetens, University Relations, (517) 355-5633 or tetenskr@msu.edu
2/17/2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - More than 2,000 students from 29 area schools will travel to the Michigan State University campus this week to see a play that explores the enduring themes of family unity, pride in cultural heritage and the dream of a better life.
In celebration of Black History Month, the Department of Theatre will present special morning performances of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" from Tuesday, Feb. 18, through Friday, Feb. 21, at Fairchild Theatre.
All performances begin at 9:45 am. A discussion of the play with its director and actors will follow each performance.
[NOTE TO MEDIA: A complete list of schools attending is attached. Reporters and photographers are welcome; please call Kristan Tetens at (517) 355-5633 for assistance. We can connect you with teachers and students attending the play and with the play's director and actors.]
"A Raisin in the Sun" depicts the struggle of an African-American family against the forces of bigotry and hate. The Younger family, living in poverty on the south side of Chicago in the 1950s, must decide how to spend the proceeds of a life insurance policy following the death of a member of the family. As the play progresses, the Youngers clash over their competing dreams for a brighter future but ultimately are united by their love for each other and by their desire to own a home that reflects their dignity.
When it was first produced in 1959, "A Raisin in the Sun" won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and was hailed as a watershed in American drama. It was the first drama by a black woman to be produced on Broadway and a radically new representation of life in America.
School performances have been an important part of the Department of Theatre's community outreach mission for decades.
"We select one play each season with an eye to the needs of Michigan high schools," said Frank C. Rutledge, interim chairperson of the Department of Theatre.
"When middle or high school students attend a professional production of a play they are studying in class, everything is more vivid and memorable to them. We receive a great deal of positive feedback from both teachers and students.
"Our own students benefit, too, by getting additional opportunities to perform in front of young audiences. Everyone wins."
SCHOOLS ATTENDING "A RAISIN IN THE SUN"
All performances begin at 9:45 a.m. at Fairchild Theatre, in the Auditorium Building at the intersection of Farm Lane and Auditorium Road.
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Oak Park Academy, Ferndale
Chandler Park Academy, Detroit
Colin Powell Academy, Detroit
Frankfort High School, Frankfort
Kelloggsville High School, Grand Rapids
Linden High School, Linden
McCord Renaissance High School, Benton Harbor
Wednesday, Feb. 19
AGBU Manoogian, Southfield
Benton Harbor High School, Benton Harbor
Gateway Middle-High School, Grand Rapids
Hull Middle School, Benton Harbor
Longfellow Middle School, Detroit
Pattengill Middle School, Lansing
Renaissance High School, Detroit
Rogers High School, Wyoming
Thursday, Feb. 20
Caro High School, Caro
Carmen-Ainsworth High School, Flint
Colon High School, Colon
Fulton Middle School, Middleton
Kettering High School, Detroit
Marilyn F. Lundy Academy, Detroit
McMichael Middle School, Detroit
Operation GRAD, Battle Creek
Riddle Middle Magnet, Lansing
Shelby High School, Shelby
Winans Academy of Performing Arts, Detroit
Friday, Feb. 21
Eastern High School, Lansing
George Washington Carver Academy, Highland Park
Waverly High School, Lansing