A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry’s landmark drama *A Raisin in the Sun* comes to the Kogod Theatre in a production by the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies. Set on Chicago’s South Side, the play follows the Younger family as they cling to dreams of a better future; when a life insurance check arrives, each family member must decide what that future should cost. The production balances tenderness and electricity, celebrating Black joy, resilience, and family while confronting segregation and discrimination head-on.
Hansberry’s play made history as the first Broadway play written by an African American woman, the first Broadway play directed by an African American man, and the first commercially produced Broadway drama to center Black life. This staging is directed by TDPS Assistant Professor KenYatta Rogers, whose previous work includes *Stick Fly*, *Men on Boats*, *Metamorphoses*, and *Home*. The page also frames the play with Langston Hughes’s famous question, “What happens to a dream deferred?”
Showtimes: Friday, November 13, 2026 at 7:30 PM; Sunday, November 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM; Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM; Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 7:30 PM; and Saturday, November 21, 2026 at 2:00 PM.
Venue: Kogod Theatre, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. Seating is general admission.
Tickets: Regular admission is $30 plus a $5 booking fee; students and youth tickets are $10.
Directed by: KenYatta Rogers, Assistant Professor in the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.
Accessibility: All performances include open captioning. The venue offers wheelchair-accessible seating, size-inclusive seating, large print programs, assisted listening devices, adult and child-friendly sensory packs, and quiet spaces. ASL interpretation, audio description, and captioning are available for select events or by patron request made at least six weeks in advance.
Livestream: The performances are not livestreamed.
Presented by: UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.