Project 3 - Producing the Play

The script poses no real threat to understanding, to grasping the idea of the play. The biggest threat implemented by the language of the piece is the loftiness of the speeches of Lena Younger. As many of the reviews and critiques might state, the matriarch’s vocabulary is lifted to a state of seemingly holier-than-thou tongues. This must be combated with the direction and ability for the actress who has this amazing role to bring the speeches to a level that associates the language with the ‘everyman,’ the ‘Walters’ of the world. It would not take much for someone to get lost in the magniloquent, rapturous speeches. Another problem that a production may fall prey to, is a colloquialistic speech patterns present in this society, at this time. A director may choose to do some form of speech pattern to increase interest by patrons, however they must walk a fine line between an audience being interested, and an audience getting lost.

Problems posed uniquely by a proposed UTC Main Season production would be an obvious one of cast. While this campus, and this program, have a certain level of racial diversity; would we have enough people to fill a cast of characters – the Younger family, Lena, Ruth, Walter, Beneatha, and Travis; Joseph Asagai; George Murchison; Bobo; Willy Harris; and Mrs. Johnson are all characters who, scriptually, must be African American. Mr. Karl Linder is the only Caucasian character present in the entire three-act show. Our season, in my opinion, could not boast of the feat of having a cast readily available for this task. That’s not to say we don’t have many talented African American individuals that can clearly perform this script; we just wouldn’t have the proper number to even begin to take on such an overwhelming endeavor. I would love to see what an SHSU Main Season production could create with this wonderfully written and poignant script, we just don’t have the complete and proper resources to do so.

As far as race, clearly other productions have a wider selection base than the 300 Theatre Majors here at Sam Houston State University. Consequently, it is easier to cast this show in a much broader setting. However, that is not to say that a simple community theatre would be able to drive this vehicle either, because they also, generally, have the same problem. In regards to the language, many productions seem to skim over the idea that the speeches become reverent, and over-bearing. Many productions skim over the top of the increased magniloquence. This is not say that audiences don’t relate to it, however, it must be maneuvered so it doesn’t belittle Walter, and the audiences loses their faith in the power of devotion Lena sustains.

Many critics have discussed how Lena rants and scolds her son. One said that the audience is forced emotionally and told exactly how to react to the situations. They clearly see the overwhelming indignation of her speech. So, one must look at this and not try to glaze over the fact that these speeches are often lofty, grandiose, and something to be on the look out for; you must take care and nurture them to produce the intent. Everything is written down, the words do their job, and we must cleverly draw back so the audience, the spectator, does not get too lost in the maze of verbose ideas and heightened statements.

Project 3 - Production History

Tapestry Theatre

Wilmington, NC

February-March 1988

Director: Defoy Glenn

"A Raisin In The Sun reveals the multiple challenges of gender differences, generations gaps, the expectation of black and white, and, always, the push and pull of family. What remains after everything is boiled off is the constant struggles of men and women trying to lead the best of all possible lives."

Chiles, Kara. Star-News (Wilmington, NC). Friday, May 1, 1998.

Ensemble Theatre

GeorgeW. Hawkins Mainstage

Houston, Tx

April-May 2007

Director: Elizabeth Van Dyke

"Indeed, there likely is no more sympathetic stage fmaily anywhere than the Youngers, cooped up in their 1950s Southside Chicago tenement apartment: widowed mother Lena, strong-willed and old-fashioned; her college-student daughter, Beneatha, a budding intellectual; her restless son, Walter Lee, frustrated with is job as a chauffeur and his inability to do more for his family; his patient, practical wife, Ruth; and their spirited son, Travis."

Evans, Everett. Houston Chronicle (Houston, Tx). Satruday, May 5m, 2007.

Original Broadway Production

The Shubert Organization

Ethel Barrymore Theatre

New York, New York

March 1959 - June 1960

Director: Lloyd Richards

Design: Scenic - Ralph Alswang; Costumes - Virginia Volland

"For Miss Hansberry has written a homely play about the day-to-day anxieties of a Negro family on the South Side of Chicago. Some of the troubles are uproariously funny; some of them are harrowing."

Atkinson, Brooks. New York Times. March 29, 1959

"The play is honest. She has told the inner as well as the outer truth about a Negro family in the southside of Chicago at the present time."

Atkinson, Brooks. New York Times. March 12, 1959

Ford's Theatre

Ford's Theatre

Washington, DC

February 1995

Director: Seret Scott

Design: Set - Atkin Pace; Lighting - Brian Nason

"Hansberry's play is packed with crises and debates that still resonate."

Pressley, Nelson. The Washington Times. February 15, 1995

"The supposedly realistic scenes are full of long, articulate speeches that few actual people could even begin to utter. The audience is pushed around emotionally and tole exactly how to react."

Rose, Lloyd. Washington Post. February 15, 1995.

Wilshire Theatre (now Saban Theatre)

Wilshire Theatre

Beverly Hills, CA

March-April 1987

Director: Harold Scott

Design: Set - Thomas Cariello

"Courage. Trust. Respect. These qualities, seasoned with warmth and humor, crisscross through this great play."

Jacobs, Tom. Daily New of Los Angeles (CA). April 3, 1987.

"It seems a shame for a production of so many sweetly observed, wry and/or biting moments to meander as the evening dwindles."

O 'Connor, Thomas. The Orange County Register. April 3, 1987

Broadway Revival

The Shubert Organization

Royale Theatre

New York, New York

April-July 2004

Director: Kenny Leon

Design: Set - Thomas Lynch; Lighting - Brian MacDevitt

"...it lacks the fully developed central performance from Mr. Combs that would hold the show together. The Walter Lee never appears to change, in big ways or small."

Brantley, Ben. New York Times. April 27, 2004

"Combs' sleepy stagger onstage at the Royale Theatre, it turns out, is unhappily prophetic. In a performance that never gains authority or presence, this is a lusterless, dispiriting star turn."

Winn, Steven. San Francisco Chronicle. April 30, 2004

Project 2 - Micro View

It states in the play that the location is the Chicago Southside. The Southside in Chicago has long been known to house the African American Population of Chicago (much like Harlem) while also providing some refuge for all minorities. This information taken from Encyclopedia of Chicago.

Homicide Rate: 4.2 per 100,000. Info Please.

Unemployment: 2.9%. See above link.

President: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Polio Vaccine started being used.

Life Expectancy: 69.6 years.

Rosa Parks's arrest sets Civil Rights movement into motion.

Sen. McCarthy continues his 'witch hunt' for communist sympathizers. Communism is a touchy subject in general; many celebrities and otherwise were blacklisted for having any sort of connection to the communist party.

The words "Under God" were added to the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Rose Bowl parade becomes the first program nationally broadcast in color.
The People History.

Project 2 - Sounds and Images

Pictures taken from Time and Life Magazines from July-August 1954.

A 1954 Mercury car. One that Walter may drive as a chauffeur.






Theme Song to the Disneyland TV Show




Betty While Singing "Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)" - 1954

Project 2 - Macro View

Doing some research, I have found that Colonel Robert R. McCormick (mentioned on page 14) died April 1, 1955. This leads me to believe that the play itself cannot take place anytime after that. However, the explicit line says, “Say Colonel McCormick is sick.” I have found that Robert McCormick had a fight with pneumonia the last three years of his life (contracted sometime in 1953). For the purpose of this research, I will look up information more so for the year 1954; particularly around September, or early winter, because there are lines referencing that it’s getting cold outside, et cetera.

General Facts
The population, as taken by the 1950 census, concluded that there are 150,697,361 resident people living in the continental US. In a land area (sq. mi.) of 2,974,726, which makes a population per square mile of 50.7. Census.

Average Cost of a New House: $10,250 ($82,176.95* today)

Average Monthly Rent: $85 ($681.47* today)

Yearly Inflation Rate: .32%

Average Cost of New Car: $1,700 ($13,629.35* today)

Cost of a Gallon of Gas: 22 cents (which equals $1.76* today)
The People History. * calculations provided by Inflation Calculator.

Brown v. Board of Education
On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education repealed the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 'separate but equal.' They declared that it was unconstitutional for children to be denied access to school based on the sole discrimination of race. The entire decision and aspects of this case can be found at National Center.

Jim Crow Laws
Statutes enacted by Southern states and municipalities, beginning in the 1880s, that legalized segregation between blacks and whites. The name is believed to be derived from a character in a popular minstrel song. The Supreme Court ruling in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate facilities for whites and blacks were constitutional encouraged the passage of discriminatory laws that wiped out the gains made by blacks during Reconstruction. Railways and streetcars, public waiting rooms, restaurants, boardinghouses, theaters, and public parks were segregated; separate schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, generally of inferior quality, were designated for blacks. By World War I, even places of employment were segregated, and it was not until after World War II that an assault on Jim Crow in the South began to make headway. In 1950 the Supreme Court ruled that the Univ. of Texas must admit a black, Herman Sweatt, to the law school, on the grounds that the state did not provide equal education for him. This was followed (1954) by the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans., declaring separate facilities by race to be unconstitutional. Blacks in the South used legal suits, mass sit-ins, and boycotts to hasten desegregation. A march on Washington by over 200,000 in 1963 dramatized the movement to end Jim Crow. Southern whites often responded with violence, and federal troops were needed to preserve order and protect blacks, notably at Little Rock, Ark. (1957), Oxford, Miss. (1962), and Selma, Ala. (1965). The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 finally ended the legal sanctions to Jim Crow. InfoPlease.

Project 1 - Casting Statement

When looking at A Raisin In The Sun we must take first the world of the play, and the story it tells. First of all, I cannot justify doing any non-traditional casting of race because this play is so based on the society of the time. The fight for dreams and reaching goals is certainly a universal idea, however, we undeniably see that the Younger family must be African American due to the set-up and many lines of the play. They reference their race a majority of the time, “-and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live…” (Hansberry 22). While the playwright doesn’t necessarily treat this family differently than anyone who has dreams and desires, she does expressly make them black because that was her struggle, and what she wanted to get across. Likewise, Karl Linder has to be white. The simplest definition and reason goes back to the basic idea of plot; the struggle of these people in this time. The reason Linder must be white is the references, as well as, again, the time. At the time, in the neighborhood, and most of America, people were still warming up and getting used to the idea of integration, therefore white people still ‘ruled’ most of the towns – especially in the urban and metropolitan areas.

Gender specificity is also very crucial in this piece; the cast must reflect the gender as written. Of course, Walter, Ruth, Mama, and Beneatha are undeniably gender locked, the role of Travis would be the only one possibly debatable. My answer to this is that at the end of the play, Walter ‘mans up’ and tells Karl that they are moving into the house. He would have no reason to do this if he had a daughter, at least not in this way. Through the play Mama compares Walter to his father and tells him that he needs to show Travis how to be a man, how to try and provide for his family and make decisions that will improve their standing.

When discussing age, we have to look at the generational differences in the family. You have three different generations, and a few different opportunities occurring. Age has to be present, however casting a younger woman to play Mama, for example, may not be a bad thing. The African America race, in general, tend to age well, even more for Mama. She has the grace, poise, and the look of someone who came from her generation. While the world has beaten her down, she has kept this vague happiness that she's still living. If someone were to cast a 'younger' woman to play this part and put some age make-up on her, it would not, by any means, degrade the intent or change the character. As for everyone else, age is important, however there is some play room with Walter, Ruth, and Beneatha. They are all around the same age, but they may not have all aged the same. Karl is a man that needs to look a little younger than Walter and Ruth especially, and maybe even Beneatha. This exhibits the ethnocentric view of the white people of the time. Having a young man talking to this family in this manner adds more to the action and overall view of the play.

When it comes to any sort of disability, I’m not sure that I can justify casting anyone who is physically incapable of doing basic things. Being slightly vision or hearing impaired may be okay. However, this family makes their living by cooking, driving, cleaning, baby sitting, et cetera; therefore, the persons of the household cannot be physically incapable of performing tasks such as these. It's hard for this family and this minority to get jobs, much less if they have a disability of some kind.

Project 1 - Exegesis

(RUTH points impatiently to the rolled up Tribune) - pg. 14

Daily newspaper published in Chicago. The Tribune is one of the leading U.S. newspapers and long has been the dominant voice of the Midwest. Founded in 1847, it was bought in 1855 by six partners, including Joseph Medill (1823 – 99), who made the paper successful and increased its stature while promulgating his generally liberal views. He bought a controlling interest in 1874 and was publisher until his death. During Robert McCormick's tenure (1914 – 55), the paper achieved the largest circulation among U.S. standard-sized newspapers and led the world in newspaper advertising revenue. The Tribune also reflected his nationalist-isolationist views, but its editorial positions moderated after his death. It subsequently became the flagship of the Tribune Company, which has holdings in broadcasting, cable TV, publishing, and other media. In December 2008 the Tribune Company filed for federal bankruptcy protection. Answers.

Walter: Say, Colonel McCormick is sick. - pg. 14

Robert Rutherford McCormick (July 30, 1880 – April 1, 1955) was an American newspaper baron, owner of the Chicago Tribune, and popularly known as "Colonel McCormick." He was born into the newspaper dynasty of Joseph Medill, and naturally took control, initially with his cousin Joseph Medill Patterson and later as the sole editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune company. Under his leadership the Chicago Tribune achieved the largest circulation among U.S. standard-sized newspapers.

A leading opponent of United States entry into World War II and of the increase in federal power brought about by the New Deal, McCormick continued to champion a right-wing, traditionalist course long after his positions had been eclipsed in the mainstream. His idiosyncratic editorials made him the leading example of conservative journalism of his era. Under his editorship, the paper was strongly isolationist and actively biased in its coverage of political news and social trends, calling itself "The American Paper for Americans." McCormick was highly successful in his day, developing the great newspaper empire begun by his grandfather and greatly affecting public opinion with his editorial power. However, the use of editorial power in this way can easily lead to abuses. The Chicago Tribune under his leadership was hardly a conveyor of the facts, but rather McCormick's view of them. Although he believed his views were best for his country, history showed him to be incorrect on many issues. New World Encylopedia.

(He hands the boy the coin) - pg. 19

The Franklin half dollar is a coin of the United States struck by the United States Mint ("Mint") from 1948 to 1963. The fifty-cent coin pictures Founding Father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. A small eagle was placed to the right of the bell to fulfill legal requirements. Produced in 90 percent silver with a reeded edge, the coin was struck at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints. The coins were struck regularly until 1963; beginning in 1964 it was replaced by the Kennedy half dollar, issued in honor of the assassinated President, John F. Kennedy. Wikipedia.

Ruth: You mean graft? - pg. 21

In this context probably dishonesty, bribery, or peddling influence in public or political life. Slang-dictionary.

Mama: Why is you got to flit so... - pg. 35

To pass quickly or abruptly from one place or condition to another. To move in an erratic fluttering manner. Merriam-Webster.

Mama: Sing the 'No Ways Tired' ... - pg. 41

Written by Curtis Burrell
Recorded by Rev. James Cleveland


Chorus:
I don’t feel no ways tired,
I’ve come too far from where I started from.
Nobody told me that the road would be easy,
I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me.

Vamp:
I don’t believe He brought me this far
(repeat as desired)

I’ve been sick (I don’t believe),
but God brought me (He brought me this far).
I’ve been in trouble (I don’t believe),
but God brought me (He brought me this far).

I’ve been friendless (I don’t believe),
but God brought me (He brought me this far).
I’ve been lonely (I don’t believe),
but God brought me (He brought me this far).

Please don’t leave me (I don’t believe),
don’t leave me Jesus (He brought me this far).
Don’t leave (I don’t believe),
don’t leave me Lord (He brought me this far).

I don’t believe (I don’t believe)
that God would bring me
(would bring me this far).

I don’t believe (I don’t believe)
that God would bring me
(would bring me this far).

I don’t believe (I don’t believe)
that God would bring me (would bring me this far just to leave me).
All Gospel Lyrics.

(BENEATHA in dungarees) - pg. 42

(... the colorful robes of a Nigerian woman) - pg. 48





(A Yoruba exclamation for admiration) - pg. 48

Location: Southwestern Nigeria, Bénin, Africa

Population: 10 million

Language: Yoruba (Kwa)

Neighboring Peoples: Fon, Igbo, Igala, Idoma

History: The oral history of the Yoruba describes an origin myth, which tells of God lowering a chain at Ile-Ife, down which came Oduduwa, the ancestor of all people, bringing with him a cock, some earth, and a palm kernel. The earth was thrown into the water, the cocked scratched it to become land, and the kernel grew into a tree with sixteen limbs, representing the original sixteen kingdoms. The empire of Oyo arose at the end of the 15th century aided by Portuguese guns. Expansion of the kingdom is associated with the acquisition of the horse. At the end of the 18th century civil war broke out at Oyo, the rebels called for assistance to the Fulani, but the latter ended up conquering all of Oyo by the 1830s. The Fulani invasion pushed many Yoruba to the south where the towns of Ibadan and Abeokuta were founded. In the late 1880s, with the help of a British mediator, a treaty was signed between the various warring factions. Yorubaland was officially colonized by the British in 1901, but a system of indirect rule was established that mimicked the structure of Yoruba governance.

Political Systems: The political and social systems vary greatly in different regions, and allegiance is uniformly paid to the large urban center in the area, rather than to a singular centralized authority. Each town has a leader (Oba), who may achieve his position in several different ways including inheritance, gaining the position through participation in title associations, or being personally selected by an Oba already in power. Every Oba, however, is considered to be a direct descendant of the founding Oba in each city. A council of chiefs usually assists the Oba in his decisions. Title associations, such as the ogboni, play an important role in assigning and balancing power within the cities.

Religion: The Yoruba claim that they have 401 deities; in truth, there are more than these. The complexity of their cosmology has led Western scholars to compare them to the Ancient Greeks and their impressive pantheon. Yoruba deities are known as orisha, and the high god is Olorun. No organized priesthoods or shrines exist in honor of Olorun, but his spirit is invoked to ask for blessings and to confer thanks. The Yoruba believe that when they die they enter the realm of the ancestors where they still have influence on earth. Annual homage is paid to the grave sites of ones' forbears, and lineage heads are responsible for honoring all deceased members of the lineage through a yearly sacrifice. Maskers (egungun) appear at funerals and are believed to embody the spirit of the deceased person. Other important orishas include Eshu, the trickster; Shango, the god of thunder; and Ogun, the god of iron and modern technology.
Gateway-Africa.

Asagai: Assimilationism is so popular in your country. - pg. 49

The practice of assimilation (in anthropology and sociology, the process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society. The process of assimilating involves taking on the traits of the dominant culture to such a degree that the assimilating group becomes socially indistinguishable from other members of the society. As such, assimilation is the most extreme form of acculturation. Although assimilation may be compelled through force or undertaken voluntarily, it is rare for a minority group to replace its previous cultural practices completely; religion, food preferences, proxemics (e.g., the physical distance between people in a given social situation), and aesthetics are among the characteristics that tend to be most resistant to change. Assimilation does not denote “racial” or biological fusion, though such fusion may occur.) Encyclopedia Britannica.