SLU Theatre and Dance presents Scenes from A Raisin in the Sun

02/09/2024

SLU Theatre and Dance will present "Scenes from A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry directed by Kathryn Bentley, on Friday, April 5, at 7 p.m. in the Mark Wilson Studio Theatre in Xavier Hall.

Set on Chicago’s South Side, Lorraine Hansberry's celebrated play concerns the divergent dreams and conflicts in three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis, and matriarch Lena. When her deceased husband’s insurance money comes through, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school. Hansberry's portrait of one family’s struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration.

Kathryn Bentley is an associate professor of theater performance, and artistic director of Southern Illinois University’s Black Theatre Workshop. A theater professional with extensive experience as an actor, director and teaching artist, she holds a MFA in Theater Directing. She is a 2002 St. Louis Regional Arts Commission Community Arts Institute Fellow, is a National Conference for Community and Justice Diversity Facilitrainer and a recipient of the the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission Artist Fellowship.

As a director, Bentley spearheads collaborations and devised work. Such collaborations include Justice Too Long Delayed: Celebration of Letter from Birmingham Jail, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Gem of the Ocean, The Colored Museum, Since Africa, Venus, Only Just a Minute, and Intimate Apparel.

Internationally, Bentley has worked in both Suriname and the Netherlands. Her research on the Afro-Surinamese Du Theatre has been presented to Surinamese, Illinois and Maryland audiences. In the Netherlands, she facilitated an interactive theatrical presentation for the 2016 Diversity and Inclusion Symposium at Leiden University.

"Scenes from A Raisin in the Sun" will feature professional local actors alongside students from Saint Louis University. This program is free and open to the public.  Refreshments will be served.

To know more, or to be considered as an actor in the reading, contact Nancy Bell.