Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965)

February 11, 2007 
/ Contributed By: Douglas Q. Barnett

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Lorraine Hansberry

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Lorraine Hansberry was one of the most significant and influential playwrights of the 20th Century. Her landmark play A Raisin in the Sun, which opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in New York City, New York in 1959, was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway. Hansberryโ€™s account of the struggles of an urban black family was an overnight success, running some 530 performances, and winning a New York Drama Critics Circle Award. It was also earned four Tony Award nominations–Best Play, Director, Actress and Actor. It is generally credited with breaking down the racial barriers to Broadway and ushering in a new era of opportunity for black women playwrights. The play was made into a movie in 1961, with Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil reprising their roles and Ms. Hansberry writing the screenplay.

Hansberry was a native of Chicago, Illinois who received her early education at the University of Wisconsin, Roosevelt University, and the New School for Social Research. Her second play The Sign in Sidney Brusteinโ€™s Window, opened in 1964 and closed after 100 performances in January of 1965, the same day Ms. Hansberry died. Her former husband, Robert Nemiroff, was named executor of the estate, and edited, published and sometimes produced her unfinished manuscripts. These include Les Blancs, The Drinking Gourd, What Use Are The Flowers? and To Be Young, Gifted and Black. In 1973, Mr. Nemiroff adapted A Raisin in the Sun into a musical that ran on Broadway for three years. Lorraine Hansberry lived a short but remarkable life. Her place is assured in the Playwrightโ€™s Hall of Fame.

About the Author

Author Profile

Douglas Barnettโ€™s involvement in the American theatre began in 1961 and continues today. He was the Founding Director of the nationally acclaimed theatre Black Arts/West in 1969. A highlight of his career was serving as Company Manager for the National Tour of the Tony award winning play The River Niger for the Negro Ensemble company in 1973/74. Mr. Barnett has also worked for the Seattle Arts Commission and GeVa Theatre in Rochester, New York. During a long career he has acted in over thirty productions with five different companies including Black Arts/West, ACT, The Ensemble Theatre, and the Seattle Repertory Theatre. He has produced over forty productions including Dream on Monkey Mountain and Viet Rock. Directing credits include Big Time Buck White and Ebony Wood. He has written two plays and arranged, edited, and directed two productions of African American poetry. Additionally, he has authored articles for the Seattle Times, the Seattle Post Intelligencer, Negro Digest, Black World, and Historylink.org. His other interests include the dance, African American art, and women; one of the great wonders of this world.

CITE THIS ENTRY IN APA FORMAT:

Barnett, D. (2007, February 11). Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/hansberry-lorraine-1930-1965/

Source of the Author's Information:

Anthony D. Hill, An Historical Dictionary of African American Theater (Prevessin, France: Scarecrow Press, 2007).

Further Reading