2007 Press Releases
The U.S. ambassador will open the stage reading “A Raisin in the Sun” at Daile Theater
Riga, February 21, 2007. – Sunday, February 25, at 7p.m. the United States Ambassador to Latvia Catherine Todd Bailey will open the stage reading “A Raisin in the Sun” at Daile Theater. This is one of the many cultural and educational events during the Black History month this year organized by the U.S. Embassy to Latvia with the main theme of the month is “Multiculturalism”.
Ambassador Bailey says: “I am delighted to introduce Latvians with some important pieces of American culture. We honor February as the Black History month, the “Raisin in the Sun” is an outstanding play written by Lorraine Hansberry who is one of authors having contributed to the melting pot that is American literature. It is the first play written by a black woman and was produced on the famous Broadway.”
The play reading is staged by the director Didzis Jonovs and will be played by a group of Daile Theater actors Vita Varpina, Marina Janaus, Ieva Plavniece, Artis Robeznieks, Intars Resetins and Voldemars Uldis Valikovs in the boy’s role.
“A Raisin in the Sun” debuted on Broadway in 1959. The story is based upon Hansberry's own experiences growing up in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood. Martin Luter King in the late 1965 has praised Hansberry's commitment of spirit, her creative ability and her profound grasp of the deep social issues confronting the world today that will remain an inspiration to generations unborn yet.
The title of the play comes from the opening lines of "Harlem", a poem by famous author Langston Hughes (1902-1967): "What happens to a dream deferred? / Does it dry up / like a raisin in the sun?" A play with an all-black cast was considered to be a risky investment, and it took a year for first-time producer Philip Rose to gather the money to launch the play. After touring to positive reviews, it premiered on Broadway on 11 March 1959 to enthusiastic critical approval. The New York Drama Critics Circle named it the best play of 1959, and it ran for nearly two years. Hansberry noted that it introduced details of black life to the overwhelmingly white Broadway audiences, while director Richards noted that it was the first play to which large numbers of blacks were drawn. The New York Times stated that Raisin in the Sun "changed American theater forever."
U.S. Embassy, Riga, Public Affairs Section
Smilšu iela 7
Rīga, LV 1050
Phone: 371 750-9022
Internet: www.usembassy.lv
Media specialist’s e-mail: dilanes@state.gov