Lorraine Hansberry completed Raisin in the Sun in 1957, taking her title from Langston Hughes' poem, "Harlem." Sidney Poitier expressed interest in taking the part of the son, and soon a director and other actors (including Louis Gossett, Ruby Dee, and Ossie Davis) were committed to the performance. Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway at the Barrymore Theatre on March 11, 1959. Raisin in the Sun was the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway.
Read more about Lorraine Hansberry, her background, and her short life:
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I had the good fortune to study theatre at Hunter College in the 1970s with Lloyd Richards, the director of A Raisin In The Sun. Just as Lorraine Hansberry was the first black woman to have an original play produced on Broadway, Lloyd was the first black director to direct a play on Broadway. Studying acting and directing with Lloyd was one of the most valuable educational experiences of my life. Although Lloyd did not direct the film version of A Raisin In The Sun, I have no doubt that the Broadway cast (all of whom ended up doing the movie) could still hear Lloyd’s voice in their heads and that this is what made their performances ring so true. After all these years, Lorraine Hanberry’s play and the subsequent movie version are still hallmarks of the American theatre.