Playwright Lorraine Hansberry is having a moment in the Rogue Valley, with a revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and a new permanent plaque on Ashland’s Playwrights Walk.
Hansberry was the first Black woman to have a play produced on Broadway.
Joi Gresham, director of the Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust, said Hansberry’s work reflects her roles as an artist, activist and public intellectual.
Gresham said Hansberry’s writing was shaped by her early career in journalism and grounded in what she described as a “passionate humanist” worldview.
When "A Raisin in the Sun" debuted, it challenged stereotypes and minstrelsy common in American theater at the time.
Gresham said Hansberry wanted the play to “tell the truth about our lives” and reflect the dignity and complexity of Black Americans.
In Ashland, that legacy now has a physical presence with a commemorative plaque in Railroad Park.
Gina DuQuenne said the plaque reflects a community effort and replaces a site that had previously been vandalized.
“This plaque will be in the ground long after I’m gone,” DuQuenne said.
The production, which runs through July 19, is bringing Hansberry’s work to new audiences.
“I know Lorraine is smiling down on us and she’s proud of what we’re doing,” DuQuenne said.
Guest
- Gina DuQuenne, Ashland City Counselor
- Joi Gresham, Director, Lorraine Hansberry Literary Trust
