World Theatre Day: Dreams Deferred: Crossing Continents and Cultures with A Raisin in the Sun

Celebrate World Theatre Day with performances from South Africa, Sweden, and the US of an American classic A Raisin in the Sun livestreamed on HowlRound TV at howlround.tv Monday 27 March at 7:30 p.m. EDT (New York) / 23:30 UTC / Tuesday, March 28 at 12:30 a.m. BST (London) / Tuesday, March 28 at 1:30 a.m. SAST (Johannesburg) / Tuesday, March 28 at 7:30 a.m. CST (Shanghai). 

"Dreams Deferred: Crossing Continents and Cultures with A Raisin in the Sun" event is produced by The Lab and the Global Theater Initiative in partnership with the Swedish Embassy, and in association with the South African Embassy, Riksteatern, and the International Theatre Institute. 

Read the live captions transcript here. Human-crafted closed captions will be available soon.

Groundbreaking at the time, the 1959 Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry showcased to a wider public the struggles of a poor African-American family in the United States. Prominent high profile productions took place for the first time ever in 2016 in Sweden, directed by Josette Bushell-Mingo, OBE, and at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg, directed by James Ngcobo. Arena Stage’s Mead Center for the American Theatre in Washington, DC will produce the play in April of 2017.

Dreams Deferred, a one-night-only event, will explore the resonance of this classic play in three different cultural contexts—South Africa, Sweden, and the United States—as well as the larger cross-current themes of racial equality and justice, the legacies of author Lorraine Hansberry, the Civil Rights Movement, and Apartheid.

The evening will include scenes from A Raisin in the Sun and other pieces artistically inspired by the monumental legacy of Hansberry’s play. 

Welcome remarks:
Ambassador Mninwa Mahlangu, Embassy of South Africa
Linda Zachrison, Cultural Counselor, Embassy of Sweden

Discussion:
James Ngcobo, Artistic Director, Market Theatre (Johannesburg)
Josette Bushell-Mingo, OBE, Artistic Director, Riksteatern (Stockholm)
Moderated by Professor Soyica Colbert, a leading Hansberry expert

The US World Theatre Day address by:
Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director, Baltimore Center Stage

Created in 1961, World Theatre Day, is celebrated annually on March 27 by International Theatre Institute Centers around the world and the international theater community. Each year, a renowned theatre artist of world stature is invited to craft an International Message to mark the global occasion.

The Lab harnesses the power of performance to humanize global politics. We create and present innovative high quality work from around the world that is at the intersection of politics and performance. The Lab’s signature approach raises voices rarely heard in Washington DC through compelling, authentic narratives, and engages policymakers, as well as artists, students, and wider audiences in forums that cast critical issues in a new light. 

The Lab uses technology and live encounters to create a global community of artists, activists and policy makers, fostering new understandings and innovative collaborations. We are committed to relationship building beyond the lifespan of individual projects. We create substantive dynamic partnerships with individuals and with a diverse range of cultural and policy organizations. We are passionate about helping to train the next generation of innovators to use their artistry and voices to shape new understandings and to humanize others in pursuit of a better, more just world.

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and The Lab launched the Global Theater Initiative (GTI) in February 2016. By combining the unique reach of TCG’s international programming with The Lab’s distinctive experience in humanizing global politics through the power of performance, GTI strengthens, nurtures, and promotes global citizenship and international collaboration in the US professional and educational theatre field. It also honors and intersects with the work so many theatre colleagues have invested in cross-cultural exchange and understanding. Through the alignment of programming and resources, the GTI partners serve as a hub of global exchange with three core areas of focus: connecting practitioners with resources, knowledge, and partnerships to strengthen their work; promoting cultural collaboration as essential for international peace and mutual understanding; and innovating new strategies to maximize the global theatre field’s opportunities and impact. GTI also serves as the collaborative leadership of the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute.

About HowlRound TV
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