> What was the first play written by a Black woman to be produced on Broadway?And the answer: A Raisin in the Sun. Written by Lorraine Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun premiered on Broadway in 1959and starred Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. The play tells the story of a Blackfamily in the 1940s, as they grapple with different definitions of the Americandream. The title comes from a Langston Hughes poem that reads, in part, "Whathappens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?"Photo credit: public domain.This monumental turning point in American dramadepicted life for African Americans in the mid 20th century in a raw, honestfashion, giving weight to struggles and joys often swept under the rug. Not onlywas Lorraine Hansberry the first Black woman to have a play produced onBroadway, but the play's director, Lloyd Richards, was the first Black man todirect a Broadway show. A Raisin in the Sun was made into a 1961 film starringmost of the original Broadway cast, adapted into a Tony Award-winning musical in1973, and produced for television in 1989. Lorraine Hansberry didn't just dream up this work — she lived it. Hansberryherself grew up on the south side of Chicago, and the play draws from the themesof racial tension she experienced when her father, a successful real estatebroker, moved her family to a previously all-white neighborhood in Chicago. Hisattempt to move his family into this home spurred a new conversation regardingsegregation and its legality. Subsequently, as a result of Carl Hansberry’slawsuit, the Illinois Supreme Court declared these housing segregation lawsunconstitutional.A Raisin in the Sun remains a landmark of American theater. Hansberry rightlywon the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, a high honor for a time duringwhich playwrights such as Eugene O'Neill and Tennessee Williams were producingwork. The play ran for 530 performances, the longest thus far for any BlackBroadway writer. Up until then, there had only been 10 dramas authored by Blackplaywrights (all men) and only one, Langston Hughes' Mulatto, lasted a year. Ithas since been revived on Broadway twice. Learn more about the legendary Lorraine Hansberry and A Raisin in the Sun here[https://www.biography.com/news/lorraine-hansberry-raisin-in-the-sun-summary-black-history].