Historic Photo Gallery: 1955 to 1968
1959
A Raisin in the Sun opened at the Walnut on January 26, 1959.
Starring (from left) Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, and Lonne Elder III,
the production was a success on Broadway and was nominated for four
Tony Awards, including Best Actor and Best Play. Notably, it was the
first play written by a black woman (Lorraine Hansberry) to be produced
on Broadway, and was the first Broadway play directed by a black man
(Lloyd Richards).
(Photograph courtesy of the Theatre Collection, Free Library of Philadelphia.)
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