DECATUR, Ill. – Millikin University’s new production “Clybourne Park” begins its performance run at the Center of Theatre & Dance’s Virginia Rogers Theatre on Thursday, culminating months of work by the cast and crew.
The 2010 play by Bruce Norris, which won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play, was inspired by Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play “A Raisin in the Sun.” It portrays fictional events set during and after "A Raisin in the Sun” and is loosely based on historical events that took place in the city of Chicago.
“A Raisin in the Sun” tells the story of a black family's experiences in south Chicago as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of their father and deals with matters of housing discrimination, racism, and assimilation.
“Clybourne Park” begins in 1959 and explains why the original white family sold their house in “Raisin in the Sun” and then fast forwards 50 years to 2009. The roles have reversed when a white family is sold the same property, signaling a new wave of gentrification. A community showdown takes place, pitting race against real estate with the home as a battleground again.
During the fall semester, Millikin hosted a reading of “A Raisin in the Sun” in the lead-up to the “Clybourne Park” production this semester, and “Clybourne Park” Director Nick Dalton, a Visiting Instructor of Performance in the School of Theatre and Dance, is excited to reach new audiences.
“For this work, we wanted to crack open how Millikin has historically done theater and community engagement. Last fall, we did a staged reading of “A Raisin in the Sun” with a mix of community members and university students. Before Saturday’s show, our designers, students, and I will be doing a pre-show talk for 45 minutes in the lobby, talking about our concept for the play,” Dalton said. “ I like to think that we do about an hour of work for every minute of the show and our students are phenomenal. The competition to get into these programs is incredible, and Millikin is nationally renowned.”
Audience members will be transported into the neighborhood of Clybourne Park and become just like another member of the family living there and experiencing a story of love, loss, and connection.
“We spent a lot of time designing the space. I wanted to create a playground of things that we could act with. This design with the houses is great, and you'll be able to see it as you walk into the theater lobby,” Dalton said. “There's 30 minutes of music before the show even starts, and you walk in and see the inside of someone's living room. You feel the way that we tilted it, and it is not parallel to the audience. You feel like you're in that house with them, so you can't really escape.”
Performance schedule:
Thursday, February 27, 2025 - 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 28, 2025 - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 1, 2025 - 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 2, 2025 - 2 p.m.
Ticket Information:
Tickets are $20.
Tickets are available at kirklandfinearts.com or by calling the Kirkland Fine Arts Ticket Office at 217.424.6318, Tuesday-Friday, noon-4:30 p.m.
