Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking “A Raisin in the Sun” kicks off Fresno State University Theatre’s 2025-26 mainstage season. Per the theatre’s website, the play is a powerful portrait of a Black family navigating generational dreams and systemic barriers on Chicago’s South Side.
The play follows the dreams and conflicts in three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis and Walter’s mother, Mama Lena. When her deceased husband’s insurance money comes through, Mama Lena dreams of moving to a new home in a better neighborhood. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has plans of buying a liquor store and Beneatha dreams of attending medical school.
Director and Fresno State theatre professor Thomas-Whit Ellis believes that though the play is nearly 70 years old, many of its major themes still apply to today’s contemporary society.
Some of these themes and plot lines include racial discrimination in housing, lack of resources for Black small businesses, discrimination against women and abortion issues.
“I selected this play due to the current divisive and tribalistic environment within our political arena,” Ellis said. “Social justice is trending backwards to a time exactly like the 1950s.”
He said that while the play focuses on the Younger family, audience members can seek its relevance to their own lives no matter their ethnic heritage.
The “A Raisin in the Sun” cast consists of current and former Fresno State students, community actors and others with experience in the field, who have rehearsed for months.
Kenny Umeh, Fresno State alumnus and artist under the name “K.UMEH,” will star as Joseph Asagai, a Nigerian medical student who takes interest in Beneatha.
In search of someone with a Nigerian accent, Ellis called upon Umeh to fill the role. The two met when Umeh was a student in the California State University Summer Arts Program in 2011. To further his acting career, Umeh later attended the Identity School of Acting, a drama school in London, England with notable alumni including John Boyega and Letitia Wright.
Umeh said he resonated with Asagai on the aspect of embracing their African culture and identity.
“There was some resonation because I’m Nigerian so I’m almost like Joseph Asagai, discovering my identity and being myself, like understanding and finding my culture,” Umeh said. “So it was actually perfect. He’s from Yoruba and I’m Igbo but understanding the language and the part, it totally clicks.”
Umeh highlighted a stark difference between “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Flowers for Algernon,” a play he starred in while he was attending Fresno State.
In “Flowers for Algernon,” Umeh was the only Black person in the cast. “A Raisin in the Sun” features a mainly Black cast, which he said is cool to see and be part of.
After being in Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Associated Students, Inc. and the University Student Union Board of Directors, Umeh said performing in “A Raisin in the Sun” was just a chance for him to give back to Fresno State.
“I’m doing a lot of things with my music right now but of course, I wanted to come and give back to Fresno State because Fresno State did a lot for me,” Umeh said.
Performances for the play run from Oct. 3-11 and start at 7:30 p.m. at the Dennis and Cheryl Woods theatre located in the Speech Arts Building at Fresno State.
Tickets are $20 for general admission, $18 for faculty, staff, alumni, seniors, military, $10 for other students and $5 for Fresno State students.
Tickets can be purchased online or in-person. The box office is open Tuesday to Thursday from noon to 3 p.m. and one hour before curtains open on performance days.
