Lorraine Vivian Hansberry

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with the cast of A Raisin in the Sun in People Magazine.
Denzel Washington and the cast of A Raisin in the Sun had two extra special guests in the audience on April 11: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama! The first family arrived in New York City in style (in fact, the whole block was closed off for their visit!) then headed to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre to see the beloved drama by Lorraine Hansberry unfold. Set in Chicago (where the President calls home), A Raisin in the Sun chronicles the life of an African-American family in the 1950s struggling to make ends meet. Check out this Hot Shot from People magazine of the whole cast meeting the Obamas’, then see them in A Raisin in the Sun on Broadway!
{“President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on Friday watched
A Raisin in the Sun at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where the stage masterpiece debuted more than 50 years ago,
the Associated Press reports.
They received a round of applause as they took their seats during the wildly popular production, which stars Denzel Washington, the news site reports.”}
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ARCHIVIST, EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN, and ARTiST
Dale Shields is a professor of theatre, director, and actor (Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and Regional).
Research Accomplishments:
The 2017 winner of The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award®, 2017 and 2015 Tony® award nominee for the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, and the winner of the 2017 AUDELCO/"VIV" Special Achievement Award. In 2020 He was also awarded The Actors Fund / Encore Award
On the web, he is the archivist and historian of Iforcolor.org and Black Theatre/African American Voices [Facebook] (theatre, music, and art). He has taught classes and workshops at SUNY Potsdam, Susquehanna University, Denison University, Randolph-Macon College, Macalester College, The College of Wooster, Ohio University, Wayne State University, and the Joseph Papp Public Theatre (New York Shakespeare Festival).
Education
B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees from Ohio University.