Bentley Directs 'A Raisin in the Sun'
10/05/2024
Guest artist Kathryn Bentley recently directed a successful production of Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun," at Saint Louis University.
Set on Chicago’s South Side, Lorraine Hansberry's celebrated play concerns the divergent dreams and conflicts in three generations of the Younger family. Hansberry's portrait of one family’s struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration.
About the Director
Kathryn Bentley has an extensive career as an actor, director and arts educator. She has performed with companies such as Portland Stage, Cleveland Playhouse, Buffalo Studio Arena and The St. Louis Black Repertory Company. A few of her directing credits include "Love at the River’s Edge" (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis), "Bold, Brave and Curious" (Metro Theater Company) and "Action" (Action Art Collaborative), which she co-produced. From 2018-2021, she was the artistic director of Bread & Roses Missouri, directing The Workers’ Theater Project and the company’s first full-length productions of "Jailbird" in 2019 and the radio drama "Mrs. Palmer’s Honey" in 2021.
She is a 2002 Fellow of the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission (RAC) Community Arts Training Institute and serves on their advisory board. In 2014, she was one of the inaugural recipients of the RAC Artist Fellowship, and in 2020 she received the Outstanding Working Artist St. Louis Visionary Award. Bentley is a professor emeritus at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a certified diversity FaciliTrainer/cultural sensitivity specialist. As the founder and curator of The Alaiyo Collective, she is dedicated to developing new creative works and community-engaged arts collaborations utilizing inclusive theater practices. Bentley strives to create compassionate artistic experiences, using theater to lift social consciousness.
Alex Jay as Beneatha, Dwayne Mose III as Walter Lee, Maiah Lyndsey as Ruth, Anita
Michelle Jackson as Lena, Jackson Little as Travis. Photo by ProPhotoSTL
Director's Note
It is an absolute honor to celebrate Lorraine Hansberry’s brilliant work. 65 years ago, "A Raisin in the Sun" was produced on Broadway, bringing voice to overlooked Black lives that had previously only been shown in gross stereotypes. I have immense gratitude for Lorraine Hansberry’s vision. This play was pivotal to my development as an artist and now the opportunity to share this work with a new generation of scholar-artivists is truly inspiring.
I am so grateful to this cast and for their willingness to take on this masterpiece! We have had rich family meetings where we discussed everything from the grief that the Younger family is experiencing to what was happening in the world, in Chicago, in the 1950s. We discussed how some aspects of being Black in America have not changed — how we are still dealing with issues like racism and redlining. We discussed what it means to have a dream deferred.
In addition to the students — Maiah, Dwayne, Mayokun, Sena, Martin, Tony, Jake, Madelyn and our youngest actor, Jackson — I have heartfelt gratitude for the professional actors who have been part of this journey. Much thanks Anita, Alex and LaWanda for the talent, mentorship, and generous spirit you have offered to this experience.
Thank you to the designers: Joe, Anjle, AhSa-Ti, Denisse and all of the SLU team for your creativity and collaborative energy!
This entire process has been one of love — a recognition of life’s complex challenges and a celebration of Black joy, family, forgiveness, and dreams. And for that, I am grateful.
I invite you to receive this work in the spirit of celebratory reverence in which it was created.
Kathryn Bentley
Upcoming Productions
In Spring 2025, SLU Theatre and Dance will presents "Secret Order" by Bob Clyman and "Ride the Cyclone," book, music, & lyrics by Jacob Richmond & Brooke Maxwell.
Free tickets are available for SLU students at the door, subject to availability. General admission tickets are $10. Non-SLU students, faculty and staff, and groups of 10 receive a discount of $5 per ticket. Advance tickets are available through Metrotix.
Secret Order
February 27 to March 2, 2025
The Kranzberg
501 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63103
A young, idealistic cellular biologist with a brilliant new idea for curing cancer is recruited from relative obscurity to a major cancer research institute by its charismatic director with the offer of his own lab and all the resources he will need to pursue that idea. As the pressure to show publishable results begins to build, his research suddenly hits a snag. He is faced with having to choose between full disclosure of the problem, which would jeopardize the funding he needs, and making the more expedient decision to bend the rules just a little, which will buy him enough additional time to solve the problem. Directed by Professor Gary Wayne Barker.
Ride the Cyclone
April 24-26, 2025
The Grandel
3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, MO 63103
In this hilarious and outlandish story, the lives of six teenagers from a Canadian chamber choir are cut short in a freak accident aboard a roller coaster. When they awake in limbo, a mechanical fortune teller invites each to tell a story to win a prize like no other — the chance to return to life. This popular musical is a funny, moving look at what makes a life well-lived! Directed by Associate Professor Nancy Bell.
Tickets for "Ride the Cyclone"
For more information, contact the SLU Theatre and Dance Box Office at boxoffice@slu.edu.