The Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance at Wayne State University announces its presentation of The Raisin Cycle, a series including and stemming from Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun. This piece of classic theatre is a timeless representation of hope and inspiration, following three generations of the Younger family as they face prejudice and racism in the late 1950s. When Lena Younger purchases a house in the all-white neighborhood of Clybourne Park, her family must come to terms with the racial tensions, prejudices, and dislike that come with their new home. A Raisin In the Sun will run Feb. 12 through 21 at the Bonstelle Theatre.  

The two subsequent pieces in The Raisin Cycle - Kwame Kwei-Armah's Beneatha's Place and Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park - act as a response to Hansberry. Together, they create a dynamic conversation around how our society looks at race and class.

Clybourne Park gives insight to the story on both sides of the racial discord. When a couple decides to sell their home in an all-white neighborhood to a black family, they face anger and hatred from their prejudiced neighbors. Fifty years later, when a white family moves into the same home in the now all-black neighborhood, old racial tensions are reignited. Bruce Norris' sequel illustrates the continued racial tensions facing urban neighborhoods, even after the end of recorded discrimination in property rights. Clybourne Park runs Feb. 26 through April 2 at the Hilberry Theatre.

From 1959 to today, and from her home in Nigeria to her career at a California University, Kwame Kwei-Armah's Beneatha's Place explores the power of identity as one woman confronts the fundamental questions of community and legacy. The staged reading of Beneatha's Place runs Feb. 19 through 28 at The Studio Theatre, located beneath the Hilberry Theatre.  

By presenting these substantial works, the Maggie Allesee Department of Theatre and Dance aims to provide the platform for dialogue, education and cross-cultural experiences through the Younger family's American story.  

Tickets start at $25 for the entire experience. For more information, visit detroitraisincycle.com.