Fresno State Theatre Presents A Raisin in The Sun

“A Raisin in the Sun” Brings Classic Story and New Voices to Fresno State’s Stage

Fresno State’s University Theatre opened its 2025–26 Mainstage Season with A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry and directed by Thomas-Whit Ellis.

Performances ran from Oct. 3 through Oct. 11 at the Dennis and Cheryl Woods Theatre on campus, with a special post-show talkback held on Oct. 7.

Set on Chicago’s South Side in the 1950s, the play follows the Younger family as they navigate conflicting dreams, family tensions, and the pursuit of a better life after receiving a life insurance payout. Hansberry’s work remains a powerful exploration of race, class, and hope in America.

For lighting designer Natasha Mach, a third-year business major, A Raisin in the Sun was both a technical challenge and a creative opportunity.

“This production has provided me with a unique opportunity to work with several different people and artistic styles,” Mach said. “The costume designer had many different colors for each character, so I got to figure out what lighting worked well with those designs.”

Mach said that much of her work focused on helping make a narrow, one-room Chicago apartment feel authentic and visually dynamic.

“I had to think about how to bring this old 1950s house to life,” she said. “It’s very squished together, so I wanted to bring light to the home but also make it feel cramped.”

Mach praised her fellow designers for costuming, hair, makeup, set design, and painting, calling the process a “team effort built on trust.”

Senior theater major Marazay Ashford, who portrays Beneatha Younger, said the role allowed her to explore bold themes of self-discovery and ambition.

“My character is a bold, individual Black woman in Chicago in the 1950s,” Ashford said. “She wants to be a doctor and you never really saw that for women back then, let alone a Black woman. She’s taking steps to show she can do those things, no matter what obstacles come her way.”

Ashford said she worked to differentiate her interactions with each character while maintaining Beneatha’s core strength and curiosity.

“Each person she talks to brings out something different,” she said. “I wanted to make sure I wasn’t feeding them the same energy every time.”

The play’s period details also offered a fun change of pace.

“Honestly, the set is completely different, there’s a rotary phone, a record player, all these little things you wouldn’t see today,” Ashford said. “That’s the fun part of it.”

For Ananda Desirea, a senior theater major who plays Ruth Younger, the production’s emotional weight came from its realism.

“Taking on a classic story like A Raisin in the Sun can be intimidating,” Desirea said. “You don’t want to fail the playwright or the artists who came before you. But once I got past that, I could just live in the story.”

She said the show’s themes of family and dreams feel especially relevant today.

“One of the main themes is dreaming. What it is to be a dreamer and how there are moments of euphoria and moments of frustration,” Desirea said. “It shows how dreams can make you crazy sometimes, but that’s what makes the story so real.”

Desirea also praised the behind-the-scenes crew, saying the show wouldn’t exist without their effort.

“This is their show. They’re running around making this thing happen,” she said. “I’m so grateful for them.”

Performances for A Raisin in the Sun concluded Oct. 11, but Fresno State’s Mainstage Season continues throughout the academic year with more productions which give life to diverse voices, themes, and artistry.

For more information about upcoming shows or to purchase tickets, visit the University Theatre box office or contact universitytheatre@csufresno.edu.