Elements used in Raisin in the Sun Essay

Lorraine Hansberrys Raisin in the Sun is a monumental assemble in the theatrical world. Produced in 1959, it became the first play written by an African-American woman to hit the stage and was later nominated for several(prenominal) Tony Awards. The play touched many controversial themes of the time including racial discrepancy and poverty. The design of Raisin in the Sun, including scenic, trick out, firing off, and audio recording segments, were crucial to create the plot and emphasizing these themes. All of the elements are vital to the message and audience interpretation of the production, and over either, the Playmakers repertory Company executed them well.The scenic design of a play is arguably the most important element of a production. It is what sets the stage and puts both the de nonations and the ledger into context. In Raisin in the Sun, the set, including scenery and props, helped define the characters, allowing the audience to get a feel for the panorama and time period. Most importantly, the scenery developed the production line of the playthe space in which the Younger family had to livewhich was strategic to developing plot engagement. The Younger family lived in a small, run down flatbed that emphasized their social split.To name a few, the wallpaper was discolored, the living dwell couch was old and musty, and the only visible bedroom to the audience was exclusively big enough for the bed. Travis, the son, was forced to sleep on the couch, and it was unclear how more space was upstairs where Beneatha, the daughter, and the Grandm some some other, Lena, slept. The design of the apartment vie to the overall conflict in spite of appearance the family the desperation to escape poverty only intensified within these cramped quarters.Although, the characters managed to deal with their living situation, it caused tension to build within distri neerthelessively member of the family, which was a crucial part of plot development . The lower class feel of the house honed in on Walter Lees longing desire to get into business and climb the social ladder. The less-than-luxurious surroundings seemed to affix his unhappiness when he entered the room, allowing the plot to build along with the tension in the house. In addition to scenery, the props strategically laid around the housedillustrated the familys cares and values. Throughout the room, the audience could see many mental picture frames. However, the two that were predominately displayed were a picture of Christ hanging over the front door, and a picture of Lenas deceased husband that stayed on a table in the living room. These props emphasized importance the Youngers placed on family and religion, which came up many times through and throughout the production. The entire family lived chthonian one roof, looking after one another and making ends meet, unneurotic as a whole.In addition, the plot centered around a life-insurance check from the death of Lenas husband. This kept the element of religion submit since he was deceased and in the eyes of Lena, watching over the family. some(prenominal) the design of the apartment and the detail of the props within it gave the audience a greater understanding of the deep-rooted values and conflicts of the family. The costume design of Raisin in the Sun went hand-in-hand with the scenery and props. The living clothes of the Younger family further depict a family of lower class, although not an untidy one.Each day, the members of the family would dress for field of study or school as well as they could, which illustrated the self-esteem the family carried. This coarse pride stemmed from an important theme within the play overcoming racial diversity. Lena dreamed of escaping the busyness of Chicago, and bought a house in a gabardine neighborhood with the hefty check from her husbands insurance policy. Her pride kept the family afloat and was their only defense against the discrimina tion they faced from the area. Furthermore, from to individually one one characters costumes fit their personalities.While Lena, Ruth, and Walter Lee were usually spruced up in working clothes, reflecting their family duty, Beneatha dressed in more modern clothes, illustrating her character as a free-spirited college student. One day she would wear girly skirts and flowery designs, the near she was going back to her roots wearing African garments and sporting indispensable hair. The costume designers successfully captured each characters personality as well as keeping the image of pride apparent through the characters choice of clothes. In addition to scenic and costume design, every play must have specific lighting.This sets the mood of each scene, giving the audience a ruin feel of what is witnessing within the plot. For the most part, the lighting within the apartment was warm and dim, giving the setting a homey and somewhat relaxed feel. However, the dimness of the light also played upon the unhappiness that stirred within the family during certain scenes. These acts of lighting kept with the realistic aspect of the play. However, there were times of unrealistic lighting meant to enhance a scene. When Beneatha was dancing to African music and Walter Lee came in and joined her, the lighting became jungle-like.The reds and oranges along with the images of palm frons surrounded the two, carrying them away from the real world. Although this would never happen in real life, it was apparent the lighting was illustrating what was going on in their minds, showing the desire to escape their current troubles. The second and only other time of surreal lighting was when Walter Lee had his breakdown and then moment of clarity near the end of the show. The entire set went dark ask out for a spotlight on him. This choice in lighting was steal for such a somber scene and drew the audience in even more.The times of abstract or unrealistic lighting did not take a way from the realness of the play. Instead, it enhanced the scenes to the benefit of the audience. The last element of design that affected the play is the sound design. Obviously the show had emblematic sound effectsdoors slamming for emphasis, Beneatha playing African music, etc. that decorated each scene as it unfolded. However, there was a significant aspect to the sound design of this particular production. Throughout the play, the characters would turn on the radio and interviews and other recordings from the 1960s would play over the speaker.Some of these included Lorraine Hansberry speaking more or less the nominations and winning the Tony and discussion of civil rights movements of the time. Some may think this was distracting, but it anchored the play within the time period. This allowed the audience to get a better feel of what was happening during the era and highlighted the major theme of racial discrimination within the plot. All in all, the production of Raisin in t he Sun was a success. Yes, this is highly due in part to the excellent skill of the actors.However, without stagecraft, a play cannot be complete. The elements of design produce a world that actors could never create on script alone. In the Playmakers Repertory Companys production of Raisin in the Sun, the scenic, costume, lighting, and sound design worked cohesively to enhance and develop all aspects of the characters and plot. The provocative themes of escaping poverty, chasing dreams, and overcoming racial discrimination were illustrated brilliantly by tremendous feat of the elements of design and an impressive performance by the acting company.