Germantown Community Theatre Evening

Hey, Class--

I've reserved our tickets for the Germantown Community Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun for Saturday, March 7. I love this play, by the way. I've read and taught it several times, and I think it's really quite profound. I think you'll enjoy it as well. The Germantown Community Theatre is at 3037 Forest Hill-Irene Road

This is going to be a freebie for y'all. We're going to use proceeds from the art auction to pay for it. Yay!!

Here's my plan:
We meet at the Belmont Grill, which is nearby, at 5:00. The address is 9102 Poplar Pike (At Forest Hill-Irene). I've called them already. They don't take reservations, but they think that we'll be fine if we get there as early as 5:00.

I'm giving us a rather long time to eat before the show so that we can really relax and enjoy ourselves and not feel rushed. Also, I'd like to make this just a BIT of a class project as well. (Think: participation!)

I'd like one volunteer to give us a brief biographical sketch of Lorraine Hansberry. She's the author of the play. Handouts for 15 might be appropriate.

I'd like one other person to give a brief overview of what the play's history and critical reception has been. Handouts for 15 might be appropriate.

If somebody else could give a very brief overview of just WHERE the Civil Rights movement was in America in 1959, that would be great, too. This play involves an African-American family, in an African-American neighborhood. They have a chance of moving into a white neighborhood. What was Chicago like, in terms of housing, in the late 50's? What was going on nationally that might have been important? At what state was the burgeoning Civil Rights movement? This doesn't need to be an exhaustive study, just an overview. Again, a handout might be appropriate.

It will be very dorky if we have to have "formal" presentations. But I'd like to give each of you five to ten minutes minutes around the table to just talk to us briefly, providing a bit of context for the play we're about to see.

After dinner, we'll drive over to the theatre. The play doesn't begin until 8:00, but the woman I talked to said we really do want to be there by 7:30.

I have a few extra tickets, too. I'd like to know by Monday if you wish to bring a spouse, partner, significant, or insignificant other with you. But I do need to know quickly so that I can hawk off a few other tickets if there are some remaining.

Looking forward to it! Do send me an email telling me that you plan to attend (I really want you to! This is a class project!) Volunteer for one of the presentations, if you'd like. And tell me if somebody's coming along for the ride. Also, let me know if you can or can't make it to dinner beforehand. I need a sense of who will be there. (The dinner beforehand is NOT a requirement. I just think it will be fun. And you'll need to pick up your own bill for dinner.)

Obviously, if some of you want to hang out after the show to talk about it, we'll figure out somewhere to go. And this is the activity for the week I want you to blog about. It doesn't have SO much to do with Memphis. . . . .but in a way, maybe, it does. . .

Doug