This weekend, director Victoria McGee ’15 will debut an innovative production of Lorainne Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” in the WestCo Café. The ensemble features LaNell Williams ’15, Matthew Padilla ’16, Monique Siaw ’16, Aissa Gueye ’15, and Ryan Moye ’16, all of whom are new to the Wesleyan stage.

I had the privilege of watching a preview of “A Raisin in the Sun,” and I was invigorated by seeing these new actors bring life to this performance. In theater, previous acting experience is generally preferred, but the cast of “Raisin” proved the benefit of fresh talent. By “acting” less, the cast members ended up performing in a much more natural and realistic manner. I felt like I was gaining real insight into the dynamic of the American family. Viewers were offered the opportunity to connect with and examine these fascinating, complex characters who have  profound love for one another. The varying priorities and values of the different generations provided a fascinating ongoing dialogue about the social construction of race, religion, gender, and sexuality while never losing sight of the individual characters and overall plot.

One particularly powerful moment was when Bennie, played by Gueye, loudly proclaimed her atheism, prompting her mother and family matriarch, Mama (Williams), to slowly walk over to her and slap her. She then had her daughter repeat, “In my mother’s house, there is still God.” This moment was just one shining example of the social issues at play within the work.

McGee said that the nuanced relationships explored in the piece were what drew her to choose “Raisin” as the text to bring to life for her directorial debut.

“I’ve always been in love with the text and the characters,” McGee said. “They’re very rich and complex, and I wanted to try my hand at directing.”

In addition to the typical challenge that directors face in bringing characters and situations to the stage, McGee took on the difficult task of casting a show that calls for a predominantly black cast from within a theater community that has relatively few black actors.

“The heart of the play…is the relationships and connections between each character,” said McGee. “A family dynamic: that’s what it’s about for me. You throw in race, and you throw in being oppressed because they want to move into an all-white neighborhood, and then you have this play.”

Don’t miss your chance to see this authentic, distinguished, and emotional production this weekend in WestCo Café on Saturday, April 13 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.!