Darrell Lawrence Willis Sr. Directs an American Classic about Racial, Economic Challenges
By Mary Ann Bourbeau
MIDDLETOWN – The Dunbar Repertory Company will present Lorraine Hansberry’s classic work, “A Raisin in the Sun,” Feb. 14 to 22 at the Middletown Arts Center. The play is directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis Sr., a retired theater professor at Brookdale Community College, who co-founded Dunbar 38 years ago. The company has since become known as Monmouth County’s African American Theater Company, committed to celebrating African American culture through literary readings, main stage theatrical productions, and educational programs and services.
“When I retired from Brookdale, I thought about just kicking back,” Willis said. “But this theater provides a service that is definitely needed. As my professors told me, theater improves the quality of life.”
Willis has directed, produced or acted in more than 100 plays and readings over his career. He believes “A Raisin in the Sun” is the most important play ever written.
“It’s just as powerful in 2026 as it was when it hit Broadway in 1959,” he said.
“A Raisin in the Sun” is the story of a Black family in the 1950s, striving for a better life amid poverty and racism and aspiring to move out of apartment projects on Chicago’s South Side. It follows three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis and matriarch Lena. When Mama Lena’s deceased husband’s $10,000 life insurance check arrives, she wants to use the money to move to a new home in a better neighborhood. Her daughter, Beneatha, dreams of going to medical school. Her son, Walter Lee, who is always on the lookout for a get-rich-quick scheme, wants to invest in a liquor store with two friends.
The story is a reflection on the American Dream in the face of racial and economic challenges. When “A Raisin in the Sun” premiered on Broadway in 1959, the 29-year-old Hansberry became the youngest American playwright, the fifth woman and the only African American to win the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play of the Year. The play, then starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Louis Gossett Jr., was an authentic depiction of Black American life and was later made into an award-winning film.
The show at Dunbar Repertory Theater stars Neptune resident Octavia Harrell as Lena Younger, Damien S. Berger as Walter Lee Younger, Lucia Williams as Beneatha Younger and Vivette Alston as Ruth Younger. The cast also includes Kian Cooper, Clayton Simmons, Malik Abdul Khaaliq, Mike Vails, Bellamy Shivers, Martin Cordero, Carl Hoffman, Doris Dollard and Takia Clayton.
“I saw Octavia do some work with Danny Glover,” Willis said. “It’s wonderful working with her and seeing her grow. Lena is one of the most coveted roles and it’s the chance of a lifetime to play, if you’re lucky. Damien is a wonderful actor who really digs deep. We have a very talented cast.”
The title “A Raisin in the Sun” was taken from the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
Willis said he has a special connection to “A Raisin in the Sun.” He was in an acting class at Mason Gross School of the Arts and his teacher, Harold Scott, was good friends with Lorraine Hansberry. Scott directed numerous productions on Broadway, including “Raisin.” For his final exam in the class, Willis performed a monologue from Hansberry’s play, “The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window.” He said upon hearing it, Scott ran from the room in tears.
“He said the character was based on his parents, and he was with Lorraine Hansberry when she wrote that scene,” said Willis. “You could have knocked me over with a feather!”
At the urging of Scott and actor/director Avery Brooks, Willis moved into the directing arena.
“I was very lucky to study with some master teachers,” he said.
“A Raisin in the Sun” runs from Feb. 14 to 22. General admission tickets for the 240-seat venue are $22. The Middletown Arts Center is at 36 Church St., Middletown. For tickets or more information, call 732-706-4100 or visit middletownarts.org.
The article originally appeared in the February 12 – 18, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
