WINTER GARDEN, Fla. โ For the Garden Theatre, โA Raisin in the Sunโ was full of firsts: First solo Black written show, first Black scenic designer and first Black director.
It's Shakespearean in that it will last forever,โ said Emerson, the Gardenโs first Black female director, of โA Raisin in the Sunโ.
โWhat Hansberry did in 1959 was put a Black family on stage and made people realize that they werenโt so far away from any other family, from the white families sitting in that Broadway audience.
And hopefully, at the end of those two and a half hours, when people walk out, thereโs some change.โAdIn Emersonโs stint at the Garden, Walsh said he noticed the change.
It makes me a better person, makes me a better artistic director,โ Walsh said.