The STA junior class spent most of the day April 20 at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre. English teacher Kate Absher organized the fiel trip. After receiving a flier for the show in the mail, Absher excitedly called the Rep to ask for tickets for the group. Then, after getting “chuckled at” for asking for so many tickets to a sold-out show, she received confirmation that STA students could in fact attend the play.

Students left after first period and returned in time for eighth and ninth period. After the approximately three-hour show, students had the opportunity for a Q&A with the Rep’s actors.

Absher’s goal in having the grade see the play was for students to realize that literature is more than just books and that plays can be more than just Shakespeare.

“Any time that we can watch someone else from a different culture and background and their fight, I think it will create more empathy. The fact is that most of us live in our own bubbles. That’s not horrific, that’s just the way it is. Myself included, so I think the more we can experience the human condition and the various aspects of it, the better off we’ll be,” Absher said.

“A Raisin in the Sun” was written by Lorraine Hansberry and debuted on Broadway in 1959. Hansberry was the first black woman to write a play performed on Broadway.