Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Tre Garrett, begins Sept. 13 towards a Sept. 20 opening night. Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park, which is inspired by Raisin in the Sun, will begin Oct. 4 towards an Oct. 11 opening night under the direction of Joel Ferrell. Both performances will continue in repertory through Oct. 27.

"Both A Raisin in the Sun and Clybourne Park stand on their own as powerful, smart, profoundly engaging plays, and both have been embraced by audiences on Broadway and at theaters across the country," said DTC artistic director Kevin Moriarty in an earlier statement. "Seen in rep, with alternating performances of each play and actors playing multiple roles, the plays take on an additional resonance, allowing Dallas audiences the unique opportunity to compare and contrast ideas about race, equality and the American dream as exemplified by an African American female playwright, writing 54 years ago, and a contemporary white male playwright responding to the immediate times in which we live."

In Raisin in the Sun, Liz Mikel, who appeared on Broadway in Lysistrata Jones, plays Lena Younger in a cast that also features Hassan El-Amin as Bobo, Tiffany Hobbs as Beneatha, Steven Michael Walters as Karl Lindner, Bowman Wright as Walter Lee Younger, Jakeem Powell as Joseph Asagai, Oluwaseun Soyemi as George Murchison, Jacob Stewart as Jim/Tom and Ptosha Storey as Ruth Younger. Christopher Adkins and Justise Maon will alternate in the role of Travis Younger. McClendon Giles and William Sinclair Moore alternate in the role of the Moving Man.

The cast of Clybourne Park, which features several cast members also in Raisin, includes Hassan El-Amin as Albert/Kevin, Tiffany Hobbs as Francine/Lena, Steven Michael Walters as Karl Lindner/Steve, Chamblee Ferguson as Russ/Dan, Sally Nystuen Vahle as Bev/Kathy, Allison Pistorius as Betsy/Lindsey and Jacob Stewart as Jim/Tom.

Both productions have set design by Bob Lavallee, costume design by Karen Perry, lighting design Seth Reiser and sound design by John Flores. Here's a look at the plays: "A Raisin in the Sun follows the Youngers, an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s. Their universal dreams and aspirations for a better life seem within reach at the start of the play as the family waits to receive a large sum of money. But as each member of the family comes up with their own plans for how to spend this new-found wealth, achieving that dream is jeopardized. Lorraine Hansberry's play touches on a number of issues from generational clashes to civil rights, and the essential questions about identity, justice and moral responsibility that are at the heart of these struggles."

According to DTC, "Bruce Norris' Clybourne Park is a two act play that book-ends the American classic A Raisin in the Sun. Act one of the play examines the events that lead up to the Younger family's purchase of their new home in the established and predominantly white Chicago neighborhood of Clybourne Park. In act two, a brand new set of characters, played by the same actors, dive into the logistics of renovating the home long after the Youngers have lived in and sold the house. Tony Award-winning Clybourne Park is a fast-paced and brutally hilarious play that tackles the uncomfortable subject of race and its presence in the fabric of American life."

For tickets phone (214) 880-0202 or visit DallasTheaterCenter. The Dallas Theater Center is located at 2400 Flora Street, Dallas, TX.