Kwesi Boakye (Travis Younger)

I am going to cast Kwesi Boakye as Travis Younger. I have chosen this actor to play as Travis because his physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character. Travis is a sturdy, handsome little boy who is about 10 or 11 years old. He is Walter Lee and Ruth's son who has to sleep in the living room because the apartment is very small and there is no bedroom for him. Travis needs money for school and asks Ruth for it and and doesn't give up even though Ruth keeps saying no. However, he ends up getting what he wants because his father can't say no to him (p.1041). Mama bought a house under his name and this shows how he represents the future of the family. He is not ambitious because he wants to be a bus driver when he grows up. He just wants to be like his father(p.1063). He buys a hat for Mama because he doesn't want to share the garden tools gift everyone else has gotten for her. The hat is too big on her, but he thinks it looks good and no one says anything because they don't want to hurt his feelings (p.1068). Because Travis was in the living room when Walter decided he was going to forget his pride and accept Lidner's money offer, Walter did the opposite because he couldn't be a bad example for his son. Thus, little innocent Travis changes the future of his family without having any idea about it (p.1074).

Don Cheadle (Bobo)

I am going to cast Don Cheadle as Bobo. I have chosen this actor to play as Bobo because his physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character. Bobo is a slight little African American man with frightened eyes.  Bobo, Willie Harry, and Walter have decided to open up a liquor store business together. Bobo appears close to the end of the play to bring bad news for Walter and the family. The news is so shocking that he doesn't know how to put it into words. He is afraid to look at Walter's eyes and he keeps repeating his sentences because he is very nervous. Near tears and looking pitiful and finally crying, he tells them that Willie has run away with their money (p.1068/9).

Colin Firth (Karl Lindner)

I am going to cast Colin Firth as Karl Lindner. I have chosen this actor to play as Lindner because his physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character.  Lindner is a polite, caring, and quiet-looking white man on his middle ages, who is wearing a business suit. He is a chairman of the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, a sort of welcoming committee. He tries to tell Walter and his family in the nicest way possible that the white community they are trying to move into would like to pay for them to not live there. He explains that he likes when people sit down to talk to each other so that there are no problems. He probably thought that he would be able to  convince Walter and his family not to move because he was offering more money than they paid and was being friendly with them.  (p. 1065/6).

Aml Ameen (George Murchinson)

I am going to cast Aml Ameen as George Murchinson. I have chosen this actor to play as Asagai because his physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character. George is a young African American man who is wealthy and not afraid to say what is on his mind.  He is one of Beneatha's admires and takes her out so he could spend some time with her. Beneatha calls him an assimilationist because he lives an American way of life instead of being proud of his culture like Asagai is. When Beneatha comes out of her room dressed with Nigerian clothes, George tells her to go change because they are going to a theater, she is not going to play in it. He is very surprised to see that Beneatha has cut her hair and decided to keep it natural and he tells her not to be proud of her look and to get dressed. He seems distressed when Beneatha starts to speak about the African American culture. When Walter questions him about what he is learning in school and calls him a faggot, George challenges Walter by calling him bitter (p.1059/60).

Jade Yorker (Joseph Asagai)

I am going to cast Jade Yorker as Joseph Asagai. I have chosen this actor to play as Asagai because his physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character. Joseph Asagai is a dramatic looking young man from Nigeria, whose tribal of origin is Yoruba (p.1051/2). One of his desires is to have a relationship with Beneatha. He wants to go back to Nigeria with her and become a society fixer by changing the system and allowing a new government to come to place. In this way, poor Nigerian people would have access to education and clean water. Asagai is an idealist because he wants a perfect society. He hopes that his action will result for the best and believes that he could change the world for the better. However, Asagai is also a practical person because he knows that his people could try to kill him or that he could be thrown in prison. When Beneatha was feeling upset because Walter lost her school money, Asagai was practical in telling her that she didn't have the money in the first place because she didn't work for it (p.1071).

Anna Maria Horsford (Lena Younger-Mama)

I am going to cast Anna Maria Horsford as Lena Younger (Mama). I have chosen this actress to play as Mama because her physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character, except for her hair, which can be dyed white. Mama is on her early 60's, full-bodied and strong.  She has grace and beauty, but doesn't try to show it. She has a dark brown face, which is full of strength. Mama has wit and faith and we can see that through her lit eyes that is filled with expectations. She has a careless speech but a soft voice (p. 1045). Her biggest motivation is her Christian family, who are middle class/working people (p.1061). She is constantly trying to fix everything. When things are not going well and her family is falling apart, Mama decides to buy a house for them (p.1046/8). When she sees that Walter is upset for not having the money to buy the liquor store, she decides to give him part of the insurance money to make him happy. Mama also wanted to show Walter that she trusted him as a man of the house by asking him to deposit Beneatha's school money (p. 1063). She always wanted a garden, which is a symbol that represents her because she is a life giver. Just like plants grow in a garden, Mama constantly shows that she wants life to keep growing (p.1060). When someone goes against her faith or demands, she becomes filled with rage and anger and gets physical. For instance, Mama slaps Beneatha when she says there is no God (p.1049).  She beats Walter after finding out Willie Harris has escaped with all of the money she has given to Walter (p.1069).

Shavon Kirksey (Beneatha Younger)

I am going to cast Shavon Kirksey as Beneatha Younger. I have chosen this actress to play as Beneatha because her physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character.  Beneatha Younger is 2o years old and has strength in her face. She is an intense young woman with a lean and almost intellectual looking face. She has a long hair, which she perms every week at the beginning of the play. She is not as beautiful as Ruth was when she was young, but she is confident and sarcastic, and men are always after her (p. 1044). Her biggest motivation is to find her identity as she goes from one thing to another (p.1047). As she searches for her identity, Beneatha cuts her hair and goes back to her roots by leaving it natural (p.1057). She has decided to become a doctor because she wants to cure people (p.1070). This shows how confident she is because she is going against stereotypes (p.1046). Beneatha also has a superior attitude as she even says she is going "to become a queen of the Nile" (p.1053). The play implies that Beneatha didn't choose comfort with George, who is one of her admires. She chooses to be with Asagai, which shows that she might go to Africa with him and work as a doctor there (p.1075).

Gabrielle Union (Ruth Younger)

I am going to cast Gabrielle Union as Ruth Younger. I have chosen this actress to play as Ruth because her physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character. Ruth Younger is a colored 30 years old woman who was a pretty young girl, but now  she looks older than her age because disappointment has begun to hang in her face (p. 1041). She is constantly trying to keep her family together and to save her marriage to what it was once like. At the same time, Ruth is a practical person who never tries to be pleasant as Walter Lee ironically says that she always tries because she couldn't even give their son money for school (p.1043). Ruth is also a mediator between Beneatha and Walter, between Walter and Mama, and between Beneatha and Mama. She tries to make peace between them by giving wise comments and advises. Ruth tells Mama: "Now... you taking it all too seriously. You just got strong-willed children and it takes a strong woman like you to keep 'em in hand"(p.1049).

Dorian Missick (Walter Lee Younger)

I am going to cast Dorian Missick as Walter LeeYounger. I have chosen this actor to play as Walter Lee because his physical appearance indicates the play's description of this character. Walter Lee is a lean, intense young man in his middle 30's, inclined to quick nervous movements and erratic speech habits. His tone of voice always shows an aggressive accusation (p. 1041) One of his biggest motivations is the desire to start a liquor store business in order to become successful and have money (p. 1043). Walter constantly tries to imply that he is the provider of the house by going against Ruth's demands. He gave their son Travis 50 cents for school and an extra 50 cents to get a cab (p.1043). Walter wants to be superior and feel better about himself by putting others down. He said to Ruth that colored women are evil in the morning (p. 1042).  Walter gets mad when he tries to talk to Ruth about changing their lives, and she doesn't want to listen constantly telling him to eat his eggs. He starts yelling because he is not getting the support he needs (p.1044). Walter became upset when his mother denied giving him the money to open up a liquor store. Thus, he didn't go to work for three days and just drove around to figure things out (p.1062). Another way Walter reacts when he is sentimental is by getting drunk. He feels better and like nothing matters when he goes to the bar to drink and listen to the band (p.1063).