Local talent from community churches will present the work at 7 p.m. Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20, in the Terrace Room of The Genetti.

Structured as a play, it first ran from 1968 to 1969 and tells the story of Hansberry’s struggle to find success in a post-World War II world, where success for many women, especially minority women, was often just out of reach.

Hansberry was the granddaughter of a freed slave and came from a politically active family, according to biography.com.

She worked for Freedom, a progressive Black newspaper, as a writer and associate editor from 1950 to 1953, before joining the Daughters of Bilitis in 1957, contributing letters on subjects including feminism and homophobia to their magazine, The Ladder.

Director Tom Ryersbach instructs Yvette Arthur and Melodie Russell as they rehearse scenes from the upcoming performance of “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black.”

Her most well-known work, “A Raisin in the Sun,” opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on March 11, 1959, and was the first play by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway, according to the website. Hansberry would go on to become the first Black playwright and, at 29, the youngest American to win a New York Critics’ Circle award.

“A Raisin in the Sun” was performed by The Actors Group at Penn College in 2015, according to Pastor Ron Johnson, who is promoting the upcoming R&B Productions presentation of “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” which the church last performed in 2002.

“I’ve done numerous things in the community, mostly bringing churches together, with praise, worship and musical events,” Johnson said.

That spirit of cooperation continued as the troupe held its first non-table rehearsals at the Agape Fellowship of the Mennonite Church.

“Pastor Dale (Rintelman) and I have been friends for many years, and his wife and his daughter are in the play,” Johnson said. “We needed a bigger place to hold rehearsals, so I talked to Pastor Dale and told him the days and times we needed, and he said, ‘Yeah, I have the space.'”

Cast members and others involved with the play “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” pose for a group photo.

The cast of newcomers and seasoned performers features Yvette Arthur, Melodie Carter-Shaw, Lawrence Peck, Loniqua Howell, Jim Mothersbaugh, Deyontae McDonald, Diane Walker, Margaret Rintelman, Khalif Faradin, Lauri Rintelman, Serenity Spivey, Zendaya Preston, Tony Thinks, Susan Guinter, Michael’s Weight, Robin “DJ Creamie” Evans and Latoya Frazier, many playing multiple roles.

“I’ve known most of them personally for many years,” Johnson said. “I worked with a few of them when they did ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ and some from that play did ‘To Be Young, Gifted, and Black’ in 2002.”

Also returning from “A Raisin in the Sun” is Tom Ryersbach, who is once again helming the director’s chair.

“They hope this can change someone’s life,” Johnson said of the cast and crew’s passion for the project. “The people that came aboard are happy to be part of this group and to make an impact in the community.”

Feedback from the community indicates the impact will be as great as all involved hope, he added.

“I just ran into a young lady last night that said, ‘Oh my God, I heard about this lady, Lorraine Hansberry. I’ve always wanted to see her play,'” Johnson said. “I’ve heard other people say, ‘I think I remember this play, I would like to bring my children to come see it.'”

The significance of Hansberry’s struggle was pivotal in Johnson’s desire to bring her work back to Williamsport after its extended absence.

“This is a history of a people who have been oppressed and discriminated against, especially women, especially Black women,” Johnson said. “And for Lorraine Hansberry, it was a struggle because she was a young Black woman and she was a writer, so it was a big struggle for her.”

“A lot of the older generation have heard of her, so we want to present his play to the younger generation that may not know anything about her,” the pastor said. “Some of them might want to be writers, so she may be an inspiration to young boys and girls to become writers. We can let them know that there is a struggle for basically anything that you do, but it also shows that you don’t give up.”

Johnson also saw the subject matter as timely, given recent events throughout the nation.

“With what’s going on in our country right now, people say, ‘This country has come a long way,’ and there have been some opportunities, yes, but it has not stopped the racism and the bigotry,” he said. “Most Americans have had one eye open and one closed, and they think that America has no bigotry or racism, but it’s still there.”

But, even within that reality, Johnson has hope that productions such as this will help to open people’s hearts and minds.

“If 50 people come both nights, and one person each night got it and is willing to change, then my job has been done,” he said. “If one person sees that it is bad out here and they want to change their life and make an impact, I did my job.”

Tickets are available now at www.itickets.com/events/477576.