WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – For the Garden Theatre, “A Raisin in the Sun” was full of firsts: First solo Black written show, first Black scenic designer and first Black director. “The knowledge of that is monumental and it was definitely stress-inducing for a little bit because it can feel like a lot of pressure,” said Roberta Emerson, director of “A Raisin in the Sun” and current director of theatre at Montverde Academy’s Theatre Conservatory.
Emerson, who has played the role of director, actor and teacher in regional theaters across the United States and Europe, said she may be the Garden’s first Black director—and first Black female director, at that—but she won’t be the last. “Going forward feels great and sad at the same time that it took