Katori Hall (born May 10, 1981) is an American playwright, screenwriter, producer, actress, and director from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. Hall's best known works include the hit television series ''

P-Valley ''P-Valley'' is an American drama television series created by Katori Hall. The series is an adaptation of Hall's play ''Pussy Valley'', and follows several people who work at a strip club in the Mississippi Delta. It stars Brandee Evans, Nicco A ...

'', the Tony-nominated '' Tina: The Tina Turner Musical'', and plays such as ''Hurt Village'', ''Our Lady of Kibeho'', ''Children of Killers'', ''

The Mountaintop ''The Mountaintop'' is a play by American playwright Katori Hall. It is a fictional depiction of Martin Luther King Jr.'s last night on earth set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of his assassination in 1968. Historical b ...

'', and '' The Hot Wing King'', for which she won the

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

Early life and education

Hall's parents moved the family from Raleigh, North Carolina, to a predominantly white neighborhood in

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, Tennessee, when she was five years old. She graduated from

Craigmont High School Craigmont High School is a public high school ( grades 9–12) located in Memphis, Tennessee, in the Raleigh community. It was part of the Memphis City Schools district before consolidation with the Shelby County Schools district, beginning with ...

as the first Black valedictorian in the school's history, and received her bachelor's degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 2003 with a major in African-American Studies and Creative Writing. As a student, she was a resident of

John Jay Hall John Jay Hall is a 15-story building located on the southeastern extremity of the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in New York City, on the northwestern corner of 114th St. and Amsterdam Avenue. Named for Founding Father, ''The ...

. Hall was initially a student in the theater department, where she took classes with fellow student

Kelly McCreary Kelly J. McCreary (born September 29, 1981) is an American actress, best known for her role on the ABC drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Maggie Pierce, the half-sister of series protagonist Meredith Grey. She joined the series as a guest a ...

. Eventually she switched majors because she felt the faculty and students were inhospitable to her perspective and writing. She was awarded top departmental honors from the university's Institute for Research in African-American Studies. In 2005 she graduated from the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

's Institute for Advanced Theater Training at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

with a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

in Acting. During this time she revised the script for ''

Hoodoo Love ''Hoodoo Love'' is a play by American playwright and producer Katori Hall. It debuted off-Broadway at Cherry Lane Theater in 2007 and has been produced in other metropolitan areas in the years since. The Great Depression-era play tells the stor ...

'', the first full-length play she wrote. In 2006, it was selected by

Lynn Nottage Lynn Nottage (born November 2, 1964) is an American playwright whose work often focuses on the experience of working-class people, particularly working-class people who are Black. She has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice: in 2009 for he ...

for the

Cherry Lane Theatre The Cherry Lane Theatre is the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theater in New York City. The theater is located at 38 Commerce Street between Barrow and Bedford Streets in the West Village neighborhood of Greenwich Village, Manhattan, N ...

Mentor Project. It premiered off-Broadway at Cherry Lane Theatre and received positive critical reception. Hall graduated from the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

's Lila Acheson Wallace playwriting program in 2009. In the program she workshopped the script for ''

''.

Career

2009 – 2011: Breakthrough with ''The Mountaintop''

Hall gained mainstream prominence after her play ''

'', about

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

's last night before his assassination, premiered in London in 2009 to critical acclaim. Hall took the play to London after she was unable to secure a venue in the United States. The play was staged at

Theatre503 Theatre503, formerly the Latchmere Theatre, is a theatre located at 503 Battersea Park Road in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, above the Latchmere pub. The venue is known for promoting the work of new writers. History The the ...

, where it sold out, and then transferred to the

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a new West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. It is set to open in spring 2021 following a major multi-million Pound sterling, pound restoration project aiming to reinstate ...

in the West End. The production was directed by

James Dacre James Charles Dacre (born May 1984) is a British theatre director. He has been artistic director of Royal & Derngate Theatres in Northampton since 2013. Early years James Dacre was born in 1984, the son of Paul Dacre, former editor of the '' ...

and featured British actors

David Harewood David Harewood MBE (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in ''Homeland'' (2011–2012), and as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / C ...

and Lorraine Burroughs. Nicola Christie of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' called ''The Mountaintop'' "breathtaking". Theater critic Charles Spencer in the ''

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

'' gave the production five stars and hailed it a "triumph". ''The Mountaintop'' won the 2010

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

for Best New Play, making Hall the first Black woman to achieve this accolade. In September 2011, ''The Mountaintop'' opened on Broadway starring

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

as Martin Luther King Jr. and

Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. She had her breakthrough with her portrayal of singer Tina Turner in the biopic ''What's Love Got to Do with It'' (1993), which garnered her a nomination for the Academy Award ...

as a mysterious maid. It attracted both praise and controversy for the language and depiction of King. In January 2011 during the extension of the show, lead producers Jean Doumanian and

Sonia Friedman Sonia Anne Primrose Friedman (born Freedman; born April 1965) is a British West End and Broadway theatre producer. On 27 January 2017, Friedman was named Producer of the Year for the third year running at The Stage Awards, becoming the first ...

announced that ''The Mountaintop'' had recouped its entire capitalization of $3.1 million. In October 2011, Hall, along with

Annie Baker Annie Baker (born April 1981) is an American playwright and teacher who won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for her play ''The Flick.'' Among her works are the Shirley, Vermont plays, which take place in the fictional town of Shirley: ''Circle Mirror Tr ...

Will Eno Will Eno (born 1965) is an American playwright based in Brooklyn, New York. His play, '' Thom Pain (based on nothing)'' was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 2005. His play ''The Realistic Joneses'' appeared on Broadway in 2014, wher ...

Kenneth Lonergan Kenneth Lonergan (born October 16, 1962) is an American film director, playwright, and screenwriter. He is the co-writer of the film ''Gangs of New York'' (2002), and wrote and directed '' You Can Count on Me'' (2000), ''Margaret'' (2011), and ' ...

and

Regina Taylor Regina Annette Taylor
''Film Reference''. (born August 22, 1960) is an American

, was among the playwrights chosen for the Pershing Square Signature Theatre's Residency Five initiative in New York, which guarantees each writer three full world-premiere productions over a five-year residency.

2012 – 2015: ''Hurt Village, Hoodoo Love'', and ''Our Lady of Kibeho''

Hall's play '' Hurt Village'', a drama about life and change in a Memphis housing project, premiered in 2012 off-Broadway at Signature Theatre Company as part of the theatre's inaugural season. The play, which won the 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Award, was presented with support from the 2011 Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award from TCG. The play starred Tony Award winner

Tonya Pinkins Tonya Pinkins (born May 30, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film ''RED PILL'' was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Fea ...

, as well as

Marsha Stephanie Blake Marsha Stephanie Blake (born May 1974) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Linda McCray in the Netflix miniseries ''When They See Us'', for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actr ...

Ron Cephas Jones Ron Cephas Jones (born January 8, 1957) is an American actor. He is best known for his role in the drama series '' This Is Us'' (2016–2022), which earned him four consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice for Outstanding Gues ...

, Saycon Sengbloh, Lloyd Watts, Charlie Hudson III, Nicholas Christopher, Corey Hawkins and Joaquina Kalukango. In 2014 it was announced that Hall will make her feature film directorial debut with an adaptation of ''Hurt Village''. ''

'' premiered at Cherry Lane Theatre in 2013. In November 2014, ''Our Lady of Kibeho'', the second play of Hall's residency at the Pershing Square Signature Theatre, had its world premiere in The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center, directed by

Michael Greif Michael Greif (born ca. 1959 in Brooklyn, New YorkWelsh, Anne Marie, "New York and family call Michael Greif home", ''The San Diego Union-Tribune'', October 10, 1999, p.E-1) is an American stage director. He has won three Obie Award, Obie Awards a ...

. In ''Our Lady of Kibeho'', Hall tells the story of a real-life incident of 1981, when a group of Rwandan schoolgirls claimed to see a vision of the Virgin Mary. Hall's play ''Pussy Valley'' was staged at

Mixed Blood Theatre The Mixed Blood Theatre Company is a professional multiracial theatre company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was founded in 1976 by artistic director Jack Reuler, to explore race via the use of theater. History Jack Reuler founded Mixed Blood in 19 ...

in 2015. The play's first reading, about the goings-on of a strip club in Mississippi, took place in 2009.

2019 – present: Continued success with ''
Tina Tina may refer to: People Tina (given name), people and fictional characters with the given name ''Tina'' Places Tina, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran Tina, Tunisia, a town in Sfax Governorate, Tunisia Tina, Guadalcanal, Solomon ...
'', '' The Hot Wing King'', and ''
P-Valley ''P-Valley'' is an American drama television series created by Katori Hall. The series is an adaptation of Hall's play ''Pussy Valley'', and follows several people who work at a strip club in the Mississippi Delta. It stars Brandee Evans, Nicco A ...
''

Hall wrote the book for the musical '' Tina: The Tina Turner Musical'' alongside Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins. ''Tina'' is a

jukebox musical A jukebox musical is a stage musical or musical film in which a majority of the songs are well-known popular music songs, rather than original music. Some jukebox musicals use a wide variety of songs, while others confine themselves to songs perf ...

featuring the music of

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

and depicting her life. It opened on Broadway in November 2019. Hall received a nomination for the 2020

Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligib ...

for the show. Other plays by Hall include ''Remembrance'', ''Children of Killers'', ''WHADDABLOODCLOT!!!, Pussy Valley'', and '' The Hot Wing King'' many which are set in Memphis. Her work has been noted for "an earthiness, a humour, a female vision and a luxuriant language that feels distinctly her own." Hall was awarded the 2021

for '' The Hot Wing King'', which ran Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre in February 2020 until its run was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hall developed her play ''Pussy Valley'' into the television drama series on

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

, renamed ''

'', which premiered in 2020. It has received critical acclaim, and was renewed for a second season two weeks after its premiere. She serves as the series creator, showrunner, and executive producer. In 2020 she signed an overall deal with

Lionsgate Television Lionsgate Television is the television division of Lionsgate, which is a Canadian–American entertainment company. History The company was established in July 1997 as Lions Gate Television, Inc. with the establishment of Lionsgate Films. It acq ...

Personal life

Hall is married to Alan Tumusiime, a video editor and photographer. They have two children.

Awards and nominations

Theatre

Her awards include a Laurence Olivier Award Susan Smith Blackburn Award, Lark Play Development Center Playwrights of New York (PONY) Fellowship, Kate Neal Kinley Fellowship, two Lecompte du Nouy Prizes from

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...

Fellowship of Southern Writers The Fellowship of Southern Writers is an American literary organization that celebrates the creative vitality of Southern writing as the mirror of a distinctive and cherished regional culture. Its fellowships and awards draw attention to outstandi ...

Bryan Family Award in Drama,

Fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

, and the

Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was a playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Her best-known work, the play ''A Raisin in the Sun'', highlig ...

Playwriting Award. Hall was shortlisted for the London Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award and received the Otis Guernsey New Voices Playwriting Award from the William Inge Theatre Festival. She is a member of the

. Hall was awarded the 2021

for her play '' The Hot Wing King''.Littleton, Cynthia
"Katori Hall Wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama, George Floyd Videographer Darnella Frazier Receives Special Citation"
''Variety'', June 11, 2021. Hall has been a book reviewer, journalist, and essayist for publications such as ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'', ''

Essence Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...

'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...

'' and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. She has been a

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Playwriting Fellow at the O’Neill.

Film and television

References

External links

Official website
* * Alexis Okeowo

''The New York Times'', 13 January 2012. * Hermione Hoby
"Mom's brush with history"
''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'', 7 June 2009 (Katori Hall interview). {{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Katori 1981 births 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American women writers African-American dramatists and playwrights African-American women writers American women dramatists and playwrights Institute for Advanced Theater Training, Harvard University alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni Juilliard School alumni Living people Pulitzer Prize for Drama winners Writers from Memphis, Tennessee 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American writers 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women