Katori Hall

Katori Hall is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and actress whose work spans theater, television, and journalism. Hall earned an MFA from the American Repertory Theater's Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University and graduated from the Juilliard School's Lila Acheson Wallace playwriting program. Motivated by the lack of roles and scenes for young Black women, Hall has developed a body of work known for its authentic storytelling. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, Essence, and The Commercial Appeal, and she has contributed reporting for Newsweek.

Hall first gained widespread attention with "The Mountaintop," a drama imagining the final night of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, which won the Olivier Award for Best New Play. The play ran on Broadway at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre starring Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. Hall's debut play, "Hoodoo Love," was developed during her time at Harvard and mentored by playwright Lynn Nottage through Cherry Lane Theatre's Mentor Project, premiering on Cherry Lane's Mainstage. Other stage works include "Hurt Village," "Our Lady of Kibeho," "The Blood Quilt," and "Children of Killers."

Hall's play "The Hot Wing King" won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. She also wrote and produced the Broadway musical "Tina: The Tina Turner Musical," receiving Tony Award nominations for Best Book of a Musical and Best Musical as a producer. Hall is recognized for translating the lives of iconic figures and communities into theatrical experiences, contributing to contemporary American drama.

In television, Hall is the showrunner and executive producer of the Starz drama "P-Valley," adapted from her play "Pussy Valley." The Emmy-nominated series has received honors including the NAACP Image Award for Best Drama Series. Hall is a graduate of the Sundance Episodic Lab's inaugural class, the Sundance Screenwriting Lab, and Ryan Murphy's Half Foundation Directing Program.

Hall is an inductee of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and the recipient of awards including the Columbia University Medal of Excellence, the American Academy of Arts & Letters Award in Literature, the Black Women Film Network StorytellHER Award, the AUDELCO Award for Best Playwright, the Susan Smith Blackburn Award, two Lecompte du Nouy Prizes from Lincoln Center, the Fellowship of Southern Writers Bryan Family Award in Drama, the National Black Theatre's August Wilson Playwriting Award, and the Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award. Hall's work continues to shape the landscape of American theater, television, and journalism.