James Ijames facts for kids

James Ijames (pronounced EYE-mz) is an American playwright, actor, and professor. He grew up in Bessemer City, North Carolina. He studied drama at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Later, he earned a master's degree in acting from Temple University in Philadelphia. He now lives and works in Philadelphia.

Currently, James Ijames is a professor of Theatre at Villanova University. He also used to be a co-artistic director at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia. He helped start Orbiter 3, which was Philadelphia's first group where playwrights produced their own plays.

One of his most famous plays is Fat Ham. It's a modern version of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Fat Ham won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2022. It first showed online at the Wilma Theater in 2021. Later, it was performed at The Public Theater in New York City. In April 2023, it opened on Broadway, which is a very big deal for a play! James Ijames also received the 2018 Whiting Award for drama. This award recognizes talented writers.

Early Life and Education

James Ijames spent his childhood in Bessemer City, North Carolina. He went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Drama. After that, he continued his studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, he received his Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting.

His Amazing Career

James Ijames' plays have been performed by many theater companies. These include Flashpoint Theater Company and Orbiter 3. His work has also been shown at Theatre Horizon in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Other theaters include The National Black Theatre in Harlem and Ally Theatre Company in Washington, DC.

Notable Plays and Their Impact

Kill Move Paradise first showed at the National Black Theatre in 2017. A reviewer from The New York Times said the play felt like a repeating dream. It showed how some events in history keep happening.

Another play, White, was performed at the Theatre Horizon. A reviewer from the Philadelphia Inquirer noted that the play had a surprising ending. It explored how black women are sometimes treated unfairly in society and culture.

Moon Man Walk was produced by Orbiter 3 in Philadelphia. A writer for Philadelphia Magazine praised the play. They said it was a great example of the high-quality new plays that Philadelphia's art community should support.

List of Plays

James Ijames has written many plays. Here are some of them:

• Abandon (supported by the NEA)
• Good Bones (commissioned by Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C., 2023)
• Reverie (Azuka Theatre, 2022)
• Youth
• History of Walking (Theatre Exile, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Matter Out of Place (InterAct Theater Company and Available Light Theater, Columbus, Ohio)
• Kill Move Paradise (National Black Theatre, 2017)
• White (PlayPenn New Play Conference, Theatre Horizon, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• Moon Man Walk (Orbiter 3 Playwrights Collective, 2015)
• The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Flashpoint Theater Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• The Threshing Floor
• Fat Ham (Wilma Theater, 2021)
• TJ Loves Sally 4 Ever (Ally Theatre Company, 2020)

Awards and Recognitions

James Ijames has won many awards for his writing and acting.

• In 2011, he won the F. Otto Haas Award for an Emerging Artist. He also won a Barrymore Award for his acting in Superior Donuts.
• He won another Barrymore Award in 2012 for his role in Angels in America, Part One: Millennium Approaches.
• In 2014, he won a Barrymore Award for directing The Brothers Size.
• His play White won the Terrence McNally Award for New Play in 2015. That same year, he received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts for playwriting.
• In 2017, he was honored with the Whiting Award for Drama.
• His play Miz Martha received an Honorable Mention for the Kesselring Prize in 2018.
• In 2022, his play Fat Ham won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
• Fat Ham was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play in 2023.
• In 2024, Fat Ham is pending for a Lambda Literary Award for Drama.