Katori Hall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Katori Hall
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Hall in 2013
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| Born | May 10, 1981 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Occupation | Playwright, writer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse(s) | Alan Tumusiime |
| Children | 2 |
Katori Hall (born May 10, 1981) is a famous American writer from Memphis, Tennessee. She is known for writing award-winning plays and creating the hit television show P-Valley.
Hall has written many popular works. These include the musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and several plays. Her play The Hot Wing King was so good that it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, one of the highest honors for a writer.
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Early Life and Schooling
Katori Hall was born in Memphis, Tennessee. From a young age, she was a great student. She graduated from Craigmont High School as the school's first Black valedictorian, which means she had the highest grades in her class.
For college, Hall went to Columbia University in New York City. She studied African-American Studies and Creative Writing. After Columbia, she continued her education at two more famous schools. She earned a Master's degree in Acting from Harvard University. Later, she studied playwriting at the Juilliard School.
A Career in Writing
Hall's hard work in school paid off, and she became a successful writer for the stage and screen.
The Mountaintop: A Big Success
Hall became well-known for her play The Mountaintop. The play imagines the last night of the civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. before he was assassinated.
The play first opened in London, England, in 2009. It was a huge hit with audiences and critics. In 2010, it won the Olivier Award for Best New Play. This made Hall the first Black woman to ever win this major award.
In 2011, The Mountaintop came to Broadway in New York City. It starred famous actors Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett. The show was very successful and popular with audiences.
More Popular Plays
Hall continued to write plays that told important stories.
- Hurt Village: This play is about a family living in a housing project in Memphis. It explores how they deal with big changes in their community. The play won the Susan Smith Blackburn Award in 2011.
- Our Lady of Kibeho: This play is based on a true story from 1981. It's about a group of schoolgirls in Rwanda who said they saw a vision of the Virgin Mary. The play opened in New York in 2014.
- The Hot Wing King: This play is a comedy about family and friendship. It is set in Memphis during a hot wing festival. In 2021, Hall won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this play.
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Hall also helped write the story for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. This is a jukebox musical, which means it uses the singer's own songs to tell her life story. The show opened on Broadway in 2019 and was a big success. Hall was nominated for a Tony Award for her work on the musical.
P-Valley: A Hit TV Show
Hall adapted one of her plays, called ... Valley, into a TV show for the Starz network. The show was renamed P-Valley and first aired in 2020. It tells the story of people working at a dance club in the Mississippi Delta.
The show received great reviews from critics. It was so popular that it was renewed for a second season just two weeks after it started. Hall is the creator and main producer of the show.
Personal Life
Katori Hall is married to Alan Tumusiime, who works as a video editor and photographer. They have two children together.
Awards and Recognition
Katori Hall has won many awards for her writing. Some of her most important honors include:
- An Olivier Award for The Mountaintop
- A Pulitzer Prize for Drama for The Hot Wing King
- The Susan Smith Blackburn Award for Hurt Village
- A nomination for a Tony Award for Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
She has also received many fellowships, which are special awards that support talented writers. In 2023, she received the University Medal for Excellence from her first college, Columbia University.
See also
In Spanish: Katori Hall para niños
