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, journalist, actress, executive producer, writer |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Spouse(s) | Alan Tumusiime |
| Children | 2 |
Katori Hall (born on May 10, 1981) is an American writer, producer, actress, and director from Memphis, Tennessee. She is well-known for creating the TV series P-Valley. Katori Hall also wrote the musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, which was nominated for a Tony Award.
Her plays include Hurt Village, Our Lady of Kibeho, Children of Killers, and The Mountaintop. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play The Hot Wing King.
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Early Life and Education
Katori Hall's family moved to Memphis, Tennessee, when she was five years old. She went to Craigmont High School. Katori was the first Black student to be the valedictorian (the top student) in her school's history.
She earned her bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 2003. She studied African-American Studies and Creative Writing. Katori first studied theater but later changed her major. She felt her ideas were not welcomed there. She received top honors from the university's African-American Studies department.
In 2005, she got her Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting from Harvard University. During this time, she worked on her first full-length play, Hoodoo Love. This play was chosen for a special program by famous playwright Lynn Nottage. It later opened off-Broadway (a type of theater outside of Broadway) and was well-received.
Hall also graduated from the Juilliard School in 2009. This is a famous school for performing arts. There, she developed her play The Mountaintop.
Katori Hall's Career
Breakthrough with The Mountaintop (2009–2011)
Katori Hall became widely known after her play The Mountaintop opened in London in 2009. The play is about the last night of Martin Luther King Jr. before he was assassinated. It received great reviews. Hall decided to stage the play in London because she could not find a theater in the United States.
The play first showed at Theatre503 and sold out. Then, it moved to the West End, a famous theater district in London. Critics praised the play, with one calling it "breathtaking" and another a "triumph." The Mountaintop won the 2010 Olivier Award for Best New Play. This made Katori Hall the first Black woman to win this important theater award.
In September 2011, The Mountaintop opened on Broadway in New York City. Famous actors Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett starred in it. The play received both praise and some discussion about how it showed Martin Luther King Jr. By January 2011, the show had earned back all of its $3.1 million investment.
In October 2011, Katori Hall was chosen for a special program in New York. This program guaranteed her three new plays would be produced over five years.
Plays and Success (2012–2015)
Katori Hall's play Hurt Village opened in 2012. It is a story about life and changes in a housing project in Memphis. The play won the 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Award, which is given to women playwrights. There are plans for Hall to direct a movie based on Hurt Village.
Her play Hoodoo Love also premiered at Cherry Lane Theatre in 2013.
In November 2014, Hall's play Our Lady of Kibeho had its first performance. This play tells the true story of Rwandan schoolgirls in 1981. They claimed to have seen a vision of the Virgin Mary.
Continued Success with Tina, The Hot Wing King, and P-Valley (2019–Present)
Katori Hall helped write the story for the musical Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. This musical tells the life story of singer Tina Turner using her famous songs. It opened on Broadway in November 2019. Hall was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for her work on Tina.
Her writing is known for being down-to-earth, funny, and having a strong female viewpoint. Katori Hall won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play The Hot Wing King. This play was showing in February 2020 but had to stop because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hall is also the creator, showrunner (main writer and producer), and executive producer of the TV series P-Valley. The show has received excellent reviews. It was renewed for a second season soon after it first aired. In 2020, she signed a deal with Lionsgate Television to create more shows for them.
Hall's play The Blood Quilt opened at Lincoln Center on November 21, 2024.
Personal Life
Katori Hall is married to Alan Tumusiime, who is a video editor and photographer. They have two children together.
Awards and Nominations
Theatre Awards
Katori Hall has received many awards for her plays. These include:
- A Laurence Olivier Award
- A Susan Smith Blackburn Award
- The Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2021) for The Hot Wing King
- The Otis Guernsey New Voices Playwriting Award
She has also been a book reviewer, journalist, and essayist for well-known publications. These include The Boston Globe, Essence, Newsweek, and The New York Times.
Film and Television Awards
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Work | Result |
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| Gotham Independent Film Awards | 2020 | Breakthrough Series – Long Form | Katori Hall, Dante Di Loreto, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Liz W. Garcia | P-Valley | Nominated |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2021 | Best Main Title Theme – TV Show/Limited Series | Jucee Froot and Katori Hall | Nominated | |
| NAACP Image Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television) | Katori Hall | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Katori Hall (for "Perpetratin") | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Katori Hall para niños
