Hall is the 18th playwright to receive the honor which will be presented during the 29th annual Inge Festival April 21-24 in Independence, KS. Her play Hoodoo Love premiered at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York, and her drama based on Martin Luther King, Jr., The Mountaintop, premiered in London last year.
"We are thrilled to be honoring Katori," said Inge Center artistic director Peter Ellenstein in a statement. "Her work displays a powerful new voice. She is also, we note, the first African-American playwright to receive the New Voices honor."
At 7:30 PM on April 22, the Inge Festival will present Hall with the award, as well as an honorarium. A concert reading of one of her new plays will also take place.
The 2010 Inge Festival will also honor Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel. The How I Learned to Drive playwright will be in attendance for all four days of the festival and will be honored with the Inge Festival Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award.
The William Inge Theatre Festival is held at the playwright's alma mater, the Independence Community College. For more information on the Inge Festival and other Inge Center activities, contact (800) 842-6063, ext. 5492 or visit IngeCenter.
