That’s Phat; Philly Playwright James Ijames Wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama (Unpublished)
James Ijames has been a South Philadelphia playwright, teacher and actor for several years now.
He graduated from Temple University earning his MFA in acting; he's a theater professor at Villanova University and is a founding member of the Philly's playwright producing organization, Orbiter 3. As a transplant from Bessemer City, North Carolina he has really made Philly his own, and now he adds an illustrious award to his resume.
On Monday James Ijames's play Fat Ham won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Fat Ham is a modern comedy-drama re-tooling of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Without spoiling anything about a 400-year-old story, Fat Ham features "Juicy" who is a queer, Southern college kid going back home for a family BBQ. Things get haywire when the ghost of his father shows up in their backyard, demanding that Juicy avenges his murder.
Juicy is an obviously different guy from Hamlet. He is a sensitive, self-aware Black kid struggling to break the cycles of trauma and violence while trying to create his own liberation.
James Ijames' Fat Ham
The play award winning play was written during the pandemic. The first virtual showings of the play streamed virtually last year at the Wilma Theater. Today, Fat Ham will have its first in-person production Off-Broadway in New York City.
James Ijames spoke with 6abc and mentioned his gratitude in the win.
I think what's most touching is that I love writers of any kind. That award is given by writers to writers.
It just feels so amazing to have other writers say, 'I see something of beauty in what you've written.'
I feel really honored.
Ijames' has a new play named Reverie showing now at the Proscenium Theatre at The Drake. The Azuka Theatre produced show deals with two characters' grief, after the passing of a child. If you want to catch James Ijames' new play, you've got until May 22nd.
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