Katori Hall

Just six years ago, Katori Hall’s passion was acting. But today, she has literally flipped the script, turning her focus to playwriting.  Through her production company Katori’s Kitchen (named for the room where most of her writing is done), Hall creates and licenses, plays, screenplays, and teleplays. She's best known for her second play, The Mountaintop - starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett - now on Broadway through January 22. Her next play, Hurt Village, will be produced at Signature Theatre in New York and opens February 24, 2012.

Read more about Hall and how she made the successful leap from actress to playwright over at Uptown. Here, a bit more insight into the Memphis-born wordsmith.

REFLECTIONS: First job: A reporter at The Boston Globe * Most significant life lesson learned: Nobody don’t know nothing about nothing in your future. You can listen to people’s advice till the cows come home, but ultimately all life decisions have to be made by you. * Words to live by: Aim for the stars, for if you fall, at least you’ll be caught by the treetops, which is much better than where you started—the ground. * Most valuable business lesson she's learned: Read your contracts. In the '40s my family ended up signing a bad contract tricking us out of our mineral rights in Texas. I now read every single line of every contract I get because of that unfortunate family history.

DIVERSIONS: Currently reading: Tina Fey’s Bossypants * Planning to read next: Toure’s Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? * Last fun purchase: A new acoustic electric guitar from Sam Ash. * Recently discovered: I learned this in Napa Valley: It takes six twists to take off the cap to a bottle of sparkling wine—it’s industry standard.

PLAYING FAVORITES: Hotel: Serena Hotel, Kampala, Uganda * Getaway: Jamaica * Entree: Vietnamese summer rolls and chili sauce from Yum Yum in New York. * Guilty pleasure: Watching Mob Wives while eating popcorn seasoned with hot sauce.