Philadelphia playwright wins Pulitzer Prize

He began researching and writing it in 2017, never imagining that “Fat Ham,” his take on Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” would lead to a Pulitzer Prize.

But on May 9 it did just that.

James Ijames, an actor, writer, director, professor of theater at Villanova University, is also co-artistic director at the Wilma Theatre where “Fat Ham” was originally only seen digitally due to the COVID outbreak. It is now slated for onstage performances at New York’s Public Theatre.

In his play, Ijames looked to “Hamlet” for inspiration, but in doing so he had to decide what the Hamlet narrative would look like if it was queer, integrated, and taken over by people of color.

So the award-winning playwright set his play in the American south and then took the time to explore big issues like toxic masculinity and cycles of violence.

“The play revolves around a twenty-something man named “Juicy” who is just trying to get by living in his world as best he can,” Ijames explained. “And just like Hamlet, Juicy loses his father who then comes back (in spirit) seeking revenge against his brother, Juicy’s uncle.”

Ijames, who is originally from Louisiana, received his B.A. Degree in Drama from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, before coming to Philadelphia to attend Temple University where he received his Masters Degree in Acting.

Along his climb up the ladder of success, Ijames received many awards including the 2011 F. Otto Haas Award for Emerging Artists. He also garnered two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play, as well as two more Barrymores for Outstanding Director of a Play.

But perhaps, after Monday’s award, maybe nothing will prove more exciting or well-deserved.

“I never expected to receive a Pulitzer Prize. Oh, people think abut it now and then, but you never really think you’ll get it,” Ijames said.

But at 3:30 on Monday afternoon, May 9, Ijames got the call he longed for but never really expected. He had won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. “I was busy that day with a group of my students at Villanova and trying not to think about the Prize. But when the phone rang and the voice on the other end said ‘You won!’ I almost lost all feeling in my body.”

But in his typically modest voice, Ijames just thanks everyone who voted for him, and says he intends to just continue on with his work.

“I hope to keep on writing as much as I can,” he says, “and this award is giving me the confidence I need to keep creating. I very much enjoy writing for the stage, but I’d also like to start writing for film and television some day.

“Today, I have a lot on my plate,” he confesses. His play “Reverie” is being presented at Azuka Theatre through May 22. “And I’m directing ‘Fairview’ at the Wilma which will soon be presented. It’s been a very busy week for me and that’s just as well. Keeping busy has allowed me to concentrate on my work and not on the prize – although I’m still stunned at receiving such an honor.”