Farah lawal harris

Storyteller, artistic leader & SPEAKER

A woman speaking at a podium, wearing a black dress with lace details and a large floral headpiece made of pink and white flowers.
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past appearances & collaborations:

NBC4 Washington D.C. logo with colorful peacock icon
Logo with the text "NEWS 8" in bold black letters and a large white number 8 on a blue background.
A cityscape of Washington DC at dusk with the Washington Monument reflecting in the water. The text 'FOX 5 WASHINGTON DC' overlays the image.
A black and white photograph of a digital music player, possibly an MP3 player, with a small screen and control buttons.
Black background with a white circle partly covered by the words "arena stage" in large lowercase letters, and the phrase "the mead center for american theater" below.
ID Investigations Discovery logo with tilted black background and white text.
The Washington Post logo in black gothic font.
Washington City Paper logo with white text on a black background
Black background with white text reading 'American Theatre'
University of Maryland emblem with the Maryland flag pattern inside a circular seal.
Howard University logo featuring a blue clock tower with a white clock face, and the year 1867 below, with 'Howard University' written beneath.
Seal of the University of Texas at Austin, featuring an open book, a star, and laurel branches, with the motto 'PRAESIDIUM' in the center.
Logo for Theater Washington with the words 'THEATRE WASHINGTON' in bold white letters on a black background, with three pink dots vertically aligned to the right.
Logo with the words "STUDIO THEATRE" in black text, separated by a horizontal line, on a light background.
Graphic depicting a countdown from 10 to 1 with orange and black design elements.
Text that reads 'CAPITAL FRINGE' in bold black letters.
Pink and purple text reading 'Round House Theatre' with a black background.
A woman with short dreadlocks wearing a dark blazer and earrings, standing in front of a vibrant purple background with a photo collage and the word 'KEY' in large white letters. There is a microphone illustration to the right of her.
Logo that reads Spur Local, formerly Catalogue for Philanthropy, with a purple starburst symbol between the words 'Spur' and 'Local'.
A flame symbol with a drop in the middle on a black background.
MD Theatre Guide logo with blue background and white and gold text
Black and white illustration of a girl wearing a crown, with a purple background and the text 'NaPoWriMo adventure awaits'.

About Farah

Close-up of a smiling woman with dark skin, wearing a bright pink top, with her face lit against a black background.
Close-up of a smiling woman with short curly hair, wearing gold hoop earrings, a blue top, and a textured blue blazer, against a dark background.
A smiling Black woman with short hair, wearing a pink top, gold hoop earrings, and a silver wristwatch, posing against a dark background.

Farah Lawal Harris is a multidisciplinary storyteller, artistic leader, and culture-shifter whose work centers on authenticity, wellness, and the liberation of underrepresented communities. As the Artistic Director of Young Playwrights' Theater, she shapes bold artistic visions, produces high-quality performances, and builds spaces where underrepresented voices thrive. A fixture in DC’s theatre ecosystem, she has written plays produced by the Kennedy Center’s Theater and Arena Stage, co-chaired the DC Theatre Summit, and served on Theatre Washington’s Advisory Board and Helen Hayes Award Adjudication Committee, as well as Not in Our House DC. She created the decade-long Silence is Violence performance series at Young Playwrights’ Theater, which blends artistry, activism, and sustainable funding to elevate stories that matter. Farah is a proud Kilroys List playwright and three-time Individual Artist grant award recipient from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Farah moves fluidly between theatre, poetry, and digital media. As a writer and performer, she brings emotional clarity, vulnerability, and cultural insight to every project. Across her social media platforms, Farah shares her creativity, wellness journey as a breast cancer survivor, and hip-hop analyses with over 13,000+ followers. She is a proud graduate with Honors from the University of Maryland, College Park (2008) with two Bachelor of Science degrees in Criminology & Criminal Justice and African American Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Performance.

Professional Links

Press Kit
Portfolio

Creative

Read Farah's Poems
Watch Farah's Poems
Music Conversations with Farah

Resources

Farah's Breast Cancer Videos
Farah's Wellness Videos