About Farah

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.

Farah gives infinite thanks to God, her ancestors, family, friends, and the following teachers, mentors, and artists who have shaped her into the woman she is today: Mr. & Mrs. Habeeb and Beatrice Lawal, Mrs. Vickie Adamson, Andrea Richards Scott, Scot Reese, the late and great Dr. Walter Dallas, Leslie Felbain, Ntozake Shange, Rhodessa Jones, Jessica T. Solomon, Thembi Duncan, Erika Totten, and The Queen Po.