Exclusive: Showrunner Katori Hall Talks Starz’s P-Valley

Currently playing on Starz is its erotic new series “P-Valley,” which airs on Sundays at 8pm.

Based on her play Pussy Valley, creator Katori Hall (The Mountaintop, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) serves as showrunner as well as executive producer.

Down deep in the Mississippi Delta lies an oasis of grit and glitter in a rough patch of human existence where beauty can be hard to find. This southern-fried, hour-long drama tells the kaleidoscopic story of a little-strip-club-that-could and the big characters who come through its doors—the hopeful, the lost, the broken, the ballers, the beautiful, and the damned. Trap music meets film noir in this lyrical and atmospheric series that dares to ask what happens when small-town folk dream beyond the boundaries of the Piggly Wiggly and the pawnshop.

BlackFilmandTV.com spoke with Hall about putting together this series from her stage play and casting her talent.

P-Valley is based on your theater production. Can you talk about how it went from stage to screen?

Katori Hall: It took me forever. Six years is not forever, but it feels like forever. It took a long time to research the play version. I visited 40 clubs, and talked to over 40 women. It culminated in this play. I remember when I saw the play production in the Mixed Blood theater in Minneapolis, I said to myself, "Oh Lord, this ain't no play. This is the TV show.” It had so much going on. 

I was so thankful to have so much material to work with. It was a story that had legs, literally and figuratively. I ended up pitching it and Starz ended up buying the pitch in 2015. Over the next four years, I worked on it and developed it with them. I had a writer's room and figured out ways in which to use it as a as an inspiration point to create an actual TV show. A lot of people will say what defines a TV show is just characters that you want to see week after week after week. That was the thing that was at the core of the story, the fact that Uncle Clifford and Mercedes and Mississippi and Autumn Night were so lovable and you want it to be on a very, very long road with them. That was always the center of the show. The fact that we have this “framily" that you want to follow and grow with. I always say it's a workplace drama/ family drama.

With this being an ensemble series, was there a challenge on which character would get more attention that the others?

Katori Hall: That's just the struggle of creating a TV show in general, especially when you have this ensemble. That's why I always say it is just as much about the women who work there as it is about the people who run the club. It's a kaleidoscopic lens about the club, and also the The structures within our society that support the club district club industry.

I really felt that the hip hop storyline of Lil Murda, this up and coming rapper or rather a wannabe rapper trying to make his mark through the club scene is really reflective of a lot of rapper that we know in terms of the people who have made their mark and the entire careers off the club scene. I think about Future and Yung Joc, who were able to have a local following before they had a nationwide and eventually a worldwide following. 

These these characters are inspired by real people and people in the real world. We knew that we wanted to make the show feel fresh and that this club actually existed. I think the reason why it does is because our inspiration points have been the real people. 

Because the series is centered around strippers, nudity is somewhat expected. How far was Starz willing to let you go with how much nudity you can show?

Katori Hall: I wanted to be be authentic and they allowed me to be authentic. As we know, in strip clubs, particularly Black southern strip clubs, we call it being “asshole naked.” Meaning you're just naked, naked from top to bottom. On our show because we are well aware of this inheritance of hyper sexualized images of black women, we wanted to always use the nudity to a purpose; it has to push the story along. It has to be reflective of character development. But it also needed to environmentally be correct for the strip club world. What we ended up deciding on, and I've made this decision myself, was that there was levels of nudity depending on where you were in the club.

If you're on the floor dancing, even though in a real Southern strip strip club you would be so naked, I decided we're not going to do that. We're going to be in our floss only when you got to the VIP rooms, where there was more nudity. That allowed for a more intimate experience and a reflection of what actually happens in not only black Southern strip clubs, but strip clubs all across the nation. It also made the actors more comfortable, where you weren’t naked in front of 300 extras. So, Starz was in full support of me being authentic. 

You have to present things as as they are. You have to be as realistic as possible. But of course, you don't want to go over the line and appear fortuitous, and I really think we were able to strike a good balance between authenticity and emotional safety for our performers.

Can you talk about the cast?

Katori Hall: They are all so talented. Uncle Clifford is special because Nicco (Annan) actually played Uncle Clifford in the play version of the story. He's actually has been on this ride for more than 10 years. It was interesting in our audition process, I would always say, "Oh, well, we'll open it up,” but I really felt that we already had our Uncle Clifford. 

Nicco always rose above the rest and the fact that Uncle Clifford had been in his bones for so long. I really feel as though people are going to be extremely impressed by his nuanced portrayal of this non binary, gender fluid hustler. 

In the case of a lot of these actors, I actually didn't know. They all auditioned for the roles. I looked at thousands of audition tapes. I remember seeing Brandee's and just being so impressed by the not only her dancing skills because she used to dance for not only Katy Perry and Beyonce, but she also had this amazing depth and she brought so much vulnerability to the role. Same thing for Shannon Thornton, who plays Miss Mississippi. Her scene with Uncle Clifford when she brings in her baby after being beaten, this is absolutely heartbreaking.  I remember in her audition, I was just like, “Oh my God, it was just on screen like it was a tape.” I hadn't even met her in person yet. This girl is Miss Mississippi. This is insane.

Same thing with Elarica Johnson as well as with Skylar Joy. Just being able to see these these women go through the process of fighting for the role was just truly impressive. Once they they all got on, that's actually when I started looking at what they had done. Because I try not to be impressed by people's credit. I'm like,”Can you do my work? Can you say my words?” You have to jump over that bar first, and then I'll look at your credits; but being able to articulate the Katori Hall experience was important to me first.

What's the word on the Tina Turner musical?

Katori Hall: If Trump can get rid of this Corona, we will be back. It's hard, right? The fact that Broadway has been shuttered and it has a lot to do with America's response or lack of response to this deadly virus. We're in the midst of a global pandemic. Theater is a business that runs off of people gathering in small spaces, and it is has been hurt very badly by this pandemic.

We hope that we'll be back but when we'll be back is really up in the air. There there have been conversations about us coming back in the fall. I just don't think that's possible because of the fact that right now in America, we have the highest number of coronavirus cases worldwide. We need to get a handle on that as a nation and only if we can flatten the curve and It makes sure that we put contact tracing in place. I think Broadway has to fall back when it comes to reopening the economy.We're really, really chomping at the bit to get back. The fact that this is a story about a woman who fell very far and triumph to insurmountable odds is actually reflective of the moment. Black Lives Matter, all Black lives matter, and black stories matter as well. I really feel that we’re going to fight really hard to make sure Tina comes back and in all of her glory.