Margaret Hall is one of the foremost emerging theater historians of her generation.

Why you should listen

Margaret Hall (she/her/hers) is an author, teacher, producer and theater historian. Hall is currently a writer for Playbill, the preeminent theater publication in the United States, as well as a professor at New York University, where she helps students orient themselves within musical theater history as members of its newest generation. She is the youngest known nominator in the history of the Drama Desk Awards. Her debut biography, Gemignani: Life and Lessons from Broadway and Beyond, explores the life of esteemed Broadway music director Paul Gemignani. Her next book, which explores the artistic relationship between Elvis Presley and the musical theater, is forthcoming.

Hall has dedicated her career to honoring the human beings at the core of the art they create. Much of her work is geared toward the general public in order to broaden discussions centered on the musical theater art form and who is welcomed into those discussions. She has received both a bachelor of fine arts in drama and a master of arts in musical theatre history from New York University. A proudly autistic woman, Hall has focused a significant part of her life to uplifting the neurodivergent community. Her special interests include musical theater, vampiric media and mid-century American pop culture.

Margaret Hall’s TED talk