Some great news here! Writer and director Tasnim Hossain will be joining the Melbourne Theatre Company as its resident director. Of late, we have seen more and more Asian/Asian Australians do great stuff and represent our community in the theatre scene. Productions like Top Coat, The One, Golden Blood, A Practical Guide to Self Defence etc have or are gracing the stages across Australia, and awesome peeps like Hossain and Courtney Stewart who is the artistic director of Queensland theatre company La Boîte, shows that within these long standing theatre institutions, our Asian/Asian Australian voices are becoming more visible.
Working closely with the Artistic Director and wider team, the Resident Director holds a key artistic position, actively supporting and contributing to the creative endeavours of the Company – congrats Tasnim Hossain!
In 2022 Hossain won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Direction of an Independent Production for Yellow Face (Dinosaurus Productions/KXT) and was shortlisted for the 2022 Griffin Award for her script Bombay Takeaway. Her other recent directing credits include How I Learned to Drive and -.- for Eat Me (NIDA); Rough Draft #49 – Garage Sale (STC); and the 2021 Griffin Award readings. Earlier this year she also co-adapted and dramaturged Burn Witch Burn (fervour.) and was part of Co-Curious’s ‘On the Bright Side’ supported by Netflix. As assistant director Hossain worked on Banging Denmark (STC) and The House at Boundary Road, Liverpool (Bontom).
This is what Hossain said in an interview about her new role with the Melbourne Theatre Company:
I am thrilled to be joining Melbourne Theatre Company’s artistic team under Anne-Louise’s leadership. To be working with a company with such an esteemed history and clear vision for the future excites me as an artist who is passionate about theatre’s contribution to society. I am looking forward to contributing to the Company’s support for new Australian voices, and to meeting and working with Melbourne’s vibrant artistic community.
Looking forward to seeing some great stuff coming out of Hossain and the Melbourne Theatre Company!
Image via Twitter and Melbourne Theatre Company