Biography

Tasnim Hossain is a director, playwright, dramaturg and screenwriter. She is the current Resident Director at Melbourne Theatre Company.

In 2023, she directed the Australian premiere of I Wanna Be Yours for Melbourne Theatre Company’s Education program. She was also assistant director on Australian musical, Bloom, and on Bernhardt/Hamlet for Melbourne Theatre Company. She worked on the development of Realish, by Wendy Mocke, as dramaturg through the company’s Cybec Electric play readings.

In 2022, Tasnim directed Sweat (VCA), How I Learned to Drive (NIDA) and co-adapted and dramaturged Burn Witch Burn (fervour.). She won the 2022 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.

In 2021, she directed -.- for Eat Me (NIDA), Rough Draft #49 – Garage Sale (STC), and the 2021 Griffin Award readings. In 2019, she was assistant director on Banging Denmark (STC) and on The House at Boundary Road, Liverpool (Bontom).

Tasnim is a co-recipient of the Create NSW-Hayes Theatre NSW Musical Theatre Fellowship with Vidya Makan, through which she is currently writing the book for a new musical, and has completed commissions for Nautanki Theatre Company and for the Q Theatre at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre. She collaborated with the composer, Corrina Bonshek, on a new Australian art song for Blush Opera’s 12 THREADS project.

Tasnim has toured solo works, Boys Light Up, Letters to John and Zak and Reefa’s Bollywood Funeral, to festivals around Australia, including Griffin Theatre’s Batch Festival in Sydney, Fringe World in Perth, You Are Here in Canberra, and Crack Theatre Festival in Newcastle.

She wrote the monologues This Is The Place for Critical Stages/Paines Plough’s Come to Where I Am series, Delivery for Playwriting Australia’s Dear Australia project and Hope and Wisdom for ABC Radio National Fictions. She has written work for young people through ATYP, Canberra Youth Theatre and Shopfront.

Tasnim was a creator, writer, and actor for Carpark Clubbing (ABC iView), which won Best in Writing at Stareable Fest and Best Ensemble at Die Seriale.

She has participated in programs such as Co-Curious’ “On the Bright Side”, supported by Netflix, as well as the inaugural NSW/ACT AFTRS Talent Camp. She has worked as a story developer with Screen Canberra on both their FilmPOD and TVPOD programs. She has also contributed to ABC Everyday, SBS Voices and ArtsHub.

Tasnim has been an Artistic Associate at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, Sydney Theatre Company – Contemporary Asian Australian Performance Directors’ Initiative participant, Griffin Theatre Company’s Studio Artist, Melbourne Theatre Company’s Women in Theatre mentee, and ATYP Resident Playwright.

She is currently part of Theatre Network Australia’s Leadershift program. She received the Women’s Agenda 2022 Emerging Leader in Arts and Entertainment Award, was a Australia Council Future Leader, and served on the board of ATYP from 2018 to 2023.