Leesa Gazi

Leesa Gazi (লিসা গাজী; born 14 August 1969) is a Bangladeshi-born British writer, playwright, theatre director and actress based in London.

Gazi's father fought during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Gazi is the co-founder of theatre and arts company, Komola Collective.

She was the script-writer and performer of Six Seasons and Tahmima Anam's A Golden Age at the Southbank Centre.

Her theatrical credits include: Birangona: Women of War, Sonata, Rokey's Dream, Demon's Revenge, Ponderful People, and Bonbibi.

Gazi and her husband, have two children; one born 2004 (named Sreya), the other 2006 (named Orion).

Sonata, adapted and performed by Gazi, was invited to Bangladesh in 2010 by the British Council.

She performed in a serialised adaptation of A Golden Age.

She worked as the cultural coordinator and as a voice artist for Akram Khan's Desh.

In 2010, her first novel Rourob was published.

Gazi was awarded the Grants for the Arts by the ACE for the Birangona: Women of War theatre project by Komola Collective.

She is the concept developer, co-writer and the performer of this theatre production.

She also wrote the script for Bonbibi: Lady of the Forest in 2012.

She performed in People's Romeo, which had an eight-week nationwide tour with Tara Arts.

In 2012, she worked as a script interpreter Globe to Globe Festival at the Globe Theatre on The Tempest.

She acted on a play about domestic violence called Whisper Me Happy Ever After.

She works for Train4change as an actor as well, and worked on a project with them on a film for the charity WaterAid.

Between May and August 2014, she worked as an actor in a series of BBC Educational Films.

Gazi hosts Aei Jonopode, a weekly live-phone-in show on Bangla TV.

In May 2014, Gazi was interviewed by Nadia Ali on BBC Asian Network.