Leesa Gazi (; born 14 August 1969) is a Bangladeshi-born British writer, playwright, theatre director and actress based in London.
Background
Gazi's father fought during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
Career
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. 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. 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 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 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.
In May 2014, Gazi was interviewed by Nadia Ali on BBC Asian Network.
Personal life
Gazi and her husband, have two children; one born 2004 (named Sreya), the other 2006 (named Orion).