Tessa Leong
Artistic Director
Tessa is a theatre director, dramaturg and collaborator who has worked extensively across theatre, performance, dance theatre, live art and socially engaged projects.
She was Griffin Theatre Company’s inaugural Associate Artistic Director from 2020 until 2022 where she directed the world premieres of Merlynn Tong’s Golden Blood and Kendall Feaver’s Wherever She Wanders to great critical and audience acclaim. Tessa is also a founding member of Adelaide-based theatre company isthisyours? for which she has directed Angelique by Duncan Graham and David Williamson’s The Club (An all-female, 3 actor version) as well as directed and devised #Youwannatalkaboutit, Best We Forget, and Make Me Honest Make Me Wedding Cake.
Tessa has worked with many companies nationally and internationally as director, dramaturg, researcher and assistant director, including Contemporary Asian Australian Performance, Country Arts SA, Drop Bear Theatre, Force Majeure, Ontroerend Goed, PYT Fairfield, Restless Dance, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Sydney Theatre Company, and Vitalstatistix.
Since 2018, she has been on the board of directors at PACT: Centre for Emerging and Experimental Art. In 2018, she was also a recipient of the Seminaire en Avignon artist program at the renowned Avignon Festival. In 2017, Tessa was the Associate Artist at Belvoir and in 2014 a Griffin Studio Artist. Tessa worked as the Manager, Artist and Sector Development, at Theatre Network Australia where she delivered programs for independent artists, advocated for the wider sector, curated and delivered national gatherings and represented Australia at international forums. Tessa has been selected in Australia and internationally for multiple residency and conference programs. Recent works include: It’s Not a Potluck at Lore Residency in Canada; Swimming Pool in Kandos for Cementa Festival and; The Hole at Rising Festival 2022.
