Nadia Tass is an Australian theatre director and film director and producer. She is known for the films Malcolm (1986) and The Big Steal (1990), as well as an extensive body of work in the theatre, both in Australia and internationally.
Nadia Tass | |
|---|---|
| Born | Nadia Tassopoulos |
| Occupation(s) | Director, producer |
| Years active | 1986–present |
Early life and education
editTass was born in Florina, Macedonia, northern Greece before moving to live permanently in Australia. Her original surname is Tassopoulos.[1]
Career
editFilm
editSince 1986 she has directed many feature films including the highly-regarded Malcolm and The Big Steal. Other feature works include Rikky and Pete, Mr Reliable, Amy, Matching Jack, Fatal Honeymoon, and Oleg.
She has also directed films and television movies in America. Her first and, to date, only feature film in the US was Pure Luck starring Danny Glover and Martin Short.
Theatre
editTass has an extensive history of theatre direction with a diverse range of works. She has directed improvised theatre, classic plays, contemporary pieces and musical theatre. Early works include productions of The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth, numerous plays by Euripides including Medea, and by Aristophanes including Lysistrata, Chekhov's The Birds, Three Sisters, and Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca.
In later work, Tass directed This Effing Lady by Maureen Sherlock at the Brunswick Ballroom (2021) and Wicked Sisters by Alma De Groen for Griffin Theatre in Sydney (2020).
In 2019, she directed Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Heather McDonald, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, for Signature Theatre in the Washington, D.C., area.[2][3][4]
Also in 2019, she directed Fern Hill, by Michael Tucker, at 59E59 Theaters in New York City.[citation needed]
In 2018 Tass directed David Williamson's Sorting Out Rachel for Sydney's Ensemble Theatre, followed by Marisa Smith's Sex and Other Disturbances for Portland Stage in Maine, USA; Fern Hill by Michael Tucker for New Jersey Rep;[citation needed] Ear to the Edge of Time by Alana Valentine at The Seymour Centre in Sydney.[5]
In 2016, Tass directed the Ensemble Theatre production of Jane Cafarella's e-baby.[6] It was the Sydney premiere of the play.[7] Tass described the work as "a play for today – the advances in medicine create a new world that allows new possibilities – in e-baby we enter that world and explore the raw truth, the unbridled joy and the paradox of surrogacy through a carefully woven story of love, generosity and a newborn child."[8]
In 2016 Tass directed Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar for the Melbourne Theatre Company (MTC), Extinction by Hannie Rayson for Red Stitch/GPAC, The Book Club for AKA in London and Melbourne, and Uncle Vanya by Chekhov (adapted by Annie Baker) for Red Stitch.
Tass' 2002 production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe toured Australia and garnered her a Helpmann Award nomination for Best Director of a Musical.
Other roles
editTass has presented masterclasses around the world. She regularly lectures at the Victorian College of the Arts (Melbourne), and at Deakin University, where she is an adjunct professor. Tass continues to mentor young directors and actors from various educational institutions.
She has been a member of the board of the Australian Directors' Guild, and is a member of several professional associations, including the Directors Guild of America; the Screen Producers Association of Australia; the Australian Film Institute; and the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.
Tass has been appointed to the juries of many film festival juries, including:
- Hawaii International Film Festival – for judging of main awards 1988
- St Tropez Film Festival – Head of jury 2008
- Asian Festival of First Films – 2008[9]
- Pune International Film Festival – Head of jury 2012
- Directors Guild of America (DGA) – Documentary jury 2021
- Cinefest Oz – Head of jury 2021
- Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) – International chapter juror annually
Honours and recognition
editTass' films have earned over 70 international awards and 23 Australian Film Institute (AFI) nominations, while garnering nine wins including Best Film and Best Director.[when?] Her films that have awards and nominations include, most notably, Malcolm (1986); Amy (1997); The Miracle Worker (2000); and Matching Jack (2011).
In theatre, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2003) earned a nomination for Best Direction of a Musical in the Helpmann Awards.
She has also been honoured with several personal awards, including:
- Film Victoria Screen Leader Award for Outstanding Leadership, Achievement and Service to the Screen Industry (2014)
- Byron Kennedy Award for pursuit of excellence (1986)
- Australian Hellenic Award for Excellence (1987)
- Hellenic Award for the Arts (1999)
Tass has had the breadth of her film work presented internationally as retrospective events, including:
- American Cinematheque, Los Angeles USA (2012)
- New Delhi, India (1997)
- Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa (1994)
- Moscow Film Festival, Russia (1990)
Filmography
editThis list includes films directed by Tass.
- Feature films
- Malcolm (1986)
- Rikky and Pete (1988)
- The Big Steal (1990)
- Pure Luck (1991)
- Stark (1993) (feature cut)
- Mr. Reliable (1996)
- Amy (1997)
- Samantha: An American Girl Holiday (2004)
- Felicity: An American Girl Adventure (2005)
- Matching Jack (2010)
- Fatal Honeymoon (2012)
- Lea to the Rescue (2016)
- Oleg (2021)
- Films for television
- The Miracle Worker (2000)
- Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story (2001)
- Undercover Christmas (2003)
- Custody (2007)
- Other
- Stark (TV miniseries 1993)
- Isolation Restaurant (short film, 2020)
Theatre
editOther theatrical productions by Tass include:
- This Effing Lady by Maureen Sherlock (2021) AKA, Brunswick Ballroom[10]
- Wicked Sisters by Alma De Groen (2020) Griffin Theatre Company[11]
- Fern Hill by Michael Tucker (2019) 59E59 Theaters[12]
- Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Heather McDonald (2019) Signature Theatre[13]
- Ear To The Edge Of Time by Alana Valentine (2018)[14]
- Fern Hill by Michael Tucker (2018) NJ Rep Company[15]
- Sex and Other Disturbances by Marisa Smith (2018) Portland Stage[16]
- Sorting Out Rachel by David Williamson (2018) Ensemble Theatre[17]
- Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Annie Baker (2016) Red Stitch Actors Theatre [18]
- e-Baby by Jane Cafarella (2016) Ensemble Theatre[19]
- Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar (2016) Melbourne Theatre Company[20]
- Extinction by Hannie Rayson (2016) GPAC, Red Stitch Actors Theatre[21]
- The Book Club by Roger Hall (2016) AKA, Melbourne & London productions[22]
- The Flick by Annie Baker (2014) Red Stitch Actors Theatre[23]
- The Other Place by Sharr White (2013) Melbourne Theatre Company[24]
- Promises, Promises by Neil Simon (2012) The Production Company[25]
References
edit- ^ The multiprize greek directorand great representative of the 7th art worldwide ellines com
- ^ DC Metro review
- ^ MD Theatre Guide review
- ^ Talkin' Broadway review
- ^ Arts Hub review
- ^ Blake, Jason (20 October 2016). "E-Baby review: Gestational clock ticks on tale of ethical complexity". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ^ Sebag-Montefiore, Clarissa (27 October 2016). "E-baby review – an endearing but haphazard romp into the complex world of surrogacy". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ^ Tass, Nadia (2016). "Director's Note". In Ensemble Theatre (ed.). Ensemble Theatre Program (13 October 2016 – 13 November 2016): e-baby by Jane Cafarella (PDF). Ensemble Theatre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ^ "First-time filmmakers in Singapore movie fest". Philstar. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
- ^ "This Effing Lady, Starring Amanda Muggleton". www.akaaustralia.com.au. Andrew Kay and Associates.
- ^ "Wicked Sisters". Griffin Theatre Company.
- ^ "Fern Hill". 59e59.org.
- ^ "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity". Signature Theatre.
- ^ "Ear to the Edge of Time". Sport for Jove Theatre Co. 2018.
- ^ "Fern Hill – August 9 – September 9, 2018". www.njrep.org. New Jersey Repertory Company: Year-Round Professional Theater on the Jersey Shore. 2018.
- ^ "Sex and Other Disturbances by Marisa Smith". Portland Stage. 2018.
- ^ "David Williamson's "Sorting Out Rachel"". Ensemble Theatre. 2018.
- ^ ""Uncle Vanya" by Anton Checkov". Red Stitch Actors' Theatre. 2016.
Directed by Nadia Tass; a new translation by Annie Baker
- ^ "e-baby". Ensemble Theatre. 2016.
- ^ Melbourne Theatre Company (28 July 2016). ""Disgraced" by Ayad Akhtar at MTC". www.mtc.com.au (Press release).
- ^ Link to Extinction
- ^ Link to The Book Club
- ^ Link to The Flick
- ^ Link to The Other Place
- ^ Link to Promises, Promises
Further reading
edit- McFarlane, Brian (September 2010). "Comedy, Tragedy, Life: An interview with Nadia Tass and David Parker" (PDF). Metro Magazine. No. 166. Australian Teachers of Media Inc. (ATOM). pp. 16–21. ISSN 0312-2654. "Australia's oldest film and media periodical." (1964). Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 17 February 2022.