Tea Alagic


Tea Alagic is a Bosnian-American stage director and creator of devised theater. Her best-known productions include the premiere of The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney, the U.S premieres of plays by Austrian playwright and Nobel Laureate, Elfriede Jelinek and the revival of Passing Strange by Stew and Heidi Rodewald.

Biography

Early life

Alagic was born in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in 1972. She made her acting debut at 14 at the Mostar Youth Theatre, where she performed until she left the city in 1992 because of the Bosnian War.
For the next five years, Alagic lived in Munich, Germany and Prague, Czech Republic. She attended Charles University Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and obtained her BFA in Acting in 1997.

Acting career

After graduating, she began a career as an actor and a creator of devised work, working across Europe and North America. During this time, she worked with leading avant-garde theatre directors: Ariane Mnouchkine, Simon McBurney, Robert Lepage and Richard Foreman.
From 1998 to 2001, Alagic worked as a co-creator and performer in Ex-Machina's Geometry of Miracles, directed by Robert Lepage, a performance piece based on the life and work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Alagic performed in the full world tour.
Alagic moved in 2003 to New York City, where she performed in Richard Foreman's Panic with the Ontological-Hysteric Theater. She performed in the international tour of Panic, which was presented at festivals in Vienna and Zurich.

Directing career

In New York City, Alagic also worked as a director and deviser, creating ensemble and solo shows, including The Filament Cycle, One Day in Moscow, and Men Have Called Me Mad.
Alagic was accepted to Directing program at Yale Drama School in 2004, and obtained her MFA in Directing in 2007. While at Yale, Alagic collaborated with Tarell Alvin McCraney, Amy Herzog, Lauren Feldman, Dorothy Fortenberry, Gonzalo Rodriguez Risco, Jennifer Tuckett, Matt Moses and Mattie Brickman. In 2006, for her final thesis project, Alagic wrote and directed the play Zero Hour, based on her personal experience in the Bosnian War.
Alagic collaborated with Daniel Alexander Jones on his play Book of Daniel in Austin, Texas.
In 2006, Alagic returned to New York City with the world premiere of The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney. She directed the New York premiere at the Public Theatre's Under the Radar Festival in 2007, which was followed by a full production at the Public. "The Brothers Size" was nominated for Best Play at The Lucille Lortel Award in 2008. She has directed productions of Brothers Size at the Old Globe, the Studio Theatre, the Abbey Theatre, and the Actor's Theatre of Louisville.
In 2013, Alagic directed the North American premiere of Jackie by the Nobel Laureate, Elfriede Jelinek. The show was nominated for The Lucile Lortel Award for the Best Solo Show and Best Sound Design. Alagic and Jelinek continue to collaborate. Alagic is currently the only director to stage Jelinek's works in the United States.
She currently teaches theater directing at The New School for Drama in New York where she serves as Department Head of Directing.

Personal life

Tea Alagic lives in NYC and she is married to photographer Slaven Vlasic. They have a child.

Work

Directing credits