Anna Coombs

Anna has worked as a theatre director at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, The New Vic, Stoke on Trent (with Peter Cheeseman), The Oxford Playhouse and The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, in London at Soho Theatre & Writer's Centre and The Red Room and across the West End for Thelma Holt CBE, Bill Kenwright Productions (Stephen Sondheim's PASSION), Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group, and at ENO with Jonathan Miller (Bizet's CARMEN).

In 2010 she was Director on Attachment at The National Theatre Studio and Resident Director at NITRO (Black Music Theatre), returning to The NT in 2011 to direct Koa Oduor Anthony’s play MAKMENDE VIES FOR PRESIDENT in English, Swahili and Sheng for The National Theatre African Playwriting Project.

She founded Tangle whilst based at Hall for Cornwall, Truro where her directing credits included HIGHFLIERS by Henry Darke,  BLOOD by Victoria Field, RESPONSES (new plays) and NEVER SAY RABBIT IN A BOAT by the late Nick Darke, the first UK revival of his inaugural play and a tribute to her long-time friend and collaborator.

In 2008 she directed Christopher Marlowe’s THE JEW OF MALTA with an international cast, which, along with Tangle’s opening production EVERYMAN, won the TMA Eclipse Award in 2010. Other credits include PEER GYNT, CYRANO DE BERGERAC (with Ranjit Bolt) and BACKSLIDER by Shiona Morton (Ustinov, Theatre Royal Bath with Richard Madden).

For Tangle, she has commissioned over 30 writers and composers. She directed a collection of six new plays, A DROP TO DRINK  at Soho Theatre London in partnership with The National Theatre Studio (2011), VANHU VESE (performed in English, Shona, siSwati and Kinyarwanda) co- produced with The Africa Centre and Rich Mix, Esther O’Toole’s THE CROSSING co-produced with Nottingham Playhouse and Theatre 503 in English and Twi (2012) and Cont Mhlanga’s WORKSHOP NEGATIVE at Gate Theatre Notting Hill, performed in English, Ndebele and Shona (2016). Most recently, she adapted and directed Marlowe’s DOCTOR FAUSTUS in English, Shona and Zulu (2018), and Ben Jonson’s VOLPONE (2020) in English and Shona, both of which played to sell out houses.

For Tangle Company, the company’s sans-decor township ensemble, she directed and adapted NO ONE IS AN ISLAND (2017) and WATER BREAD AND SALT (2018); commissioned and directed DREAM NATION (2013), STEERING THROUGH STARS (2015) and TOWARDS THE SUN (2016).

Anna is also a freelance creative consultant and race equality strategist. She is a Research Associate (African Theatre) at SOAS, London University and a panellist for Yinka Shonibare CBE (RA)’s Guest Projects.