Milli is an award winning stage and screen director, and dramaturg from East London.
She is an Associate Artist at Synergy, Creative Advisor at Brixton House and panellist for The Women's Prize for Playwriting. She was Associate Director at The Royal Court Theatre until December 2023.
Before this, she was Trainee Director and then Literary Associate at The Royal Court, Associate Artist at The Bush Theatre, Resident Assistant Director at Birmingham Rep and Creative Associate at The Gate Theatre. Her training includes The National Theatre Director's Programme, and The Old Vic 12.
She is a two-time Olivier Award nominee, for her productions of seven methods of killing kylie jenner and Blue Mist, both premiered at The Royal Court Theatre. Her other work has been nominated for Visionary Arts Awards, Off West End Awards, EE Actas and Asian Media Awards, and her work has both received West End and international transfers. She was photographed by Rankin as part of the 'Performance' series, and an interview about her practice was published as one of 24 in 'Conversations With Women Theatre Directors' by Rosemary Waugh'.
Her work as Director includes:
THEATRE
seven methods of killing kylie jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones (Royal Court Theatre)
premiered at Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
*transferred to Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
Film adaptation produced by Royal Court/Tea Films
*transferred (US TOUR) Public Theater New York and Woolly Mammoth Washington DC
*Olivier Award nomination, Evening Standard Award winner
seven methods of killing kylie jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones (Riksteatern, Swedish language production, Swedish National Theatre, National tour)
*Selected to return for the Biennale. Dramaten, Stockholm
Blue Mist by Mohamed-Zain Dada (Royal Court Theatre)
*Olivier Award nomination, ACTA nomination 'Best Director', winner of the AMA for Best Stage Production
Liberation Squares by Sonali Bhattacharyya (Nottingham Playhouse/Brixton House/National tour)
*Off West End Award nomination 'Best Director'
King Troll (The Fawn) by Sonali Bhattacharyya (New Diorama) *Nominated for three Off West End Awards 'Staging', 'Lighting Design' and 'Sound Design'
Chasing Hares by Sonali Bhattacharyya (Young Vic)
*Winner of The Sonia Friedman Production Award, winner of the Theatre Uncut Political Award, nominated for the AMA for Best Stage Production
Maryland by Lucy Kirkwood (co directed with Vicky Featherstone and Lucy Morrison, Royal Court Theatre/South Bank Centre)
*Nominated for a Visionary Arts Award
My White Best Friend and other letters left unsaid (Bunker Theatre 2018/2019, *transfer to Royal Court Theatre 2020
Baghdaddy by Jasmine Naziha Jones (Royal Court Theatre)
Macbeth: Bloody Instructions, adapted by Eleanor Tindall. (Tour/Donmar Warehouse)
Dismantle This Room by Nina Segal (Bush Theatre 2018
*transfer to Royal Court Theatre 2019
Half Full by Yasmin Joseph (Royal Court/RWCMD)
This Liquid Earth by Amy Jephta (Royal Court/Edinburgh International Festival)
I'm tired of waiting, someone pass me the duct tape by Travis Alabanza (Stratford East)
The Hijabi Monologues (Bush Theatre)
FILM
Aunty Ji by Mohamed-Zain Dada (in post production. Pinctada Productions)
HomeBODY by Jasmine Lee-Jones (short film - Young Vic)
Yash Gill's Power Half Hour by Nikesh Shukla (short film featuring Sacha Dhawan)
Living Newspaper, a series of short films by writers including Zia Ahmed, Mohamed-Zain Dada, Maya Zbib and Suhaiymah Manzoor Khan (Royal Court)
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl (The Roald Dahl Story Company)
RADIO
Ghosts In The Blood by Joel Tan (Audible).
As an Assistant and Associate Director, she has worked across productions at theatres including Hampstead Theatre, The Royal Court, Manchester International Festival, The Globe and The Gate.
Milli has extensive experience in new writing and dramaturgy. She was Literary Associate at The Royal Court for two years, and has read for several theatres including The Bush, The Royal Court and Birmingham Rep. She now works alongside her directing career as a freelance dramaturg.
She has facilited playwriting workshops and courses, and has developed and directed plays internationally with theatres including Santiago A Mil (Chile), The Public Theater (NYC), Ajoka Theatre (Pakistan) and Riksteatern (Sweden). She has comprehensive experience working with young and vulnerable people, with organisations such as refuges Leeway and NAWP/London Black Women's Project, The Young Vic, Thames Reach, Bush Theatre, The Royal Court, Hackney Empire, Stratford East, Birmingham Rep, The National Youth Theatre, LAMDA, Mountview and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
Aunty Ji by Mohamed-Zain Dada
watch seven methods of killing kylie jenner by Jasmine Lee-Jones here
watch the trailer for seven methods of killing kylie jenner here
photo by Mathushaa Sagthidas
"Director Milli Bhatia has earned a reputation for staging thrilling productions of bold new plays...these shows have made Bhatia one of the most exciting young directors around."
The Crush Bar
"Exciting young director Milli Bhatia... Her productions are fuelled by the rapidity with which conversation is spat out and scenes scud into each other."
The Observer
"one of London's most exciting directors"
The Evening Standard