Maja Milatović-Ovadia is a freelance theatre director and lecturer. Originally from former Yugoslavia, she directed over thirty productions for the principal national theatres of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Slovenia as well as for various theatre companies in the UK. Her work has covered a broad range of genres, including contemporary plays, devised work, classical play adaptations as well as experimental opera and multi-media performances.

She studied Theatre and Radio Directing at the University of Belgrade (BA), obtained MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from Royal School of Speech and Drama and further trained at the National Theatre Studio in London and Directors Lab West in Los Angeles.

Currently, her practice-research PhD is developing a new directorial strategy based on using comedy and collaborative theatre making, in order to support the post-war reconciliation processes. It is grounded in her innovative practice in Northern Bosnia and researches the intersections between theatre, comedy and peacebuilding studies.

From 2009 she also works as advisor and theatre director for Most Mira NGO that is using art to support the process of peace building in post war Bosnia and Hercegovina. Previously, she was associate director of NADA (New Writing Project) at the National Theatre in Belgrade and associate director at Blue Elephant Theatre in London for the Balkan Art Season.

She is a recipient of Glynne Wickham Scholarship (2018), Board of Governors Bursary Award (RCSSD 2018), A.G. Leventis Foundation scholarship (2007) and a Hugo Klajn award (FDU, University of Belgrade).