Actors Touring Company (ATC), the UK’s leading producers of international plays, has announced the appointment of Sara Aniqah Malik as Associate Director for 2025/26. Sara will take up the position from 8 December 2026.
As Associate Director, Sara will work closely with Artistic Director and CEO Matthew Xia, supporting the development and touring of new ATC projects, including the forthcoming tour of Small Island, which opens at Leeds Playhouse in March 2026.
The Associate Director programme is a 12-month position designed to provide greater opportunities to those who have encountered barriers to employment within the sector. Previous Associate Directors include Ameera Conrad and Dubheasa Lanipekun.
Sara is a Theatre and Film Director making work with a political drive. Most recently, she was Associate Director on the West End transfer of Just For One Day at the Shaftesbury Theatre. She held the position of Resident Assistant Director at the Donmar Warehouse from 2020 to 2022 and is an Associate Artist at the Watermill Theatre.
Her Associate Director credits include Tammy Faye: The Musical (Almeida and Broadway), Just For One Day (The Old Vic & Toronto), Why Am I So Single? (Garrick Theatre), and The 47th (The Old Vic). As a Director, her work includes Sydnie Christmas: Live in London (Adelphi Theatre), Start Project (Lyric Theatre), and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (ArtsEd).
Sara Aniqah Malik said:
“I am thrilled to join Actor’s Touring Company under the inspiring leadership of Matthew Xia. ATC’s core values resonate deeply with me; the commitment to fostering cross-cultural dialogue, amplifying international voices, and responding to the world around us with honesty and integrity. I have long sought a role that unites the political and the creative, and I am grateful to have found that opportunity here.”
Matthew Xia added:
“I’m delighted to welcome Sara as ATC’s new Associate Director, she is exactly the kind of emerging leader this programme was built for. Her ambition, sharp creative instincts and commitment to sharing cross-cultural stories align powerfully with our mission.”
ATC is one of the only British theatre companies dedicated to producing international plays and presenting them throughout the UK. Recent work includes Tambo & Bones (2024), The Architect (2023), and Family Tree (2023). Next year, ATC will bring Andrea Levy’s multi award-winning novel Small Island to audiences outside London for the first time.
More information can be found here.
