Tanya is a theatre director, performance maker and teaching artist. She is the founding Artistic Director of OpticNerve Performance Group (nominated for six Green Room Awards) and her body of work includes directing texts by Barker, Barton, Churchill, Kushner, Wertenbaker, Brecht, Chekhov, Lorca, Shakespeare and adaptations to the stage from radio, film and literature.

Tanya was Head of Acting (2007-2012) and Head of Theatre (2010-2012) at the VCA, University of Melbourne and has been a visiting teaching artist at Penn State University, USA, the University of York, UK, the University of Caen, France and an international consultant for a UK research project investigating global actor training practices. Tanya is a Doctor of Visual and Performing Arts and most recently completed a book on her training and rehearsal process, entitled The Pulse Approach – Physical Improvisation for Theatre Makers and Directors, to be published by Bloomsbury and out in January 2026.