TANISHA TAITT

In addition to her role as Artistic Director of Cahoots Theatre, Tanisha is a Toronto-born, bred and based theatre director, playwright, performer, educator, sometimes essayist, accidental dramaturge, and occasional audiobook director for Penguin Random House Canada. She is a two-time YWCA Woman of Distinction nominee for her commitment to artistic excellence and social justice, who somehow survived three years as a preschool teacher in a past life. In this one, she has been twice nominated as a director for the Pauline McGibbon Award, and was a 2022 Dora Award nominee for Outstanding Direction. Tanisha’s plays Keeper and Admissions are both published by Scirocco Drama. She cites music as her first love, and the way she expresses herself most unabashedly. A singer & songsmith since her teens, Tanisha is a recipient of the Canadian Music Publishers Association Songwriters Scholarship for exceptionality in songcraft. She is part-time faculty with Sheridan’s Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program, where she teaches Acting Through Song, and George Brown Theatre School, where she teaches Contemporary Scene Study. Tanisha is the 2023 recipient of the Gina Wilkinson Prize, honouring female theatremakers who are recognized by their peers for their community-centredness and mindful leadership.