Who is Tanya Gerstle?
“Oh don’t make me talk about myself…” – Tanya Gerstle | “I’d love to talk about Tanya so I’m actually going to take over this question.” – Melbourne Shakespeare Company (Bridget Sweeney, Marketing)
Tanya Gerstle is one of Australia’s most exciting and visionary theatre-makers. Over the past 30 years, she’s done it all – acting, directing, dramaturgy, teaching, curating festivals and running companies.
She’s the founding Artistic Director of OpticNerve Performance Group, where she developed her own rehearsal methodology, Pulse, which takes text off the page and gives it physical, visceral life on stage. Tanya’s work is known
for its boldness, its precision and the way it demands presence from both actors and audiences.
Now, she brings that same energy and inventiveness to Othello with Melbourne Shakespeare Company. Tanya continues to push Shakespeare beyond the traditional, creating work where the language lives fully in the body. Both text and movement is fused so the story is experienced as something immediate, visceral and deeply human.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
I’d be a documentary film maker.
Who inspires you and why?
Women who have children, run a household and work full-time. Because it’s the hardest job in the world.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
Make childcare free.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
Durational cycling or walking in natural landscapes. It is a physical meditation.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
Peninsula Hot Springs. Heavenly way to spend a day.
What are you currently reading?
Time of the Child by Niall Williams.
What are you currently listening to?
Sounds of Silence by Disturbed.
Happiness is?
Working in a room with talented, generous artists.
What does the future hold for you?
Surprises!
Tanya is the Director of Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s production of Othello – which will be presented at fortyfivedownstairs from 11 – 28 September 2025. For more information, visit: www.melbourneshakespeare.com for details.
Image: Tanya Gerstle (supplied)