Would you rather (0:00), Voice memos, human connection in our digital world, and how hearing someone’s voice changes everything (2:02), magic of voice in theater, storytelling, and character work (8:00), motherhood, identity, and redefining creativity, plus the freedom and empowerment that comes with midlife rebirth (13:30). In 2002, Tanya received the highest scholarship ever awarded to the Actors Studio Drama School in New York, where she completed a year of a Master of Fine Arts. Her numerous acting credits for theatre include The Ballad of Reading Gaol for Devil’s Own Theatre, When Dad Married Fury for Hit Productions, A Single Act for Melbourne Theatre Company, Lady Grey (In Ever-Lower Light) for Inscription in association with Griffin Theatre Company and Melbourne Theatre Company, Twelfth Night and Triple Acorn for Essential Theatre, The Big Knife and The Male Animal for Actors Studio Drama School, New York and A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Australian Shakespeare Company. Directing credits include the Australian premiere of Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke – which she also produced for White Horse Collective, and a Directorial Attachment on Thom Pain (based on nothing) for Melbourne Theatre Company. Tanya’s TV and feature film acting credits include The Doctor Blake Mysteries, House Husbands, Offspring, Underbelly, Conspiracy 365, Australia on Trial, Rush, Satisfaction, Waiting at the Royal, Some Happy Day and Good Guys Bad Guys. In addition to her career in the arts, Tanya is also a highly experienced Family Violence practitioner and a skilled Social Worker with over 15 years’ experience in service delivery in government and non-government organisations. She has worked with clients experiencing extreme crisis including homelessness, mental health, alcohol and other drugs and family violence. Her work experience includes front line work with victims and perpetrators of family violence and complex policy development. Her most recent role was Senior Policy Officer for the Victorian Governments’ portfolio for Engaging Men and Boys in Prevention of Family Violence – Family Safety Victoria. Unhinged – a one woman play (soon to be web series) Unhinged transforms the theatre/screen into a modern-day confessional. Coming to terms with a lifetime of objectification, our protagonist, She, confronts the audience with the realities of online dating to seek understanding and salvation. Unhinged pushes audiences to interrogate and question what they think they know about women, sex, online dating, and violence. The stakes at the heart of the piece relate directly to the fear of seeking connection within a hostile environment. An environment where women fear for their safety, where women over 40 are viewed as grumpy, frumpy, unfuckable, senile - or merely ignored. The themes in Unhinged reflect my sometimes-volatile relationship with my body and sex, which is complex. I’ve always had a deep fascination with what drives desire, and what in essence makes love and lust such powerful, universal motivators of behaviour. As I entered middle age, I was forced to recalibrate my relationship to my body and find ways to celebrate its sometimes-traumatic history. My own personal experience of embarking into the online dating world in my late 40’s was both revelatory and frightening, hilarious and saddening in equal measure. The interactions that followed were sometimes incredibly dull – and other times highly dramatic – so I began to take note of them. Unhinged was born out of my own desire to create a daring piece to perform. As a 50-year-old arts’ professional, I have spent many years languishing in a string of creatively barren workplaces, longing for a project or an opportunity to flex and invigorate my artistic muscle. The current climate of theatre/screen in Australia (and worldwide) lacks representation of women my age. It is well understood that women are rarely the protagonists and women over 50 even less so. However, I am motivated by the belief that there is a strong appetite for the voices of older women, specifically unconventional and disruptive portrayals of women.