Ta-Nia (USA)

Talia Paulette Oliveras and Nia Farrell (collectively, “Ta-Nia”) are a duo dedicated to challenging the boundaries of theatre to create liberatory Blk spaces. Known for their poetic characters, playful worlds, and embodied rituals, Ta-Nia invites the audience to engage in a (re)imagination of our contemporary world and offers practices for actualizing near futures. 

After winning Berlin Theatertreffen’s Stückemarkt competition in 2021, Ta-Nia was awarded a commission from Schauspiel Dortmund. In 2023, they presented the world premiere of a grief ritual titled Ewigkeit, Ende und alles, was niemals begann (“Eternity, The End, and Everything That Never Began”). 

They’ve also created and developed work in Germany at Hessisches Landestheater Marburg (Artists in Residence 2022-2023; Tactics for the Future) and most recently premiered a somatic ritual titled (What You’ll Find) On the Way To Becoming at Schauspielhaus Zürich in Switzerland. In New York, Ta-Nia has collaborated and developed work at Mercury Store, The Playwrights Realm, Soho Rep (Writer Director Lab; A Map to Nowhere Things Are), and Ars Nova (ANT Fest; Dreams in Blk Major). 

As creators and collaborators, Ta-Nia focuses on developing new work that foregrounds identity, collectivity, and celebrations of dreams. They studied experimental and collaborative theatrical forms at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where they both graduated with a BFA in Drama. During their studies, they participated in the MLK Scholars program and graduated with honors.