Tania Lieman

I am a passionate theatre maker and a multi-award-winning specialist in community arts and cultural development, disability arts, puppetry, and visual theatre, with over 35 years of experience. For the past 29 years, I have lived and worked in remote and regional Garramilla/Darwin, Northern Territory. I am deeply committed to inclusive, accessible arts development, employment, and training, delivering theatre and the arts to those who face the greatest barriers to access, including culturally diverse regional and remote communities, First Nations communities, and people with disability and neurodivergence.

A pivotal moment in my career was discovering, exploring, researching, and experimenting with sensory-based theatre methods. This has transformed my theatre-making and socially engaged community-led practice, allowing me to deliver multi-sensory and sensory inclusion to participants, audiences, and communities, bringing joy, connection, and empowerment.

My work with Darwin Community Arts as Creative Producer of Cementworx Community Theatre, along with founding Luminous Productions – an all-abilities visual theatre company – allows me to work across community arts and cultural development. I create award-winning professional theatre and extend my reach and impact to broad, diverse audiences. I am also a pioneer of training programs and strategic initiatives that prioritise access, inclusion, and disability-led practice.

I am committed to the ongoing resourcing of communities through engagement and immersion, delivering enriching multi-sensory arts experiences to the most regional, remote, and vulnerable people in the NT/Australia. These experiences meaningfully remove barriers to access and language, and are inclusive, interactive, and participatory. They foster long-lasting relationships, strategic partnerships, and sustainable career pathways for community members, emerging artists, and industry professionals.