Danya Taymor

Danya Taymor is an American theatre director. She won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for The Outsiders, and received a second consecutive nomination in 2025 for Best Direction of a Play for John Proctor Is the Villain.

Life and career Taymor grew up in Palo Alto, California. Her parents are doctors in Palo Alto — her father is a pediatrician and her mother is a psychiatrist. Her aunt is the acclaimed theatre and film director Julie Taymor. She attended Palo Alto High School and subsequently graduated from Duke University. The first time she auditioned was at 6, for Palo Alto Children’s Theatre.

Accepting her Tony in 2024 for directing the Broadway musical The Outsiders, Taymor acknowledged the importance of female representation in theater, calling it the "honor of a lifetime to be among this group of directors — especially the group of women directors, a record number this year." The six female nominees in that group, outnumbering four men who also received nods in the play and musical categories, ranged from prolific veteran Leigh Silverman to rising star Whitney White.

On April 14, 2025, the Taymor-directed play, John Proctor is the Villain, opened at the Booth Theatre. Performances began on March 20 and it will run through September 7. She went on to direct the play's West End production, which opened in 2026. In January 2026, Taymor was announced as the director of the upcoming film adaptation of the play.

In summer 2025, Taymor directed the American premiere of Trophy Boys, by Emmanuelle Mattana. The play began previews June 5, 2025 and ran into August 2025.

She is married to actor Gabriel Ebert.

Theatre credits

Awards and nominations