Taylor Fernandez is an emerging writer currently based on Gadigal land. From completing her studies in English and Philosophy at the University of Adelaide—alongside an illustrious stint in student theatre—Taylor learnt that she was, in fact, capable of critical thought, and that words held tremendous power.
Taylor is interested in using dark comedy to interrogate the absurdities of the human experience. She enjoys examining philosophical questions with an irreverent perspective, for she firmly believes that dirty jokes are the pinnacle of humour. Her writing explores themes of unfulfilled desire, mental illness, capitalist critique, lack of free will, the questioning of truth — and other similar hallmarks of a pessimist.
In 2022, she was awarded the Flinders University Young Playwrights’ Award by the State Theatre Company of South Australia for her first play, Artifice Factory. Her play Order Is Truly A Beautiful Thing was performed in Australian Theatre for Young People’s Intersection Festival in 2024, and published by Currency Press.
Taylor is currently studying her MFA in Dramatic Writing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where she is developing a dirty play-within-a-play, and an even dirtier conspiracy film. She hopes to write stories which encourage the less privileged to recognise the constructs that our systems are built around, and empower them to make a change. And when that fails, she will settle for a dry chuckle.