Lewis was born in 1970 in Chicago, Illinois, to an English father and Anglo-Zimbabwean mother.
[2] Returning to Australia, she completed a Masters of Directing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 2005.
[3][4] In 2006 she directed a play by New Zealand writer Matthew J. Saville about the Boer War entitled Kikia te Poa, which was performed at the Old Fitzroy Theatre in Sydney.
[5][6] She was appointed artistic director of Sydney's Griffin Theatre Company in 2012.
[7] Lewis was appointed artistic director of the Queensland Theatre Company in 2019, succeeding Sam Strong who was her predecessor at Griffin as well.