About
Layla Madanat is a British director, producer, dramaturg and researcher of Jordanian and Palestinian heritage. Working across theatre, film and the social justice sector, her practice is driven by collaboration, rigorous inquiry and a belief in the power of art to reflect — and reshape — the world around us.
Her work explores the intersections of personal experience and wider political realities. She is drawn to work that centres underrepresented voices, challenges dominant narratives and invites audiences into dialogue, creating work that is both artistically ambitious and deeply human.
As a director and dramaturg, Layla has developed and led projects with artists, writers and communities across the UK and internationally. Her work spans new writing, devised theatre, documentary practices and participatory projects, often bringing together multiple perspectives and disciplines. She has built an extensive track record of developing work with writers at early, mid, and established career stages. Her process combines rigorous research with bold visual instincts and attentive leadership, guiding artists through creative processes that are precise and imaginative.
She was a finalist for the 2021 Evening Standard & TikTok Future Theatre Fund, and longlisted for the 2025 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award.
Layla has worked as an Assistant and Associate at some of the UK’s leading cultural institutions, including the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe, and the Young Vic.
Beyond theatre, Layla’s documentary mosaic/فسيفساء (co-directed with Eleanor Nawal) was selected for the BFI London Film Festival Works-in-Progress Showcase and Sheffield DocFest, and supported by multiple UK residencies. She is developing further screen projects that draw on skills honed in live performance: intimate storytelling, global perspectives and a commitment to the transformative power of storytelling.
Her producing work reflects the same ethos. An alum of Stage One’s Bridge The Gap programme, she has worked with Theatre503, The Walk Productions, Good Chance and partners across the UK and Europe, co-producing projects that unite artistic ambition with social purpose. These projects range from integrating young refugees into creative processes to delivering international, community-led public art.
Alongside her artistic roles, Layla is an active researcher with an MSc in Gender, Development and Globalisation from the LSE, focusing on migration, community wellbeing and socio-political justice. She also mentors under-represented, emerging artists through Arts Emergency.
She serves on the Boards of Trustees for the National Student Drama Festival, having previously sat on the Board for the Young Vic.
Layla builds creative processes that are generous and deeply human, and where artists can take risks. Whether intimate, epic or experimental—she is open to collaborations that expand form, challenge assumptions and fuel collective imagination.
Layla works internationally across theatre, documentary and interdisciplinary projects, and welcomes new collaborations across stage, screen and public spaces.