ABOUT ME

Laila is a boundary-pushing playwright and theatre-maker of Moroccan, English, and Irish heritage, dedicated to amplifying the voices of working-class and mixed-race communities. Her work blends sharp wit with raw emotional depth, drawing on folklore, feminism, and the realities of those who exist between cultures. She is particularly interested in reclaiming and reimagining narratives that have been distorted, giving space to the unheard and the misrepresented.

LAILA’S bold, unfiltered storytelling has led to collaborations with Camden People’s Theatre, Battersea Arts Centre, and The Making Space Collective, among others. Her plays include Rah (★★★★, longlisted for RSC 37 Plays), Cally (longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting), and Whispers of Tradition, an ACE-funded project exploring Irish and Moroccan folktales through a feminist lens.

Laila not only writes but also directs and produces much of her own work, carving out space for narratives that challenge perceptions and dismantle barriers in the theatre industry. She is passionate about making theatre accessible, running workshops for emerging artists from underrepresented backgrounds and ensuring working-class voices are heard on and off the stage.

For Laila, storytelling is a form of resistance—a way to open doors that are otherwise locked shut.