Kayla Feldman

Kayla Feldman (she/they) is a Queer, neurodivergent, Jewish, British-American writer and director. They trained on the M.A. in Theatre Directing at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Shakespeare’s Globe Directing Studio, and Directors Lab North in Toronto. In 2022, she took part in the Royal Court Theatre's NO BORDERS Artists Project, and has previously been a script reader for Hampstead Theatre, associate producer for Maiden Speech Festival, a theatre scout for Theatre503, and a literary associate for Abingdon Theatre Company in New York. Kayla has also worked as a freelance dramaturg, and from 2017-2020 was a founding co-artistic director of Snapper Theatre.

Directing for theatre includes the three-time Offie-nomianted PICKLE (Soho Theatre, 2023 and 2024; Park Theatre and tour, 2022), THE ARC (Soho Theatre, 2023), RIGHT DISHONOURABLE FRIEND (VAULT Festival, 2023), SWIMMING (White Bear Theatre, 2021; Standing Ovation Award finalist), DEAR PETER (Iris Theatre, 2020 and Tristan Bates Theatre, 2019), A-GAY (Smock Alley Theatre Dublin, 2019), WE’VE BEEN BETTE… (Theatre503, 2018) and LOBSTER (Theatre503, 2018). She recently completed her first short film, JOY.

As associate/assistant director: BAD JEWS (West End, 2022, dir. Jon Pashley), SLEEPWALKING (Hampstead Theatre, 2020, dir. Audrey Sheffield, postponed due to Covid-19), and ACCEPTANCE (Hampstead Theatre, 2018, dir. Anna Ledwich).

Kayla's upcoming credits include directing PUPPY (Kings Head Theatre) in April 2025 and as the Assistant Director on the upcoming productions of EAST IS SOUTH (Hampstead Theatre dir. Ellen McDougall). 

Writing for theatre includes PRITT STICK (Ink Festival, 2023; Haywire Theatre, 2022), CAN’T STOP WON’T STOP (Tristan Bates Theatre, 2019) and HEAR ME OUT (Camden People’s Theatre, 2019 and Tristan Bates Theatre, 2018). She is currently writing a new play, UNTAMING, under commission to Lady Eleanor Holles School under their Write The Girl initiative to combat the dearth of meaningful female parts in large-cast plays.

Her play WATCHDOG was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting and Theatre503’s International Playwriting Award, shortlisted for the RSC’s 37 Plays, a top ten finalist for the Titchfield Festival Theatre Playwriting Award, and received an honourable mention from the Jewish Plays Project Annual Contest.

Kayla is passionate about empowering the next generation of artists, and has taught and directed at several drama schools including Mountview and Identity School of Acting. They also write prose and poetry as Kayla Martell Feldman, and in 2023 published their second poetry collection, SAME STORY, with Verve Poetry Press.