Layla Önlen (1978, Pelt), performer, theatre maker & director, found her calling in theater at a later age, where the feminist and activist power within her recognized a final destination. She built a career as an actress and performer in an accelerated trajectory of coaching, rehearsals, and performances. Her desire to go deeper brought her to the Theater Academy Maastricht, where she graduated in 2023 with the site-specific performance OverLeven. 

Her work, characterized as visual, aesthetic, cinematic, and touching humor, carries a palpable social and universal urgency. After her graduation, she toured through Turkey and Baghdad, where she translated previous productions, notably Houvast! Laat Los! and Gilgamesh from Dutch and performed in Turkish. Layla's work is enhanced by her fascination with materials such as textiles, ribbons, and plastic, which she employs to complement the performer and amplify her stories. She enjoys exploring the border area between different disciplines.