With 25+ years of professional experience working in theatre-in-education and 20 years working to dramatically interpret Muslim literature from across the globe as an acclaimed storytelling theatre artist, Eleanor is a leader in her field. Prior to co-founding Khayaal, Eleanor worked as an actor in theatre and popular television drama series.

As Associate Director of Khayaal leading on education, training and talent development, she currently runs drama academies for Muslim children in Luton, SW London and Cambridge.

Luqman initially trained for over a decade in the Islamic sciences and Muslim cultures, languages (Arabic, Persian and Urdu) and literature before co-founding Khayaal.

He has served as the director and chief conceptualist of the company since its inception in 1997 using his knowledge to anchor Khayaal in the philosophy and ethos of centuries old traditions of Muslim theatre and the dream of virtue discourse in Muslim storytelling pedagogy.

As Associate Director of Khayaal leading on education, training and talent development, she currently runs drama academies for Muslim children in Luton, SW London and Cambridge.

Maariyah Sharjil is an accomplished theatre designer with a focus on costume and performance design. A graduate with first-class honours in BA Design for Performance from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (2021), Maariyah brings both creativity and technical skill to her work across the UK’s most respected theatres.

Her recent credits include Costume Designer for Asmahan and Dalida at the Peacock Theatre, Little Brother at Jermyn Street Theatre, and The Key Workers’ Cycle at the Almeida. She was the designer for Fy Enw i yw Rachel Corrie at Theatr Cymru, Vitamin D at Soho Theatre, and Duck at the Arcola. Her experience also includes working with leading institutions such as the National Theatre (A Tupperware of Ashes, The Father and the Assassin), the RSC (The Empress), and Shakespeare’s Globe (Hakawatis, As You Like It).

Before training as a designer, Maariyah honed her craft as a costume constructor at the renowned Sands Films. Her background in construction and research includes work on the acclaimed production Life of Pi at the American Repertory Theater.

With a passion for storytelling through visual design and a deep understanding of theatrical form, Maariyah is excited to bring her knowledge and experience to the young artists at Khayaal Drama Academy with Camp ONEder

Haleema is a multidisciplinary designer and ceramic artist with over 13 years’ experience across interiors, theatre, furniture design, and education. Her ceramic work explores clay as a powerful medium for mindfulness, grounding, and emotional expression.

She brings professional level pottery wheel expertise, hand-building techniques, and ceramic design knowledge all adapted to make clay accessible and therapeutic for people of all abilities.

Haleema’s philosophy: Clay doesn’t judge. It doesn’t require words. It just invites you to be present with your hands and let everything else fall away.

Nayab brings over 15 years of experience mentoring professionals across industries, delivering talks and workshops at global platforms including Pinnacle and ProductTank London. She’s also a trained energy healer and growth mindset coach.

She founded Mittika after watching burnout devastate the professionals she mentored and realising that traditional talk-based wellbeing approaches weren’t reaching people. Clay offered a different path: embodied, tactile, non-verbal healing.

Nayab’s role: Understanding what groups need emotionally, adapting sessions for wellbeing outcomes, and ensuring every participant feels psychologically safe to explore clay at their own pace.

Saif Rahman MRSC  (Member of Royal Society of Chemistry) is our principle Scientist that will be expertly demonstrating the science experiments. He has an MSc in Bioanalytical Chemistry and has worked in Science education for over 15 years. He has brought Science fun to children aged 4 to 11 years old, through Science parties, workshops, school demonstrations, holiday camps, roadshows, fairs, community clubs, both in the UK and abroad. He has worked in primary and secondary school settings, as well as tutoring GCSE, A Level and University level students.

Farida Rahman designs the experiments and overall experience for the children. Her creative style connects Science to the arts, culture, history, technology, food and the world around us. She will be assisting Saif in the activities during the Camp.  She has an MEng in Biochemical Engineering, experience in Public Health and is mum to an 8 year old.

Sarah is a Level 2 certified Patisserie chef. With over ten years of running her own baking business, providing cakes and desserts for all occasions. She also ran baking classes for children from 4-16 years old. Through savoury to sweet goodies, she taught children how to gain confidence in the kitchen, opening their eyes to new ingredients and developing their appreciation for different methods of cooking. She can’t wait to get back into the kitchen with your children and create some magic.

Shelina is an award-winning author, who writes non-fiction for adults as well as children. Her memoir Love in a Headscarf has been translated into 14 languages. Her book BeYOUtiful was shortlisted for the SLA Information book awards and addresses what beauty, confidence and selfexpression mean for girls in a looks obsessed world. Her most recent book “Story of Now: Let’s Talk About the British Empire” was nominated for the prestigious Carnegie Medal and was selected as an Observer newspaper Children’s Book of the Year. Shelina works in the advertising industry, as well as writing op-ed for newspapers and she is also a podcaster.

Mariam brings a wealth of experience, energy, and passion to every session she leads. She is a FA Level 2 certified football coach and a qualified Boxercise instructor, with a strong focus on promoting physical fitness and confidence—especially among women and girls. However, she is experienced working with both boys and girls and as such she supports us with our sports offerings across the board.

From 2016 to 2018, she served as Head of Ladies Sports within her local community, and continues to lead as Head of Ladies and Girls Football, where she has played a key role in expanding opportunities for female athletes in the community. Her leadership also extended to the national stage as a Team Lead for volunteers at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, reflecting her commitment to the development of women’s sports at all levels.