OUR TEAM

 Co- Founder & Programs Director 

Alena has completed her post-grad studies in Media and Communication from the University of Westminster, London (2005) and also trained at Central Saint Martins, London in Film making (2005).

Alena Peerzada is the Director of Programs and Operations at Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop since 2006.

Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop has hosted and curated over 80 local and international festivals including The World Performing Arts Festival, The International Folk Puppet Festival, The Youth Performing Arts Festival, The International Mystic Music Sufi Festival, The International Film Festival and the Saanjh Amritsar Lahore Peace Festival. 

Alena has been very passionate about her work for children and university students she launched the very first Youth Performing Arts Festival in Lahore which not only gave a platform to the youth to showcase their talent but also gave them appreciation through awards and professional contracts enabling them to presume a career in the field of arts. She was also an integral part of the sesame street co-production Sim Sim Hamara Pakistan. Alena launched Rafi Peer Global Entertainment, one of Pakistan’s largest artist management companies aiming to promote cultural artists and legends of Pakistan through festivals, tours and cultural exchange, she has travelled and collaborated with many festivals globally. 

She is the Co-founder of The Creative Academy which focuses on creative learning through a digital platform. 

 Co-Founder & Creative Director 

Yamina Peerzada is an Actress, Puppeteer and Puppet Designer from Pakistan. She graduated with a Master’s degree in Acting for Screen from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London. She is one of the only established female puppeteers of Pakistan, having worked in France, Italy, Denmark, India, Turkey, Norway, the United Kingdom and Pakistan. She also manipulated and voiced Rani, the protagonist puppet character, in ‘Sim Sim Hamara’, a Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop and Sesame Workshop collaboration.

She is an Artistic Director at Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop since 2012 and a co-founder of The Creative Academy, which focuses on creative learning through a digital platform. She is also part of the visiting faculty at the National Academy of Performing Arts, Karachi where she teaches Acting for Screen. 

She has done five Drama Series aired on PTV Home, ARY Digital, TV One, Aplus and Geo Entertainment in Pakistan. Yamina was awarded Best Actress (TV - Terrestrial) at the Lux Style Awards 2014. 

She has conducted and curated many puppet workshops and has been a panellist at festivals such as the South Asian Heritage Month UK, World Performing Art Festivals (Pakistan) and the Women of the World festivals (WOW), in Pakistan, Scotland and London focusing on Body Positivity, Self Worth and Confidence.

Communication & Development Director  

Nayha Jehangir Khan has a Bachelor in Fine Arts from York University, Toronto, Canada in 2010 and is currently based in Lahore. Her work experience includes fine arts, e-commerce & content, and art writing. 

She is an Art Therapy Practitioner having developed therapeutic modalities for differently-abled and typically abled children after completing her NOWPDP ATP Certification in 2017. Her facilitation experience includes volunteer teaching in remote valleys of Northern Areas of Pakistan and collaborating with private schools in Islamabad from 2016 to 2019. She completed the Level 3 of Humanistic Counselling & Psychotherapy from Therapy Works in February 2021.