Maimuna Memon

Maimuna Enya Memon (born 1992) is a British actress, singer, composer and playwright. She won a Laurence Olivier Award for her performance in the musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, having previously been nominated for her role in Standing at the Sky's Edge.

Early life

Memon was born in Preston, Lancashire, to an Irish mother and a Pakistani father and spent her early childhood in Darwen. As a teen, her family moved to Australia, where they settled in Chuwar, a suburb of Ipswich near Brisbane. Upon returning to England at the age of 18, Memon studied at the Oxford School of Drama, graduating in 2015.

Career

Upon graduating from drama school, Memon made her professional stage debut as Florinda in the Manchester Royal Exchange production of Into the Woods. The following year, she made her television debut in an episode of the BBC One medical soap opera Doctors, and appeared in The Busker's Opera at the Park Theatre and Lazarus at King's Cross Theatre.

In 2017, Memon played Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. She wrote the music and lyrics for, and performed in, James Meteyard's Electrolyte in 2019.

Memon originated the role of Nikki in Richard Hawley's musical Standing at the Sky's Edge, which premiered in 2019 at the Sheffield Crucible. Memon reprised her role when the musical returned to Sheffield in 2022, and in 2023 at the National Theatre in London. For her performance, she was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.

Memon began releasing music in 2022, beginning with the singles "First Born Child" and "Calling". Her one-woman play Manic Street Creature premiered at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it won a Fringe First Award, before having a London run at Southwark Playhouse in 2023. A new version of Memon's play will be performed in London at Kiln Theatre in 2026. She also composed a score for Henry VIII at Shakespeare's Globe and, as of 2023, was in the midst of composing a score for Portia Coughlan.

In 2024, she portrayed Sonya in the London premiere of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse from December until February 2025. Memon received widespread acclaim for her performance, which earned her the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical.

Discography

EPs

• More Than I Bargained For (2023)

Singles

• "First Born Child" (2022)
• "Calling" (2022)
• "Sinner" (2023)
• "Insomnia" (2024)
• "Selling" (2023)

Filmography

Stage

Awards and nominations

External links

• at IMDb
• at Spotlight