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Munotida Chinyanga (She/Her) is a Director, Sound Designer, and Anti-Disciplinary Artist working across theatre, sound, and live performance. Her work explores participation, spatial storytelling, and the activation of public spaces, reimagining how audiences engage with performance.
A Jerwood Live Work Fund recipient and PhD researcher at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, she investigates interactive performance-making, rehearsal models, and audience agency, pushing the boundaries of traditional theatre-making.
Her directing credits include Gilgamesh (National Theatre of Rome), How to Build The City (Omnibus/Rich Mix), The Gathering (YIYUAN TANG Museum, China), and Don’t Try This At Home (Queens Theatre, Hornchurch). As a sound designer, she has worked on 1984: The Immersive Experience (Hackney Town Hall), The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English (Bush Theatre), Bluets (Royal Court Theatre), and A Play For The Living In A Time Of Extinction (Barbican).
FOUNDER.
MUNOTIDA
CHINYANGA
She was also Associate Director on Every Brilliant Thing (@soho place) dir. Jeremy Herrin & Duncan Macmillan. Assistant Director on Tree (Manchester International Festival, dir. Kwame Kwei-Armah & Idris Elba) and Winter (Young Vic).
Munotida has worked with institutions including Barbican, The Young Vic, and Royal Exchange Manchester, and was named International Artist for Parma Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2021. She is also an Artist at Strike A Light’s Let Artists Be Artists programme and most recently a Thought Leader/Curator of Feel the Sound, a world touring exhibition for Barbican Immersive.
Most importantly, Munotida loves WWE, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal Wimbledon 2008, sparkling water, Next-Day Delivery, Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins Wrestlemania 31, GTA radio stations, Rome, the moment before the action, the smell of the sun in Zimbabwe, and seeing ‘approved’ transactions on a card machine.
PhD Researcher – Royal Central School of Speech & Drama (2024–present) Practice-based research into participation, sonic dramaturgy, and counter-public space.
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Curator – Barbican Immersive: Feel the Sound (2025).
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Let Artists Be Artists – Strike A Light (2023) Selected for artist-led development & intervention programme.
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Jerwood Live Work Fund Recipient (2021) Awarded for experimental interdisciplinary performance practice.
KEY AFFILIATIONS & ROLES
Specialisms & Artistic Practice
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Immersive & participatory performance
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Spatial storytelling & public realm dramaturgy
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Interdisciplinary community collaboration
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Artist development & practice-led research
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Experience across theatre, sound, installation & live art
FEATURED
PUBLICATIONS
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Every Brilliant Thing – @sohoplace, West End (Associate Director, 2024–25) Participatory one-person show about mental health and joy; worked closely with writer Duncan Macmillan and director Jeremy Herrin on audience casting, structure and performance.
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Tree – Manchester International Festival / Young Vic (Assistant Director, 2019) Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah & Idris Elba. Worked across narrative, sound, and immersive structure.
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Gilgamesh – National Theatre of Rome (2018) International devised project blending myth, movement, and community workshops in Rome and Sicily.
SELECT DIRECTING CREDITS
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How to Build the City – Rich Mix / Omnibus Theatre (Pilot: 2023–24) Site-responsive performance game activating public space through live audience-led trials.
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The Gathering – YIYUAN TANG Museum, China (2019) Intercultural collaboration exploring ritual and space with local artists in Shanghai and in collaboration with artists in South Korea.
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Don’t Try This at Home – Queens Theatre Hornchurch (2023) Participatory, hybrid performance wrestling performance.
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The Kola Nut Does Not Speak English – Bush Theatre (2023) Spoken word-led diasporic performance. Loop-based and reactive sound system.
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Bluets – Royal Court Theatre (2024) Directed by Katie Mitchell.
SELECT SOUND DESIGN CREDITS
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A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction – Barbican / Headlong , Directed by Katie Mitchell (2023) Eco-conscious touring model. Designed adaptable soundscape for locally staged live performance.
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1984: The Immersive Experience – Hackney Town Hall (2024) Immersive sound design for multi-room surveillance-based production. Blended binaural, spatial, and narrative-driven sound across multiple zones.
