Hayleigh Evans is an art-trepeneur : actor, theatre maker, arts administrator, teacher / facilitator, business owner - wearer of many hats, but above all a story teller.  Together with Orly Shapiro, she founded POPArt Studios in 2011 where she remains the artistic director for the theatre.

She holds a BA Hon in Live Performing Arts (obtained from AFDA in 2007) and has enjoyed a diverse career in the live and filmed arts, playing many roles from performer to production administrator to facilitator. Through POPArt, she has forged strong partnerships with renowned institutions including the The Market Theatre Laboratory and Centre for the Less Good Idea. Through her work in a range of spheres, she has built a solid reputation for supporting cultural production across a range of disciplines in Johannesburg. From 2010 to 2014, she played a pivotal role in the development of the Maboneng Precinct (Johannesburg) as Propertuity's Brand and Cultural manager, where a core focus was mobilising the creative community to engage with urban spaces and use these for cultural production. During this time, she also partnered with fellow AFDA graduate, Orly Shapiro, to found the POPArt theatre in May 2011. Hayleigh is now focused full time on growing the POPArt business and brand. 

Hayleigh was named as a Cosmpolitan Fun Fearless Female in 2014, as well as listed on the Mail and Guardian Top 200 Young South Africans in 2015. POPArt has received numerous awards for their contribution to the theatre industry - including the Arts and Culture Trust ImpACT award in 2015 and the Naledi Theatre Awards Executive Directors Award in 2017.