Laila Cathleen Neuman is a singer and a PhD candidate at the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, Leiden University. Her research focuses on the theatrical legacy of Dutch actor Johannes Jelgerhuis (1770-1836) as a source of stagecraft for performers.

Having performed in historically informed productions using historical acting techniques since 2010, she developed her passion for the works of Johannes Jelgerhuis during a series of treatise reading sessions with other DHAC members in 2016.

She has presented her work at conferences including the International Federation for Theatre Research (IFTR) in Stockholm, "The London Stage", at New College, Oxford and "Tanz als Musik- Zwischen Klang und Bewegung" at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.

Recent developments include the staging and performance, based on her research into historical acting techniques, of Goethe/Eberwein’s monodrama Proserpina. She teaches historical gesture and declamation at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague.