Elan Zafir
Actor Reel (2023)
BEDLAM IN REPERTORY
OCTOBER 5 – NOVEMBER 20
AT THE IRONDALE CENTER IN BROOKLYN
BEDLAM continues it's 10th anniversary season with two classic plays performed in repertory: nine actors will take on William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, adapted by Jon Robin Baitz, playing from October 5 through November 20, 2022 at the Irondale Center in Brooklyn, New York.
BEDLAM: The Series
"Which of you shall we say doth love us most?"
BEDLAM:
THE SERIES
Created & Directed by Eric Tucker
Written by Eric Tucker & Musa Gurnis
BEDLAM: THE SERIES twists Shakespearean characters and plots we know and love – King Lear, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Merchant of Venice– into a new story of love, deceit, betrayal and revenge. More The Sopranosthan doublet and hose, in BEDLAM you’ll find family drama, organized crime, and romantic comedy stewed together and told in Shakespeare’s own delicious words. This mini season enters you into this fractious, delightful world where everything may not be exactly as it seems – but it is BEDLAM.
BIO
Elan Zafir is a Canadian actor based in New York City. He originated the role of Abaddon, in Olivier-nominated writer/director Yael Farber’s critically acclaimed adaptation of SALOME at Shakespeare Theatre Company, which garnered 7 Helen Hayes Awards including Best Ensemble. He played in Theresa Rebeck's comedy WAY OF THE WORLD opposite Kristine Nielsen. Elan was cast by Mark Brokaw to play Nazari in the new play PAPER DOLLS which was developed through the Sundance Play Festival and the Public Theater. Elan was cast by Mark Wing-Davey to play Hamzi in Mona Mansour's THE VAGRANT TRILOGY which was developed through the Public Theater, and is a part of their 2019-2020 season. He will be a part of the official opening season of Simon Goodwin's first year as Artistic Director of The Shakespeare Theatre Company in the award winning play EVERYBODY by Brandon Jacob Jenkins. Elan was nominated for a James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play for his work in TWELVE ANGRY MEN at Ford's Theatre, directed by Sheldon Epps. Elan was recently cast in the World Premiere of Ms. Rebeck's new play Enlightened; Mrs. Rebeck is set to direct. He shot a Krav-Maga western, Your Own; He was cast in a Shakespeare mashup with Bedlam, a critically acclaimed Off Broadway theatre company. He also Guest Starred on NBC's The Blacklist episode 818 "The Protean" as a killer with a heart of gold. (His description, not NBC's.)
He attended The Dome Professional Theatre Program of Montreal, and graduated from The Academy for Classical Acting University, where he earned his MFA.
He wrote and performed in his one man show, The Unaccompanied Minor, which had its world premiere at the Asheville Fringe Festival, went on to perform at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and finally completed it's journey at the DC Fringe where Roger Catlin of The Washington Post called his play "A top pick of the fringe." Elan also studied improv at Upright Citizens Brigade, where he completed the rigorous program in just two years. He has worked with Seth Barrish and Judy Gold on his newest solo show Jewface. Elan is an avid hiker, tennis enthusiast, pickleball player, and an amateur baker.
Bedlam: Arcadia
East New York: "A Humbling Blues"
Law & Order: "Bias"
The Milwaukee Rep: God of Carnage
Blue Bloods: "Life During Wartime"
Bedlam: Hedda Gabler/The Winter's Tale (in rep)
FBI: International: "Chew Toy"
The Blacklist: "The Protean"
Bedlam: Bedlam The Series
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: There's Always the Hudson
Eureka Day Mosaic Theatre
EVERYBODY Shakespeare Theatre Company
Arena Stage: Junk: The Golden Age of Debt
The Folger Shakespeare Theatre: King John, Way of the World
Edinburgh Fringe/Capital Fringe: The Unaccompanied Minor*
*Written by Mr. Zafir
Shakespeare Theatre Company: Salomé*, Othello, Romeo & Juliet
*Helen Hayes Award Best Ensemble
Ford's Theatre: Ragtime, Twelve Angry Men
Signature Theatre: Tender Napalm
Mosaic Theatre: Paper Dolls, The Vagrant Trilogy
Adventure Theatre: Jumanji*
*Helen Hayes Award Outstanding Production
Rep Stage: Venus in Fur
The Welders: Happiness and Other Reasons to Die
Capitol Fringe: Ben&Lucille*
*Written by Mr. Zafir
New York Fringe: Leaf in the Mailbox*
*Written by Mr. Zafir
*Winner Best Ensemble Cast Award
Greenwich Street Theatre: Romeo and Juliet
Wings Theatre: Raft of the Medusa
Looking Glass Theatre: Cardboard Moon
Playwrights Horizon: Inner Workings of a Man
TheatreWorksUSA: Peter Pan
Producers Club: This is Your Life*
*Written by Mr. Zafir
*Finalist: Strawberry One-Act Festival
Lycean Theatre: Accomplice
Coconut Grove Playhouse: The Disputation
Atwater Theatre: Look Back in Anger
GableStage: Arms and the Man
Kennedy Center: Together Again After* [Workshop]
*Written by Mr. Zafir
Commercials: Samsung, Mr. Roof, Vouchers, Wounded Warriors Project, Dominion Power, White64 Motors, Skip Doctor.
TV/Film credits: East New York, Law & Order, FBI: International, The Blacklist, House of Cards, King of Crimes, Big Wolf on Campus, Apples, Milquetoast, Fairies, Nantucket Sun, Hit the Girl, Brand Management, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, A Child, Student Bodies, Discovery Channel, The Event, Making of the Mob, Turn, Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall.
Some shit right here
Law & Order: Season 22 Ep. 17 "Bias"
The Blacklist: Season 8 Ep. 18 "The Protean"
BEDLAM: The Series
"Elan, this isn't a headshot. You need a headshot."
—Take3Talent
Theatre
ARCADIA
Bedlam
God of Carnage
Milwaukee Rep
THE WINTER'S TALE
HEDDA GABLER
Bedlam
There's Always the Hudson
Woolly Mammoth Theatre
EVERYBODY
Shakespeare Theatre Company
JUNK: The Golden Age of Debt
Arena Stage
TWELVE ANGRY MEN
Ford's Theatre
Shakespeare Theatre Company
King John
Folger Theatre
The Vagrant Trilogy
Mosaic Theatre
Way of the World
Folger Theatre
Mosaic Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Unaccompanied Minor
Edinburgh Fringe, UK
Signature Theatre
Othello
Shakespeare Theatre Company
The Welders
Rep Stage
Adventure Theatre
Ben&Lucille
Atlas Theatre
Reviews
Naveen Kumar — The New York Times
"The most impressive juggling act comes from Zafir, who plays both father and son in a confrontation at the altar of young love."
Peter Marks — The Washington Post
"And by the way, Elan Zafir plays Hubert, torn by affection for Arthur, with such exceptional emotionality that he makes a powerful case for this secondary character to be the humane touchstone for the play."
Jen Chaney — The New York Times
"This episode begins with the incarcerated journalist Lucas Goodwin reciting what sounds like a chapter from a forthcoming “Fifty Shades of Grey” spinoff so that his cellmate (Elan Zafir) can, shall we say, enjoy some “me” time."
Roger Caitlin — Washington Post
"Zafir’s impassioned portrayal... embodying a dozen characters along the way in whip-smart, breakneck fashion...has devised a show with layers of theatricality that crackle..."
Benjamin Tomchik — Broadway World
"There is a raw quality to the emotional and physical relationship of Woman and Man, and Harris and Zafir do a phenomenal job exploring this couple. With each insult, kiss, embrace, pursuit and clash, we see their relationship reach a new level of depth... it's fascinating to watch "
Kate Wingfield — Metro Weekly
"Zafir is an excellent physical comic, his timing is superb, and he absolutely nails it. Quite honestly, he makes the night."
Susan Galbraith — DC Theatre Scene
"Elan Zafir, always striking to watch, creates a lively connection [with Dykstra] that takes theatrical communion to another level, truly extraordinary. When John tells Hubert to “off” his nephew, they play with looks, innuendo slipped in almost as an aside, and musically “riff” like two great jazz musicians."
Celia Wren — Washington Post
Zafir’s amusingly flippant and chatty Jeb shows a vulnerable side, to poignant effect.
Charles Wright — Off Off Online
"Yet, in two moving duologues, the superb Zafir and Millonzi (as Eilert and Hedda) drop the Bedlam rowdiness and offer a brief, emotional glimpse of their characters’ damaged hearts"
Allison Daniels — DC Theatre Scene
"Eventually Zafir works himself into a frenzy that pulls together elements of everything he has been trying to communicate for almost an hour. It’s spellbinding."
Lisa Traiger— DC Metro Theatre Arts
"In the case of Elan Zafir’s biographical one-man show The Unaccompanied Minor, although it’s billed as a comedy, it really isn’t all that funny. And that’s okay, because there’s much more to the 50-minute monologue than laughs."
Robert Michael Oliver — MD Theatre Guide
"Elan Zafir play(s) this with ferocious abandon. Zafir’s performance is an athletic tour de force."
Barbara Mackay — Theatre Mania
"Elan Zafir defines obnoxiousness..."
April Forrer — MD Theatre Guide
"And every time Elan Zafir opens his mouth and says his lines, the audience laughs. It’s a given. He’s that good."
Debbie Minter Jackson — DC Theatre Scene
Elan Zafir (as Jeb) leads the pack – with chiseled chin, quick stealthy moves, and perfect pitch delivery, he could just as easily be spouting dialogue from Mamet before heading out to commit a quick kill.
Romper — Kylie McConville
"My first impression of Goodwin's prison cellmate, whose name is Gagik, was that he's physically intimidating, covered in tattoos, and bald. You don't want to f*ck with this guy."
Sophia Howes — DC Metro Arts Theatre
"Henry’s other friend Reg, as played by Elan Zafir, has a kind of good-old-boy bonhomie which makes some of his retrograde remarks much more palatable. He displays surprising growth, and Zafir portrays his evolution with enthusiasm."
Linda Gordon — KidFriendlyDC
"But the character who had me actually LOL-ing was The Guide. Played by Elan Zafir, he’s like an awkward Indiana Jones meets J. Peterman from Seinfeld — in the most hilarious way possible."
DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Elan Zafir has conjured up theatrical genius that is both modern and relevant and loaded with humorous moments amid a very real dramatic situation."
Ian Thal — DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Graves’ scene with Elan Zafir’s Hubert, in whose care John has placed Arthur, elicits heart-wrenching performances from both actors."
Susan Galbraith — DC Theatre Sc
"I found myself on the edge of my seat and watery-eyed watching the extraordinary Graves and Zafir, the desperate, innocent boy and the tormented, conflicted man."
"Juror No. 10 (Elan Zafir, delivering a wonderfully contemptible, utterly unapologetic performance)—a blue-collar, vitriolic racist."
"Racism is definitely in play here – most thunderously articulated in a masterfully vituperative speech by Zafir as Juror Ten."
Sara Dudley Brown — The Zebra
"Elan Zafir’s late-in-the-play chillingly delivered diatribe outlines our country’s worst nightmare about racial prejudice and he delivered it with such conviction you could almost feel the return of the nightmarish 30’s and 40’s in Europe and the 50’s here in the US."
Kate Wingfield — Metro Weekly
"Strongest of all is Elan Zafir who plays Everybody’s fair-weather friend. Zafir has fun with Jacobs-Jenkins’ rapid-fire patter and “dude” persona, bringing some of the verve and genuine laughs the piece deserves."
Rachael Goldberg — Broadway World
"Their first appeal is to Zafir's Friendship, whose frenetic energy is both comical and familiar; although Friendship is an abstract idea, Zafir clearly has mastered its personification. The combination of weirdly specific and equally generalized references makes it easy to imagine a reference to any friend one can picture, and Zafir's playfulness creates a bright moment..."
Kevin Vavassuer — Stage & Cinema
"And Elan Zafir as the disguised and angry Polixenes surprising then berating his terrified son Florizel, also played by Elan Zafir, is not to be missed."
Tim Smith — The Baltimore Sun
"Elan Zafir's smart, nuanced portrayal captures each shift in Thomas' confidence, each layer in the character's fluid sensuality. When the story takes its sharpest turn, the actor turns wonderfully along with it."
Kelsey Lawler — Broadway World
"The Milwaukee Rep has staged a superbly acted, shocking, relatable, tornado of a black comedy with God of Carnage... brought together by four brilliant actors."
Anne Siegel — Shepherd Express
"God of Carnage is a hilarious romp that keeps you laughing until your teeth ache."
Dominique Paul Noth — Urban Milwaukee
"As the macho workaholic constantly on his cell phone – though we never believe there is anyone real being abused on the other end – Elan Zafir gets off some great swagger as the “I don’t care” father who often speaks the hard truth."
Jim Higgins — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"Judge me if you will, but in this kind of battle I'm nearly always drawn to the bluntest, rudest character, and Zafir's Alan, a workaholic attorney, does not disappoint, dubbing his own son a savage and espousing a kill-or-be-killed philosophy while taking endless hilarious phone calls about a pharma company crisis."
Take 3 Talent / IFM
Elan is represented by Take 3 Talent & IFM.
Please direct all work-related inquiries here.
Theatre: Jimmy Larkin
Commercial/Voiceover: Morgan Peterson
Film/TV: Michele Cavallero
928 Broadway # 302, New York, NY 10010
(646) 289-3915 / (646) 602-0653