Ali Zaydi

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Education

About me

******* 2023 UPDATE: As 2020 opened I was working on a commercial theatre production called In Search of a White Identity. I was playing the character of Mo a black cab driver who inadvertently gets caught up in an English Defence League riot outside the Old Bailey. I literally got dragged into the ruckus while minding my own business waiting at a traffic light as I'm on my way to pick up my next customer. I get put in a holding cell with two other men who were also arrested at the riot: a working class EDL supporting white man, and a working class anti fascist black man who both happened to be close friends when they were kids. The play started with them two in the cell and the conversation that takes place in regards to class, race, politics and conflict. In the middle of that in walks Mo a long bearded Muslim chap who at first glance looks like a "Muslim terrorist stereotype" but who happens to actually be very spiritual, peaceful person seeking unity among human beings as he sees the Divine in all.

The show was part produced by The Actors Centre and tickets for the two shows at the Tristan Bates Theatre in Convent Garden for the 27th-28th March 2020 sold out within days of being released. On the 5th March I got sick with my first symptoms of a mysterious virus, on the night of the 13th March my sickness got a lot more intense and I started to see things I couldn't see before. At the time I wasn't sure if it was real (seemed and felt real) or a hallucination. In the coming days Boris Johnson would close down theatres before full lock down began and the Coronovirus pandemic took over all our lives.

I spent the next 1-2 years investigating and exploring this new stuff I could see. What I could see was a world made of something Indians call Prana, and Chinese and Japanese call Qi or Chi. I call it a form of energy. There is a whole world present here made of this stuff, including the human chakras and energy field. There are life forms that are made of this stuff too. If I could capture on film what I have seen or recreate it for a film it would be the scariest thing I've ever seen depicted on film. It felt like I was in a sci-fi, meets fantasy, meets horror genre movie. This energy stuff is relevant to acting and drama as our intentions, thoughts and emotions can be transmitted to fellow actors and the audience in a theatre or remotely around the world through pre-recorded video. Stanislavski was aware of this phenomena and called it "emitting rays" in his book An Actor's Work. Video cameras with the right lighting also pick up this phenomena to some extent.********

I have trained in Stanislavski and improvisation.

I live by the philosophy “how you do anything is how you do everything”. I put an immense amount of work into the roles I do. I have played a wide range of character types in different genres of dramatic productions including:

Eddie, the submissive son of a narcissistic mother who eventually gains the strength to leave her and live an independent life in Mother (Psychological Drama).

Mustafa Bahlulzade, an up-and-coming artist tipped to win this year’s Turner Prize in Jwaydan (Dark Thriller). Has artist block. Meets a beautiful woman. Love at first sight. A passionate first encounter. Romance blossoms into a relationship and she becomes his muse. Love turns to obsession. Deception, betrayal, heartbreak, revenge with a bloody tragic twist.

Isaac, the loyal, spiritual and yet, terrifying right-hand man of the cult-leader in Bliss (Dark Thriller).

Helmut Kronk, a heavily German-accented krautrock, Buddha-like, yet powerful and respected band member in The One With Those Four German Bastards Who Aren’t Kraftwerk (Comedy).

Ahmad Khan, a heavily Pakistani-accented waiter who hatches a plan to deal with his soon to run out work-visa through a marriage of convenience in Vindaloo (Comedy).

Dr Anparasan Sivakumaran, a heavily Indian-accented true friend, yet fake Doctor who helps his friend skip wedding anniversary plans with his beloved wife by examining his sudden onset of sciatica so he can watch England play in the Football World Cup in All For Love (Comedy).

The Playwright, a vain and rather intense character trying to pretend he’s not jealous of the actress’s other lovers in The Blue Room (Risqué Drama).

The Politician, a dominant, calculating and prying predator in The Blue Room (Risqué Drama).

Vicomte de Valmont, a rich nihilistic pleasure-seeking aristocrat who enjoys watching, seducing and ruining women by making them give up the values most important to them in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Risqué Drama).

Puppet voices of:
Googlebox (BBC Accent - Received Pronunciation), Slick (Texas Accent), LT250 (Robotic Indian Accent), Cash (Big Bubbly East-European Accent) and Grandad (Middlesbrough Accent) in One Planet Future (Children’s Environmental Musical Puppet Show).

Genghis, the groveling, hunchbacked minion of Count Dracula in The Dracula Spectacula Show (Musical Theatre).

As an actor I love to challenge myself and stereotypes by the roles I do. Bring it on!
Additional skills:
Since I am multilingual, in a short time (about a week) I can learn different English accents.

Intimate knowledge of Islam: mainstream Sunni Islam, Sufism and the minority Shia branch of Islam. From its outer ritualistic manifestation to its more mystical and spiritual inner reality. I am even familiar with Muslim fundamentalism, extremism and what ideologically drives terrorism. Islam and Muslims are a hot topic at the moment. If I am brought into an Islam related project I can provide valuable insight and point out errors and misconceptions. My contribution can help make the project become more authentic and believable.

Experience in transforming my physique through nutrition and exercise and willingness to do so for a role.

Basic Martial Arts Training in 8 martial arts. Willingness to learn a fighting style/technique for a specific role.
Additional information:
In 2019 I have so far written, cast and directed two of my own short plays.

The first was called “Jwaydan” about an up-and-coming tipped-to-win Turner Prize artist. He has artist block. Meets muse. Is deceived and betrayed by the muse as part of a chess game. In the end it turns out the muse wasn’t just a pawn sent by the rival King of Art but actually a powerful Queen who was playing everybody all along to win the ultimate game.

The second play was called “2050: The Last Offender”. It was the courtroom trial of the last person held responsible for the genocide of 10 million Muslim and non-white inhabitants of the United Kingdom. 30 years earlier he posted hate-filled racist and Islamophobic statuses and memes on social media which contributed to a toxic social environment that allowed far-right white-supremacists to come into power in Great Britain and carry out the genocide.

License & Passport

Skills

Languages Spoken	English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu
Accents/Dialects	Arabic, Eastern European, English - Cockney, English - General, English - London, English - Northern England, English - Received Pronunciation, German, Indian, Middle Eastern, Pakistani, Russian, Southern American
Organisations / Memberships	Equity (UK)