Conversations With Arian Moayed: A Tony Nominated Actor & Camaraderie in the Crucible

After leaving high school Arian and I set out on separate artistic journeys. Mine led me to the West Coast and eventually living in a van for a couple years. Arian’s, on the other hand, led him to New York where he co-founded the theater company Waterwell. Twelve years after high school graduation I sat in a Broadway theater in New York and watched my old friend alongside Robin Williams in the production “Bengal Tiger At The Baghdad Zoo.” Arian was nominated for a Tony Award for that performance.

From that point forward anytime I was in the city I was either seeing his latest production or he was coming out to watch my band. Over the span of five years, what started as a rekindled friendship quickly developed into a source of solace. Our conversations began to slip deeper into the artistic struggle, increasing in metaphor, shorthand and our own vulnerability; a conversation rooted in the past, informed by our mutual experience and fueled by our desire to help others. Arian is an artist of the ache, an artist of the heart. In my experience as an artist I have come to find that the greatest resource one can have is camaraderie in the crucible. The artist needs something beyond support, they need eye level conversation and only another in the trenches can fill this role.

Eighteen years later our paths are woven and Arian has become a comrade in this journey. He has become a lighthouse. In a world that can seem dark, we need hope. We need light to break the void and guide us forward. We need the bearers of light to help us navigate our course and show us where we are. Arian is this bearer of light and I wish to share him with you. I give you Time & The Mystery: Conversations with Arian Moayed.

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