Born and raised in Los Angeles, Ariel (pronounced unlike the beloved mermaid) is a multidisciplinary artist whose parents encouraged and inspired his passion for the arts from an early age. His father, Homayoun, is an Iranian-Jewish architect who came to America following the revolution. His mother, Clarissa, a pianist and composer, moved with her family to America from Germany at the behest of her mother, a holocaust survivor, after an anti-Semitic incident occurred at her high school in Munich.

Since childhood, performing onstage has been his lifeline, sacred space, and refuge. Following his move to New York, he has had the opportunity to work with some of the most innovative minds in theatre, including Daniel Sullivan, Kathleen Marshall, Warren Carlyle, and Stephen Brackett. He was chosen by Lonny Price to portray a leading role in his remount of the musical “Kismet” for the first American production to authentically cast SWANA/MENA actors. Most recently, he performed in “Watch Night,” an original, multi-genre work about race and gun violence in America, at the Perelman Performing Arts Center where it ran as their inaugural production under the direction of Bill T. Jones.

His love for theatre and his unique life experience have recently culminated in a new chapter, and he is currently developing his first play: a comedy-drama about his Persian-Jewish family. Deeply committed to utilizing theatrical storytelling as a medium for activism, he is fiercely passionate about expanding the scope of SWANA/MENA voices in theatre and is an active member of the SWANA Writers' Cooperative.