John Pasha

John Pasha is a Persian-American Actor for stage and screen that was born in Chicago, Il. and lives in Brooklyn, NY. In 2017, He was nominated for The St. Louis Critics Circle Award Outstanding Actor in a drama for his portrayal of Amir in The Pulitzer Prize winning play Disgraced. His father could be described as a "goodfella" nightclub owner in Chicago and his mother was a chemical dependency counselor at the prestigious Hazelden Foundation in Center City, MN. Pasha spent his formative teenage years in St. Paul, MN where he first started acting at age 11 in professional productions throughout the Twin Cities area at companies like The Children's Theatre, Actor's Theatre of MN., and the Chimera. Next, his journey took him to Boston University School for the Arts where he earned his B.F.A. and then to The Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP) at University of Delaware for his M.F.A. He also spent eye opening, life changing summers studying in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts as well as honing his classical skills at Shakespeare companies in Utah, Colorado and Washington D.C. After graduation, Pasha moved to New York City to pursue his professional dreams. In the early years, he was a founding member of the American Shakespeare Theater in which he acted and helped produce a production of Hamlet that toured nationally throughout Taiwan (congruently with the RSC) and playing to sold out houses at the 1524 seat National Theatre of Taiwan. A subsequent documentary called Within a Play was shot during the tour and aired on the Sundance Channel. Following the success in Taiwan, he took his two person version of the Greek classic Medea, called Medea Fragments to Paphos, Cyprus, and Naples, Italy. In the following years, Pasha worked on many of the New York soap operas, as well as, off-Broadway and acclaimed regional theaters like the Pearl Theatre Company, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Capital Stage, Barrington Stage, K.C. Repertory, Sacramento Theater Company, Asolo Repertory, Hangar Theatre, Clarence Brown, Pioneer Theatre. He spent full seasons at Santa Cruz Shakespeare (2010), American Shakespeare Center (2008), Alabama Shakespeare (2005), and Pennsylvania Shakespeare (2004) as well. Uniquely, while still in pursuit of his artistic career, Pasha also became a Critical Care R.N. to fulfill his call to be of greater service to his community. He has made two trips to Haiti in aftermath of the earthquake in 2011 and 2012 and serves on the board of Centre DE Medical in Del Mar, Port au Prince. Pasha continues to find balance in nursing and acting by deepening his experience of the human condition. He believes the emotional intelligence of acting makes him a more effective nurse and the caring for others in moments of great need deepens his vocabulary of humanity as an actor.