Efsun Alper

Efsun is a recent graduate of the Columbia University School of the Arts, where she earned the Presidential Scholarship and had the privilege to earn her Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Acting while studying under the likes of Obie Award winners Andrei Serban and Anne Bogart, and Kristin Linklater, author of the classic text, "Freeing the Natural Voice". Never one to pass on an opportunity to learn from the best, she also trained in two extended workshops under the tutelage of Moscow Art Theater director, Slava Dolgachev. Before Columbia, she completed a B.A. in International Studies at George Mason University to provide a backup for the famously profitable field of acting, but continued her study of acting while there and was awarded a Distinguished Theater Minor. Prior to Efsun's television debut as Ayse Melek on "Asmali Konak" in Turkey, she concentrated her acting pursuits on the stages of New York. Highlights of her theater work thus far include the title character in Carlo Gozzi's "Turandot" at La MaMa, E.T.C., Kitty Duval in "The Time of Your Life" at the Impact Theatre, and Pacifica in "Two Serious Ladies" at the Horace Mann Theater. Other stage experience includes the 24 Hour Plays at The Last Theater Company and several MFA student productions performed for the public at the Schapiro Theater including "As Crammed Geese Are Wont To Do" (Maryse), "Don Perlimplin" (Mother), "Jack or the Submission" (Roberta), and a gender-bending stint in the role of Edmund in Shakespeare's "King Lear". Her screen credits include the "The Crackwalker", a student production from the renowned Columbia film school, and "Ground Curtain", an independent film dealing with the September 11th tragedy, recently shown at the Tribeca Grand Screen in New York. When she is not shooting in Turkey, Efsun lives in New York City with her husband of six years, Jon Sweet, who is often credited in her playbills as "The Best Hubby Ever".