Shaheer Alzir

My name is Shaheer Alzir. I was born in Hama, Syria, and grew up between different languages, stories, and cultures. I graduated from ArtEZ University of the Arts, School of Acting in Arnhem. As an actor and theatre maker, I am fascinated by the tension between humour and tragedy, between absurdity and reality. I am drawn to theatre that makes people laugh while revealing something that is often difficult to put into words.

My work often begins with personal stories, but always with the question of how those stories reflect the world we live in. I am interested in the person behind the headline, the memory behind history, and the humour that persists even in the darkest circumstances.

During my final year, I interned with NITE in Groningen, where I worked on What We Inherit, directed by Rebekka Nilson, and The Glorious Failure, directed by Jessie L'Herminez. Alongside my practical work, I wrote my graduation thesis on the position of bicultural actors with a noticeable accent within the Dutch theatre and film industry, exploring how language shapes representation, opportunity, and public perception.

I graduated with Children of Aleppo, written by George Elias Tobal and directed by Abdel Daoudi. The production follows three young people searching for freedom during the Syrian Revolution and explores what remains when dreams collide with reality. Through humour, absurdity, and disbelief, the performance tells a story that is not only about Syria, but ultimately about people trying to find their place in a constantly changing world.

I believe that humour can create space for even the most painful stories. That is why I seek to make work that invites audiences to laugh, question, and look again at what they have always taken for granted.