Harley Elias is an Indian-Iraqi Arab-Jewish playwright and performer from New York City, who often writes plays about the strangeness of history, the dismantling of power systems, and revolutions. He has been the recipient of residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, with Resonance Ensemble, a Fulbright Grant, the Wild Epiphanies New Play Award, two Samuel French OOB Awards, a Young Playwrights Award, the Hester-Franklin Prize, and his Play #3 is published by Samuel French. Recent plays include Thug Play (Resonance Ensemble), The Pardon (Brown University), and 47 Years of Marriage (Samuel French OOB). For the composer Francisco de Guevara, he wrote the libretto for the opera 11:35, set to premiere in Mexico City in 2023. The documentary he co-wrote and directed, Reconquest of the Useless, was shown at the Havana, Zurich, Woodstock, and Virginia Film Festivals. As an actor his credits include Les Miserables (Broadway and National Tour), A Thousand Clowns (Broadway), A Christmas Carol (Broadway), Ragtime (National Tour). He has worked at the Goodspeed Opera House, EST, Workhouse, Second Stage, HB Studio, Soho Rep, and performed solo at the Kennedy Center. He holds a BA and MA in History and Art History from Stanford and is currently pursuing his MFA in Playwriting at Brown. He is currently under commission from Miami New Drama and Theater J.

Jay Duffer directed The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged) for Amphibian both in 2014 and 2017, and Babbette’s Feast in 2019. He will direct Marie Antoinette in our 2022 season. Past Amphibian acting credits include Wittenberg, The Nosemaker’s Apprentice, The Mystery of Irma Vep and the workshop production of David Davalos’ Daedalus (Retitled A Lost Leonardo). He has professional acting and directing credits spanning several decades and has performed in theatres from Off-Broadway, to regional theatres, to productions overseas. Jay has been involved in new works and script development with Threads Theatre Company (serving as a Founding Member and the Executive Director of New Works), Pulse Ensemble Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Source, Kaleidoscope Theatre Company, Fort Wayne Civic Theatre and Brooklyn based The Artful Conspirators. His play, Asleep in the Arms of God, received its world premiere in November 2017 at the Box Theatre in Riverside, CA produced by New Threads Productions (CA). His play, Big Girl, Little World premiered at the New York International Fringe Festival. His latest play, naked, was included in Amphibian’s inaugural SPARKFEST in the summer of 2021. Prior to joining Amphibian as Managing Director, Jay was Associate Professor of Theatre and Department Chair at Huntington University in Indiana. At HU, he directed a wide variety of approximately 50 plays and musicals while heading the theatre program. Jay currently teaches Directing for the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas Arlington. He is a member of Actors Equity Association and is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.