Ari Afsar

Ari Afsar, born Arianna Ayesha Afsar on October 22, 1991, is an American singer, composer, beauty queen, and activist. She was raised in San Diego, where her father is of Bangladeshi origin and her mother is of German origin. Afsar attended Westview High School, graduating in 2009, and went on to study at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Afsar's involvement in pageantry began at a young age. In 2005, she won the Miss America's Outstanding Teen title for California and represented the state at the inaugural Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant held in Orlando, Florida in August of that year. As the youngest competitor in the field, she earned a preliminary talent award and finished as first runner-up. She later won the Miss San Diego County title in 2010 and subsequently captured the Miss California 2010 crown. She competed in the Miss America 2011 pageant in January 2011, placing in the top ten.

Her performance career began in theatre as early as 2001, when she appeared in a production of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical in the role of Cindy Lou Who. In 2009, Afsar competed on the eighth season of American Idol, having auditioned in Phoenix with a performance of "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae. She advanced to the live semi-finals as one of the final 36 contestants but did not progress further after her group round and was not chosen for a wildcard spot by the judges.

Afsar made her Broadway-affiliated debut in 2016, when it was announced on July 13 of that year that she would portray Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton in the Chicago production of Hamilton, with performances beginning in late September 2016. She departed the Chicago production on March 25, 2018, though she briefly returned to the role for the second national tour's engagement at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts during the weekend of May 19, 2018.

As a composer, Afsar wrote the music and lyrics for the musical We Won't Sleep, formerly titled Jeannette, with a book by playwright Lauren Gunderson. The work centers on U.S. Representative Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress. Under the title Jeannette, the musical was included in the 2019 summer series at the National Music Theater Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Connecticut. We Won't Sleep was scheduled for its world premiere at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia in 2022.

Beyond the stage, Afsar has worked as a women's rights activist. She serves on the board of the ACLU of Illinois Next Gen and has spoken at the youth reception for the American Civil Liberties Union national convention. She has been a vocal advocate for Planned Parenthood, United State of Women, and the Women's March, and opened for Michelle Obama at the United State of Women event at the Shrine Auditorium. Afsar also appeared in the direct-to-video science fiction action film Martian Land, playing a character named Ellie.