Zen master, singer, actor, theater director and teacher
Years active
1976–present
Awards
A Laureate of the "World Peace Ambassador 2015" award from Save The World Foundation.
A lifetime honor membership at the Asian Academy for Film & Television (AAFT) – New Delhi, India.
First Prize award for the play "Interview" – Arena Festival – Germany – 1995.
Best director award for the play "Mein Kampf" – Israel's national festival for contemporary theater – 2011.
Gil Alon (Hebrew: גיל אלון; born 1960), is an Israeli Zen master, singer, actor, theater director and teacher. In 2000 Gil was certified as a Zen Master in Japan . A Laureate of the "World Peace Ambassador 2015" award from Save The World Foundation. He has a lifetime honor membership at the Asian Academy for Film & Television (AAFT) – New Delhi, India.
Biography
Early years
Born in Ramat Gan, Israel. At the age of 14 he joined a number of drama courses in which he played among others the leading role in "The Bear" by Anton Chekhov . At 16 he played the role of Eilif in "An Enemy of the People" by Henrik Ibsen at Habima, Israel's national theater (1976) directed by Yossi Izraeli.
Theater
Acting
Gil Alon as Hamlet in "Hamlet Machine""Jacques" – Gil Alon Sing and Say Jacques BrelAs the transgenger in the play "Alive"
Since the year 2000, Gil traveled in 5 continents and 50 countries. The journey led him to fascinating discoveries and encounters with actors and artists around the world.
Participated in the Butoh production "The Flower Of The Universe" – directed and performed by the world-famous Japanese Butoh masters – Kazuo Ono and Yoshito Ono – Yokohama – Japan. Performed his solo drama "Mister C" which he also wrote and directed and premiered in Melbourne, Australia. The play was then performed in 10 countries around the globe.
Directing
In addition to his work as an actor, Alon directed plays in Israel and abroad. In Israel he directed: "Interview" by Jean-Claude van Itallie with "The Left Bank" theater group which won the first prize in the Arena International Theater Festival in Germany, "Mein Kampf" by George Tabori which won the best director award and 3 best acting awards in the Israeli national festival for contemporary theater and The Golden Hedgehog award for best actor, "The Balcony" by Jean Genet. He also directed overseas: Salome by Oscar Wilde – Bombay, India; "Six Characters in Search of an Author" by Luigi Pirandello;
"Woyzeck" by Georg Buchner and “Life of an Actor” – Madras, India; "Buddhist Bible 4" – Bangkok, Thailand; "Five" – New Zealand, "A Room With Soft Light" – South Korea, "My Fado" – Lisbon, Portugal, and "The Invisible Village" – Taipei, Taiwan.
Teaching
Gil was a diction and dialog coach teacher at the Yoram Levinstein acting school and at the theater faculty at The Tel Aviv University. Gil created a workshop on creativity – "Into The moment – A Journey to the Innermost Intuition" which he teaches in Israel and around the world.
Public roles
Along the years, Alon was part of the artistic board, a jury member and a lector in Acco Israeli Fringe Festival, the Haifa Kids Theater Festival, Tmuna Theater, Tsavta Theater, at the Art and Education ministry and at The Orna porat Youth Theater.
1995–1999 – founded and was the Artistic Director of the "Theater in Slippers Festival" in Tel Aviv
2009–2012 – Artistic Director of the "Testing Tools" festival in Tel Aviv
Since 2010 – Artistic Director of Ezuz – a multi-disciplinary art group
2013–2016 – Artistic Director of the Israeli national festival for contemporary theater (The Acco Festival)
Since 2020 – Founder and Artistic Director of "Joining Tools" festival – Tel-Aviv
Music
Alon Founded the poetry rock band "Sinteza" and was the leading singer of the rock bands "Autumn" and "Passepartout". Recorded three solo albums: "Dream Alley" (among those who composed specially for this album are Sasha Argov, Rami Fortis, Danny Robas) and "Gil Alon Sings Jacques Brel" And "Poetry Is In The Air" – all lyrics by Yoni Lahav, composed and arranged by Yuval Havkin.
. He also participated in the collection album "The New" in a duet with Corinne Alal. Alon was invited to sing for the UN in the national holocaust memorial day ceremony (UNCC) in Bangkok and in the Taj hotel in Mumbai, India. He was invited to Brazil to sing in a concert with 6 Bosa-Nova musicians, and to Japan to sing in a series of concerts in Jazz clubs in Tokyo. He was also asked to sing the songs of Jacques Brel in a special series of concerts with the string quartet of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the pianist Astrit Balzan.
Gil Alon participated in TV, film and radio shows starting at the early 1980s and played on several popular children and adult shows. He was the host of the Israeli version of "Lingo" (aired at channel 2), and the host of "A Look at the Opera" (aired at the Israeli discovery channel). Alon was also a guest actor in the Israeli versions of "Sesame Street" and "All in the family".
Played in Assi Dayan's films: "Electric Blanket Syndrome” and “Mr. Baum”, in Raphael Rebibo's film “Amor” and leading role in the Indian film "The Legend of Bhagat Singh", that was filmed in Bollywood.
Editor and host of "Side Wind" – a program on philosophy and spirituality, and of "Front Row" – a program on theater on "Kol Israel", the Israeli national radio station.
Zen Buddhism
Teaching Zen in south Thailand
Gil graduated the Zen department in "Medicin College", where he became a teacher. An initiated disciple and a Dharma Heir of Gudo Waffu Nishijima Roshi in Japan, Soto Sect, the Dogen Sangha lineage. In June 2000 he received a Dharma Transmission.
Books
The cover of the book "It Is What It Is" – Zen Talks with Yo
Alon's poems were published in several newspapers and literature magazines in Israel.
Wrote the books: "Combinations" – poetry, "Just A Moment" – a diary of a travel to the far east,"It Is What It Is" – Zen talks with Yo and “The Journey’s Poetry” - poetry.
