June 22 - July 23, 2023

A Distinct Society

Midwest Premiere

Written & Directed by Kareem Fahmy

One Library, Two Countries.

Boundaries Crossed. Choices Made. Lives Changed.

Synopsis

Cast

Alec Boyd

Understudy Declan

Joshua L. Green

Understudy Bruce

Kelli Harrington

Understudy Manon

Shadee Vossoughi

Understudy Shireen

Amir Abdullah

Bruce

Selected Theatre: Geffen Playhouse (Barbecue), California Shakespeare Theatre (Life is A Dream), Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Macbeth, Othello-The Remix, R&J), Indiana Repertory Theatre (Fahrenheit 451) A Noise Within Theatre (7 Guitars, R&J, Raisin in the Sun) Pennsylvania Centre Stage, Skylight Theatre Company, VS Theatre Company, Rogue Machine Theatre. TV: Chicago Med, Empire, The Odd Couple, Tosh.0, Tabloids. Film: Radioflash, No Vows No Cows, Happy You Near, The Untimely Concurrence (Best Actor-MIFF), Booze Boys & Brownies. BFA–University of Miami and MFA-Penn State. amir-abdullah.com

[Bio as of June 2023]

Rom Barkhordar

Peyman

At Writers Theatre: The Band's Visit, A Distinct Society, Wife of a Salesman, Incident at Vichy, and Fallen Angels

Rom Barkhordar is THRILLED to be making another return to Writers Theatre for The Band’s Visit. Previous Writer’s productions: A Distinct Society, Wife of a Salesman, Incident at Vichy and Fallen Angels. Chicago credits: Mosque4Mosque (About Face Theatre), Acts of God, Around the World in 80 Days (Lookingglass Theatre), Yasmina’s Necklace, Ruined (u/s) (Goodman Theatre), The Elephant Man, Homebody/Kabul (u/s) (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), The Who and the What (Victory Gardens Theatre), Mosque Alert, Night over Erzinga (Silk Road Rising), Pravda, Halcyon Days, Not About Nightingales (Timeline Theatre). Regional credits: The Band’s Visit (TheatreSquared), The Art of Burning (Huntington theatre) (Hartford Stage), Proof (Kitchen Theatre); Disgraced (Virginia Stage Co.); The Who and the What (HuntingtonTheatre) Around the World in 80 Days (Kansas City Rep.) (Centerstage Theatre). Film credits: CHHAYA, CanalStreet, Abi , Roundabout American. Television: Proven Innocent, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice, Mind Games, Chicago Fire, Boss, The Beast. Mr. Barkhordar is represented by Gray Talent Group.

[Bio as of February 2024]

Kate Fry

Manon

Kate returns to Writers where she has performed in Wife of a Salesman, Marjorie Prime, Arcadia, Hedda Gabler, The Letters, Oh Coward! and A Minister's Wife. She most recently played Lyubov Ranevskaya in The Cherry Orchard at Goodman Theatre, where she also appeared in The Winter's Tale and Ah, Wilderness! Other Chicago credits include work at Court Theatre (The Belle of Amherst, Mousetrap, Electra, The Hard Problem, Caroline or Change); Northlight Theatre (Mother of the Maid, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Outside Mullingar), Chicago Shakespeare Theater (As You Like It, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, The Merchant of Venice), and Victory Gardens Theatre (In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play). She has also performed with Center Theater Group in LA, Lincoln Center Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. She is the recipient of the Joseph Jefferson award, the After Dark award, the Sarah Siddons award for Chicago's Leading Lady, and Court Theatre's Nicholas Rudall award. Kate is married to actor/teacher Timothy Edward Kane; they have two sons.

[Bio as of June 2023]

Cole Keriazakos

Declan

Cole is an American actor born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Keriazakos has always been an old soul and he knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. At age 5, he turned to his mom and asked for “A good talent agent by Friday.” His mom enrolled him into Second City Chicago at the age of 7. Keriazakos has gone on to guest star on hit shows including his role of 'Josh' on Southside (HBO MAX), Pacific Rim: The Black (Netflix), Chicago Fire (NBC) Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (Amazon) and guest star on AppleTv+ new anthology series Circuit Breakers. He has also landed supporting roles in several indies including Unclaimed (2020) and Disney's Nelson Bixby Takes on the Whole Wide World (2018.) Keriazakos has had the honor of performing on the many of the city's stages including Steep Theater’s Zurich, and Marriott Theatre’s production of Oliver.

[Bio as of June 2023]

Aila Ayilam Peck

Shireen

Aila is elated to be making her Writers Theatre debut! Chicago credits include: Hatefuck (First Floor Theatre), Shakuntala (Goodman Future Labs), This Wide Night, Five Mile Lake (Shattered Globe), Birdland (Steep), The Royal Society of Antarctica (The Gift), Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Northlight), 1984 (Steppenwolf for Young Adults). Regional credits include: Brahman/i: a One Hijra Stand Up Show, Proof (Kitchen Theatre), The Who and the What (Huntington Theatre), A Doll’s House, Twelfth Night, Macbeth (American Player’s Theatre). She is a proud graduate of School at Steppenwolf and University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She is represented by Gray Talent Group.

[Bio as of June 2023]

Jonathan Shaboo

Understudy Peyman

At Writers Theatre: Dhaba on Devon Avenue, The Band's Visit, and A Distinct Society

Jonathan returns to Writers Theatre where he previously appeared in The Band's Visit and A Distinct Society. U.S. National Tour: The Kite Runner and Evil Dead: The Musical. Regional and international stage credits: Uncle Vanya (New Theatre Project), Layalina (Goodman Theatre), The North American premiere of Julie: After Strindberg (Untold Wants), and Greater Expectations (The Second City Toronto). He is a graduate of the School at Steppenwolf and a founding member of Bramble Theatre Company.

[Bio as of June 2025]

Creative

Paige Hathaway

Scenic Designer

Brian Elston

Lighting Designer

Sarah Shippobotham

Vocal & Dialect Coach

Leah Morrow

Choreographer

Victoria Nassif

Intimacy/Fight Director

Hamid Dehghani

Assistant Director/Cultural Consultant

Nikki Konomos

Assistant Stage Manager

Kareem Fahmy

Writer/Director

Kareem is a Canadian-born playwright and director of Egyptian descent. He received the 2022 Woodward/Newman Playwriting Award (for American Fast), received a NYSCA/NYFA Playwriting Fellowship, is a two-time finalist for the National Showcase of New Plays, and was named a Rising Leader of Color by TCG. His plays include American Fast (Rolling World Premiere: Artists Repertory Theatre, City Theatre, InterAct Theatre), A Distinct Society (Co-world premiere: Pioneer Theatre Company & TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), Dodi & Diana (Colt Coeur, O’Neill NPC Finalist), Pareidolia, The In-Between, and an adaptation of the acclaimed novel The Yacoubian Building. Regional directing: Cincinnati Playhouse (upcoming), Pioneer Theatre Company, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Crossroads Theatre, Portland Stage, more. Former Phil Killian Directing Fellow at Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Co-founder/Chair of the Middle Eastern American Writers Lab. Member: SDC. www.kareemfahmy.com

[Bio as of June 2023]

Izumi Inaba

Costume Designer

IZUMI INABA is thrilled to be working with Writers Theatre again, and so grateful for this opportunity to design both scenic and costume. Previously at Writers, Izumi designed costumes for Smart People, A Doll's House, Dishwasher Dreams, and A Distinct Society. Recent credits include Full Monty (Paramount Theatre), Noises Off (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Denver Center for Performing Arts), Milo Imagines the World (Chicago Children’s Theatre). Upcoming projects include The Comedians (Ravens Theatre), Empty Ride (The Old Globe), The Play That Goes Wrong (Indiana Repartory Theatre), and Cats (Paramount Theatre). Izumi is a member of United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 and represented by Gersh.

[Bio as of October 2024]

Andre Pluess

Sound Designer

ANDRE PLUESS (Sound Designer) is a composer/ sound designer based in Chicago. His credits include composition and sound design for numerous productions for Lookingglass, Court Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater, About Face Theatre and many other Chicago and regional theaters. Broadway credits: Metamorphoses, I Am My Own Wife, 33 Variations and The Clean House (Lincoln Center). Andre has received multiple Jeff Awards, an LA Ovation Award, Barrymore Award, Drama Critics Circle Award, and Drama Desk/Lortel nominations for composition and sound design. Recent projects include: The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Life Sucks, Mr. and Mrs. Pennyworth, Treasure Island, Title and Deed, Eastland: A New Musical, Cascabel, In the Garden: A Darwinian Love Story, Metamorphoses, and Peter Pan (A Play) (Lookinglass); Equivocation (Arena Stage); Stage Kiss and Jungle Book (Goodman Theatre); Endgame (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Milk Like Sugar (La Jolla Playhouse/ Playwrights Horizons); The Arabian Nights and Argonautika (Lookingglass, subsequent regional productions); Ghost Light, White Snake, King Lear, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); and Macbeth and Titus (California Shakespeare Festival).

[Bio as of April 2025]

Katie Klemme

Stage Manager

WT: The Hot Wing King, Eurydice, A Distinct Society, Tiger Style!, Wife of a Salesman, and Into the Woods. National Tours: Hamilton, Sorin: A Notre Dame Story; Regional: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival, Geva Theater Center, ArtsEmerson. Select Chicago credits: Prayer for the French Republic, The Heart Sellers, Little Women, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, Brooklyn Laundry, Dial M for Murder, The Porch on Windy Hill, Georgiana & Kitty, Intimate Apparel, Mr. Dickens' Hat, The Wickhams, Landladies, and You Can’t Take It With You; Notes from the Field (TimeLine); Villette (Lookingglass); and productions with Theater Wit, About Face Theatre, Victory Gardens, and 10 seasons at American Theater Company.