Fact: For a time in the late 1990's, Colorado Supermax, the most secure prison in America, housed in neighboring cells, Latin Kings Leader Luis Felipe, WTC Bomber Ramzi Yousef, Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, and Oklahoma City Bomber Timothy McVeigh.

Fiction: When a young lawyer defends the civil liberties of one of the country's most notorious criminals locked up on Celebrity Row, her idealism stands face to face with a criminal genius who, along with his neighbors, has a plan of his own. Combining the suspense of Silence of the Lambs with the political savvy of Season 23's blockbuster, Speech & Debate, Itamar Moses, one of America's hottest playwrights, and David Cromer, critically acclaimed director of The Adding Machine (Next Theatre) and Our Town (The Hypocrites), explore issues of homeland security and individual freedoms in one of the most dazzling cliffhangers in modern drama.

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	Usman Ally (Ramzi) is delighted to be making his ATC debut in Celebrity Row. He holds an MFA in Acting from the University of Florida where he received a Kennedy Center nomination for the role of Vladimir in Waiting for Godot. In Chicago he was last seen in Relatively Close at The Victory Gardens, and he also serves as the Group Sales and Publicity Manager at Remy Bumppo. Other Chicago credits include Tranquility Woods at Steppenwolf, Around the World in 80 Days at Lookingglass, Weapon of Mass Impact at Red Orchid and his one man show Public Enemy at Remy Bumppo's thinkTank 2008. Catch him in thinkTank 2009! He would like to thank his family, and lovely new bride Malena for putting up with him.
	Christopher McLinden (Timothy) is happy to be making his ATC debut. Other Chicago credits include; Last of The Boys and Diary of Anne Frank (Steppenwolf); The Lion in Winter, Seagull and Duchess of Malfi (Writer’s Theatre) Short Shakespeare:Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre); Vincent in Brixton (Appletree Theatre-After Dark Award); Midsummer Night’s Dream (First Folio Shakespere); Lady From the Sea (Greasy Joan & Co.); The Vortex (Boxer Rebellion Ensemble); The Old Lady Shows Her Medals, Man of Destiny and You Never Can Tell (Shaw Chicago). Christopher received his BFA from Northern Illinois University and has also studied at the Moscow Art Theatre. He would like to dedicate his work to his friend and teacher Christopher Markle.
	Joe Minoso (Luis) is the new Associate Artistic director of Teatro Vista...theater with a view. He is currently at the Goodman theater with the Chicago Childrens Theater Production of Esperanza Rising and was recently seen at Yale Rep this past spring in the world premiere of Jose Rivera's Boleros for the Disenchanted.  Other acting credits include:  Fifo in Nilo Cruz's Park in our House, Erik is Teatro Vista's world premiere production of Jose Rivera's Massacre...Sing to Your Children at the Goodman Theater, George Gibbs in Our Town at Madison Repertory Theater, Samuel Horetensia and the Museum of Dreams at Victory Gardens, Officer Freddy Fernandez in Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner at Teatro Vista, Angelo in Short Shakespeare!  Comedy of Errors at Chicago Shakespeare, Living Out at American Theater Company, a Teatro Vista co production, and Truffildino in The Servant of Two Masters at SummerNite.  He was the assistant director for Teatro Vista's most recent main stage show Dreamlandia.  He has a BFA in Acting from Adelphi University and an MFA in acting from Northern Illinois University.
	Larry Neumann, Jr. (Ted) a native Chicagoan, lives with his wife Sandy and their two cats in Ravenswood Manor. This is Larry’s first production with American Theatre. Larry has performed throughout Chicago and the Midwest in over 60 productions. Favorite roles: Finkelbaum in The Puppetmaster Of Ludz (Writer’s Theatre), Dr. Larch in Cider House Rules I & II (Famous Door, 2003 Jeff Award, Actor, Principal Role), and the Dalai Lama in Hitting For The Cycle (Famous Door, 1996 Jeff Award, Actor, Revue/1997 After Dark Award) Film/television credits: Stranger Than Fiction, In The Name Of God, Relative Evil, Stir Of Echoes, Prison Break, and Walker, Texas Ranger.
	Kelli Simpkins (Maze) is thrilled to be making her ATC debut with Celebrity Row. She recently played Sy in Fair Use at Steppenwolf’s First Look Festival. Recent theatre credits: Good Boys and True at Steppenwolf (d/ Pam McKinnon), Execution of Justice with About Face Theatre (d/Gary Griffin), The People’s Temple at Berkeley Rep., Perseverance, The Guthrie (d/ Leigh Fondakowski) and One Arm at Steppenwolf (d/ Moises Kaufman). Kelli is a member of Tectonic Theatre Project and is one of the original creator/performers of The Laramie Project (Off -Broadway, Denver Center, Berkeley Rep., LaJolla Playhouse). Upcoming projects: Casa Cushman (dramaturg/actor), a play about Victorian actress Charlotte Cushman, in development with Tectonic/About Face (d/Leigh Fondakowski). FILM/TV: A League of Their Own, Chasing Amy, Law & Order: C.I., and HBO’s The Laramie Project (Emmy nomination: Ensemble Writing). She is a certified teacher in Tectonic’s “moment work” technique.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Itamar Moses (Playwright) is the author of the full-length plays OUTRAGE, BACH AT LEIPZIG, CELEBRITY ROW, THE FOUR OF US, YELLOWJACKETS, BACK BACK BACK, COMPLETENESS, and THE DEN, the musicals REALITY! (with Gaby Alter), and FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE (with Michael Friedman and Daniel Aukin), and various short plays and one-acts. His work has appeared Off-Broadway and elsewhere in New York, at regional theatres across the country and in Canada, and is published by Faber & Faber and Samuel French. He has received new play commissions from The McCarter Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Wilma Theater, South Coast Rep, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Lincoln Center. Itamar holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU and has taught playwriting at Yale and NYU. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, MCC Playwrights Coalition, Naked Angels Writers Group, and is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect. He was born in Berkeley, CA and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.

David Cromer (Director) recent credits; Picnic at Writers Theatre, “Our Town” at The Hypocrites, Perfect Mendacity for Steppenwolf First Look Rep, and Adding Machine at the Minetta Lane Theatre in New York (2008 OBIE and Lortel Awards for Direction). Other Chicago credits; Come Back Little Sheba (Shattered Globe), Adding Machine (Next), The Cider House Rules (Famous Door, co-directed w/ Marc Grapey), The Dazzle and Golden Boy (Steppenwolf), The Price and Booth (Writers Theatre), Angels in America (The Journeymen), MOJO and The Hot l Baltimore (Mary-Arrchie), and Journey’s End (Seanachai). New York and regional credits; Orson’s Shadow (Barrow Street Theatre in NYC, Alley Theatre in Houston, Williamstown, Steppenwolf), The Clean House (Alley Theatre), and The Grapes of Wrath (Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC). Later this season he will direct The Farnsworth Invention and The SantaLand Diaries at the Alley and The Glass Menagerie at Kansas City Rep. He has received Jeff awards for his direction of Angels in America, The Price, and The Cider House Rules.

Andre LaSalle (Scenic and Properties Designer) is a newcomer to the Chicago theatre scene. He's thrilled to be working with American Theater Company and the Celebrity Row artistic team. Recently he designed the set for Cymbeline directed by Mary Zimmerman at Northwestern University, Talking it Over at Lifeline Theatre, and the Jeff Recommended production of Phantom at Theater at the Center. Andre performed in the Broadway National Tour of Lost in Yonkers and has an MFA in Directing from the University of Alabama.

Alison Siple (Costume Designer) Chicago credits include designs for Our Town, Miss Julie, 4.48 Psychosis, Mud (Hypocrites Theater Company); Hana's Suitcase (Chicago Children’s Theatre); Journey's End (Griffin Theatre Company); The 4th Graders Present an Unnammed Love-Suicide (Hypocrites Theater Company at 59E59, New York); The Elephant Man (Steppenwolf for Young Adults); The Resistable Rise of Arturo Ui (Steep Theatre Company); Black Diamond (Lookingglass Theatre Company) and Hatfield & McCoy (House Theatre of Chicago). Alison won Jeff Citations for Time and the Conways (Griffin Theatre Company—2006) and for Leonce und Lena (Hypocrites Theater Company —2005). Alison is an Artistic Associate with Lookingglass Theatre Company, an associate company member of Hypocrites Theatre Company and a graduate of Northwestern University.

Keith Parham (Lighting Designer) is happy to be working at ATC. He is a company member of TUTA Theatre, where recent credits include Uncle Vanya, It’s Only the End of the World, Tracks, Huddersfield, Still Life in Color, and Rules for Good Manners in the Modern World (Chicago and NY). Other credits include Future Me with SPF at The Public Theatre, Crime and Punishment with Writers’ Theatre at 59E59 Theatre, Adding Machine: A Musical Off-Broadway, Gas for Less at Goodman, Carters Way, Sunset Limited (Chicago and Ireland), Red Light Winter (Chicago and Off-Broadway), The Elephant Man, Huck Finn, and Master Harold and the Boys at Steppenwolf, 9 Parts of Desire and The Adding Machine at Next Theatre (Associate Artist), and Russian On The Side at Royal George. He has also designed numerous shows for companies including Writers’ Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Milwaukee Shakespeare, Timeline Theatre (Associate Artist), Lookingglass Theatre Company, Chicago Dramatists, Chicago Opera Theatre, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, European Repertory Theatre, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and Theatre Wit.

Josh Schmidt (Composition/Sound Designer) Off-Broadway: Adding Machine (Minetta Lane Theatre) – 4 Lortel Awards including Best Musical, 2 Outer Critics Awards including Best Musical Off-Broadway, 4 Obies, 9 Drama Desk Nominations, 1 Drama League Nomination; Crime and Punishment (59E59). Regional Work at venues across the country including Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Writers Theatre In Glencoe, Next Theatre, Northlight Theatre, and Seanachai Theatre Company, and many others (Chicago); Alley Theatre (Houston) Kennedy Center and Ford's Theatre (Washington DC); Bard College (NY); Seattle Repertory Theatre (WA), South Coast Repertory (CA); American Players Theatre (Spring Green); Madison Rep and UW-Madison (Madison) Milwaukee Rep, Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Milwaukee Shakespeare. As a recitalist of new music, he has performed at Kunstverein Genthiner 11 and Rumänisches Kulturinstitut in Berlin, Germany; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; University of Mississippi-Oxford; and throughout his home state of Wisconsin. He is a recipient of the 2003-2005 NEA/TCG Career Development Program Award and was named one of nine emerging designers in Entertainment/Design Magazine in 2004. He has received 2 Jeff Awards, 1 After Dark Award in Chicago. In addition, his work was part of the sound design exhibition at the 2007 Prague Quadrennial.