Marc Casabani comes to America by way of Alexandria, Egypt. In Chicago, he appeared in David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly at Wisdom Bridge winning the Chicago Academy of Theater Artists' Artisan Award for Best Actor in a Drama. Some of his regional theatre performances include Ahmed in Divided at the Michigan Festival of New Works, Ferdinand in The Tempest at the Ronald Reagan Center Shakespeare Festival, and Peter Cratchit in A Christmas Carol at The Goodman Theatre. Other Chicago theatre appearances include Theseus in Love of the Nightingale at The Next, Calcedo in Delirium at Court, and Haemon in Antigone with Chicago Circle Players. Marc has guest-starred on Without A Trace, JAG, Threat Matrix, The Agency, 24, LAX, The Grid, and will appear on Showtime’s Sleeper Cell this December. He is delighted to be performing both “Iraq” and “Desire” in repertory at The Fountain Theatre.

Marc Casabani was born Ahmed Mahmoud Mohammad Ibrahim ElKassabani in Alexandria, Egypt (better known to the world as “The Land of the Pharaohs”). He speaks Arabic fluently because you never know when you might be passing through the Washington D.C.; it could come in handy. But not to worry, he also speaks English and has all the appropriate papers. With his family, he came to this country as a young boy and learned English by watching Sesame Street, ZOOM, and The Electric Company.

He is a veteran of regional theatre where at Wisdom Bridge Theatre in Chicago his portrayal of Song Liling in David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly, won him the prestigious Chicago Academy of Theater Artists' Artisan Award for Best Actor in a Drama. Marc's more recent theatre credits include his “sensitive yet light heartedly funny” performance of Xavier in December Imbalance. The “sexy and intelligent” Ahmed in Divided at the Trueblood Theatre in Anne Arbor, Michigan. The “hilariously funny” Stevey in Allison also at the Trueblood Theatre. His “edgy portrayal” of a very troubled drug addict named Frankie in the play Miranda at the Third Stage in Burbank, CA led to his first Prime-Time TV role on UPN Channel 13.

Some of his most memorable Chicago theatre performances include Peter Cratchit in A Christmas Carol on the Goodman Main Stage and Haemon in Antigone with the Chicago Circle Players at the University of Illinois at Chicago. When he played Theseus in Love of the Nightingale at The Next Theatre Company in Evanston, IL, he was able to exercise his classical theatre muscle with a hint of comedic flare. With considerable fondness, he also recalls a small but significant play called OBRAS written and performed by an unabashed band of merry (sometimes too merry) poets at the Blue Rider Theatre. In the play, Marc portrayed a man so enamored by his meager and wretched neighborhood that he vowed to open the world's eyes to its rich potential. Though overwhelmed by poverty, his poetry and stories of the community were his ticket to a college education. Years later armed with a new found wisdom, he returned to the old neighborhood and gave back to the very people who contributed to his success.

Other theatre credits include Calcedo in Delirium at The Court Theatre (University of Chicago), Ferdinand in The Tempest (Scenes) with the Chicago Shakespeare Repertory, and Roberto Mendez Jr. in Absolution with the Pegasus Players at Truman Collage in Chicago. With the Chicago Music Theatre company, Marc also had the pleasure of singing in a full scale musical that toured the Mid West.