Full name?  Catherine Wilson

Where you were born/where you were raised?  Seattle, WA 

Your position within the A NEW BRAIN family? Lighting designer

What does that mean/what do you do?  I create the mood, sense of location, and fantastical qualities of the show.

In 5 words, how do you describe A NEW BRAIN?  fun, wacky, vulnerable, sensitive, loving

How would you describe Bill's writing?  unique, witty, and fun

Fill in the blanks: _____heart______ + _____drive______ = a song.

What was your must-see TV show as a kid?  I didn't get to watch TV when I was a kid, but when I was over at a friend's house we would watch Doug, Salute Your Shorts, and things like that.

If you could be best friends with any cartoon character in the real world, who would it be?  Garfield the cat. I feel like we would get along well 

Who would play you in the Lifetime movie of your life?  Well someone once told me I look like Drew Barrymore, but I think that person was seeing things (no way we look alike). But I would definitely want Meryl Streep to play the older me!

Special hidden talent?  I windsurf.

Something you're REALLY bad at?  Jumping rope….. I'm just not that coordinated.

Favorite Chicago neighborhood?  Andersonville. I just moved there and love it!

Current local show you have been recommending to friends?  Sweet Smell of Success by Kokandy Productions. I hear the lighting is sexy ;)

Most played song on your iPod?  Don't have an iPod…… but on my computer it is tied between "Dancing Through Life" from Wicked and "Man of la Mancha" from ... Man of la Mancha.

Pop culture guilty pleasure?  Watching the red carpet fashion commentary

Three things you can't live without?  Good coffee, amazing friends in my life, a large body of water near by.

"I'll never understand why… guys wear their pants below their butts. That defeats the purpose of pants."

The Brown Paper Box Co. is excited to announce their upcoming production, A NEW BRAIN, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Finn and James Lapine. The show will run Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM from February 21-March 9 at the Rivendell Theatre in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood (5779 N. Ridge Ave.). Audition information and more will be posted at www.brownpaperbox.org.

Gordon Schwinn is a frustrated composer for a despotic children's television show host. When he is diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation in his brain, he is confronted with the very real possibility that his musical legacy will be cut short. William Finn's semi-autobiographical musical is energetic, sardonic, and poignant in its exploration of anxiety, self-doubt, and the healing power of art.

"Finn and Lapine's A New Brain is a fantastic fit for The Brown Paper Box Co.," explains director M. William Panek (Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls, Godspell). "It's a perfect ten-person ensemble piece that asks us to evaluate our lives-if we were gone tomorrow, what do we leave behind? As artists? As lovers? As children? We've assembled a stellar team of collaborators who are going to truly highlight A New Brain's big heart and infectious score."

Finn and Lapine's previous collaborations include the Tony Award-winning hits Falsettos and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. William Finn is also the composer of In Trousers, Romance in Hard Times, and Little Miss Sunshine. Pulitzer Prize­-winner James Lapine is the book writer/director of the musicals Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Passion, among others.

The production team includes M. William Panek* (director), T.J. Anderson (musical director), Jaime Giovannone (set/properties designer), Cat Wilson (lighting designer), Stephanie Rohr* (assistant director), Justin Harner (assistant musical director), Danny Spagnuolo* (choreographer), Patrick J. Butterfield* (house manager), Michelle Kritselis* (dramaturg), Charlie Sheets* (graphic designer), and Luke Michael Grimes (casting associate).

Auditions will be held in December 2013 and the cast will be announced thereafter.

*Denotes Brown Paper Box Co. company member.

Full given name: Catherine Wilson (I go by Cat)

Where you were born/where you were raised? Seattle, WA

Your role within the Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls family: Lighting Designer

What do you do? I create the mood of the show, edit the other design aspects to create different feelings during the show, and tell the audience how to feel about what is happening on stage. I am basically the psychology of the show.

Something you're REALLY bad at: Tennis

Special hidden talent: I taught windsurfing for 10 years in Seattle.

Current local show you have been recommending to friends: Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls!!!

Favorite Chicago neighborhood: Any neighborhood with a good local coffee shop.

Favorite play: M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang. It's a play I really want to design.

Your personal idols: My maternal grandfather. I never got to meet him, but he used to say "Success is finding out what you love to do, and then finding a way to get paid to do it." That has stuck with me my whole life, and I find it a great way to enjoy each day.

Most played song on your iPod: I actually don't know... I'm a Pandora gal.

Who would play you in the Lifetime movie about your life: That's a tough one... Someone once told me I look like Renee Zellweger, but I really don't think so at all.

Must-see TV show(s): I'm not a huge TV watcher, but my friends have recently introduced me to Dr. Who. I also love any show about design whether it is fashion related, interior design, or any other creative show.

Three things you can't live without: A supportive group of friends who will deal with me when I'm tired and stressed during tech, coffee (good coffee... I'm from Seattle so I get to be a bit of a coffee snob), and a cat in my life.

"I'll never understand why…": ...life can't be more like a musical.

Cat recently won a 2013 Non-Equity Jeff Award for the Den Theatre's production of City of Dreadful Night. Come see Cat's lighting design in The Brown Paper Box Co.'s production of Naomi Iizuka's Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls at the Heartland Studio in Rogers Park, now through - June 16, 2013.  Please visit www.brownpaperbox.org for tickets and additional information.