Name: Katelin WilcoxHometown: Born in Bangor, Maine, raised in Columbia, South Carolina, which I guess makes me a Yankee Southern Belle
Education: University of Notre Dame. Go Irish!
Favorite Credits: Eight shows in one year with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey (I like to think of it as my unofficial grad school experience), Doubt at The Public Theatre of Maine, Comedy of Errors with Vermont Shakespeare Company, Island and King John with New York Shakespeare Exchange, and realer than that with The CRY HAVOC Company
Why theater?: I love stories. If it's a really good story told really well, it can help people think about the world in a different way. It's also really fun.
Tell us about The Pawnbroker?: The Pawnbroker is about five of the most influential women in playwright Bertolt Brecht's life. Women who loved him, worked with him, and may or may not have written much of what is considered Brecht's body of work.
What inspired you to write The Pawnbroker?: While researching Brecht for my college senior thesis I started reading all these fascinating stories about the women in his life. I was shocked and amazed and angry about what had happened to them - how much they had contributed to the world's greatest theatre and how most people, even those of us well-versed in Brecht's work, have never even heard their names. I wanted to give them a voice.
What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: I'm a Resident Artist with The CRY HAVOC Company, and our mission really resonates with me: to create "raw, provocative and humane" theatre, by approaching all plays - both comedy and drama - as conflicts between individuals struggling to do what each desperately believes is right. My fellow artists in the company inspire me so much with their talent, dedication and fearlessness.
If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I know it's cliche, but Meryl Streep. Setting aside the fact that she's the greatest living actress, she also has some interesting personal history with Brecht, so if you're reading this Meryl - come see the show! (Hey, dream big, right?)
What show have you recommended to your friends?: Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. Audra McDonald. As Billie Holiday. Singing "Strange Fruit". Just - whoa.
Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: In high school I was a dead ringer for Angela Chase, so I'd splice together old "My So-Called Life" footage to tell my origin story. Plus Claire Danes is the queen of the ugly-cry, so she would really nail my adolescent angst. And since it would be the movie of my teenage life it would probably be called "Smart Girl Loves Theatre and Has No Boyfriend".
What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: HGTV (but I don't really feel that guilty about it...)
What’s the most played song on your iTunes?: I am not making this up. I just checked and it's "Anne Leaves Green Gables" from the soundtrack to the award-winning TV movie "Anne of Green Gables". I have never been prouder of myself.
If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: Sad and restless.
What’s up next?: This fall I'm performing in ShakesBEER, the original Shakespearean pub crawl, with New York Shakespeare Exchange. They are a hilarious good time. Get thee to a pubbery!
For more on The Pawnbroker, visit www.YouDontKnowBrecht.com. For more on Katelin, visit www.katelinwilcox.com