JACKSON, Wyo. — Catherine is just like us: she goes on walks; she makes her own hand sanitizer; she pours herself a drink at 1 p.m., because “it’s a pandemic!” She’s living her best life.
Catherine, now famously known as “Your girl Catherine” on Instagram, is the alter-ego/quarantine character of local playwright Andrew Munz, best known for his “I Can Ski Forever” series. She was born out of… well, not much, Munz said. Boredom, mostly. She’s a product of quarantine, and she’s Jackson’s new quarantine hero.
“I picked a really good time to do some mediocre comedy,” Munz said. “Everyone’s pretty bored, and really desperate for something fun to latch onto.”
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Munz crafted Catherine while on a walk through the West Bank one day. The Aspens were eerily empty and everything was closed. He wondered how a West Bank second-homeowner would spend their time during quarantine.
“I decided to borrow mom’s Prada sunglasses and went for a stroll,” Munz said. “I did some improv, put it online, and it was a hit.”
Catherine is loosely based on the West Bank Cougars, some of the more popular characters in the Ski Forever universe. And West Bank Cougars are loosely based on real-life “Wilson moms” — wealthy inhabitants of the West Bank, many of whom only live here part-time (Catherine flew into Jackson from New York just in time). But like the Ski Forever characters, Catherine is a hyperbolic, fictional caricature of a person. Still, “we all know who Catherine is without being able to specifically say who she is,” Munz said.
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I love a good craft! Especially when you take a recipe and make it your own. #yourgirlcatherine
Catherine has now released four videos on her Instagram channel documenting her daily life in quarantine. She’s spending it safely holed up in her guest house — she and her husband Mark are practicing “marital distancing,” she jokes — making hand sanitizer, working out on her Peleton (no footage available), and going on an occasional drive to see her “wildlife neighbors.”
“I’m grateful to have her as my quarantine buddy,” Munz said.
Catherine is truly building a universe, and she has some big things in the works. She’s getting her own limited radio show on 89.1 KHOL and is hosting a virtual happy hour on Instagram this Friday at 5 p.m., where she will answer any questions the community has about her quarantine lifestyle.
“She’s a big city girl with small town dreams,” Munz said.
Find her on Instagram.
