Catherine Downes has had an international career spanning five decades. In 1998 she was appointed a Member Of The NZ Order Of Merit for her services to the Arts.
Catherine graduated from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama school after completing a B.A. in English, Politics and Drama at Victoria University.
While in her twenties she relocated to Europe and established two theatre companies, in Amsterdam and in London, where she developed and toured the immensely successful satirical cabaret show: Sweet Nothings, and its spin-offs Sweetcorn, Venus in Blue Jeans and The Heartache Show. While in Amsterdam she created the iconic One Woman Play, The Case of Katherine Mansfield with which she toured Europe, Australia, NZ and the USA, winning two awards at The Edinburgh Festival.
In 1993 Catherine was funded by the Suffrage Centennial Trust to adapt Rachel McAlpine's novel Farewell Speech which won a Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for Best New New Zealand Play.
She has been Artistic Director of The Court Theatre in Christchurch and Director of Downstage Theatre in Wellington
Catherine lives on Waiheke Island, and works as a freelance Actor, Director and Playwright.