Maripat Donovan is a Chicago-born actress and writer best known as the creator and original star of the hit comedy play Late Nite Catechism. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Donovan attended Catholic grammar and high school before studying at Loyola University on the city's North Side. Donovan's early career was rooted in theater, working behind the scenes building and designing sets for her high school and college theater departments. She later started her own construction company renovating houses for several years. In 1985, Donovan returned to acting as an understudy in the play Portrait of a Shiksa, earning a Jeff Citation for Best Supporting Actress for her performance. She received another Jeff Citation for her ensemble work in The Good Times Are Killing Me. In 1993, Donovan co-created the comedy Late Nite Catechism with her writing partner Vicki Quade. The participatory theater piece features a sole actress playing a Catholic nun interacting with the audience as students. Donovan originated the role of "Sister" and has starred in virtually every production across the United States, London, Dublin and Toronto over the past three decades. Late Nite Catechism became a massive hit, becoming the longest-running show in Chicago history and the longest-running one-character comedy off-Broadway. For her work, Donovan was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award and two Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, winning for Best Solo Performance in 1999. The show has raised over $2 million for retired nuns in need as of 2012.