The Associated Press reports that Wilson will play Brick in Cat, part of the Center's upcoming festival "Tennessee Williams Explored." Wilson will join the previously announced Dana Ivey as Big Mama; George Grizzard has also joined the cast as Big Daddy, and Side Show Tony nominee Emily Skinner will play Sister Woman. The role of Maggie the Cat has yet to be cast. Mark Lamos will direct the production, which will play the Eisenhower Theatre, June 1-20. Lamos replaced the late Gerald Gutierrez, who recently died in his sleep of respiratory failure as a result of the flu. Lamos, who was a long-time artistic director of Hartford Stage, received a Tony Award nomination for his direction of Our Country's Good. His other Broadway directorial credits include The Deep Blue Sea and The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm.

Patrick Wilson received Tony nominations for his work in Oklahoma! and The Full Monty. The young actor will also be seen in the film of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera as well as the Disney historical drama “The Alamo.”

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2700 F. Street, NW in Washington, D.C. Tickets for “Tennessee Williams Explored” will go on sale Feb. 7, 2004. For more information about the Center’s many productions, go to www.kennedy-center.org.