Well hello, Holly! Holly's the latest winner of the Apollo Standing O Award, and once you've read her profile, you'll see why we're just gaga over this talented young LD. She first appeared on our radar in 2007 when she won the Barbizon Award. But that's just one of the many kudos to her credit. In college, she double majored in drama and math (yes, math!), graduated summa cum laude, and went on to earn an MFA in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Madison - picking up awards and admirers along the way. Currently, she's an architectural lighting designer for Harwood Engineering Consultants, Ltd. in Milwaukee and does theatre design in her spare time. Oh, and did we mention she can cook?

WHY HER: Holly's a true renaissance woman. She's into theatrical design, architectural design, mathematics, outdoor sports, cooking, even woodworking. And everything she does, she does well. Like specifying the right gel, of course.

HER PLAYGROUND: The theatre, architectural interiors and exteriors, her kitchen, the great outdoors, a fertile imagination.

WHY APOLLO GEL: I love the names of Apollo gel because they're names you can taste. When you're drawing inspiration from all corners of your mind, sometimes the strongest reaction will come from a place other than a visual source. When the color tastes right (Groovy Grape...mmm), you have to give it a shot.

INSPIRATIONS: Cooking with friends, math, X-country skiing, walking her pug Ruby, hiking, biking, kayaking, woodworking, spending time with her favorite person, and "taking a break and letting my brain relax."

TURN-OFFS: "I have to say that nothing will distract my attention from a conversation faster than poor grammar and mispronunciations." Major offenders include "ex-pecially," "a whole nother," and "pacific" (for specific). "Boo to bad grammar."

ALLTIME FAVORITE SHOW: "A perennial favorite is Twelfth Night. I love the themes and poetry in it, and I have seen some amazing productions of that play."

MOST RECENT APOLLO SUCCESS: "I did You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown most recently with Apollo gel. We were going for this stylized Lichtenstein-esque overblown comic page look with the production, and the colors I needed from the gel came through beautifully."

LATEST KICK: "My favorite new kick has nothing to do with lighting design. This time of year I get really into cooking soups and stews. I've made posole, scallop and corn chowder, dal (Indian lentil stew), and squash soup. Next I'm going for a great chili recipe I have that calls for five kinds of meat. Awesome."

BIGGEST FEAR: "I get scared when I have expectations about a show, because it's so seldom when anything lives up (or down) to our expectations. I have learned now to always check myself if I hear myself thinking, 'Oh, this won't be that hard' or 'This is going to be impossible.' I have learned not to ignore those feelings but try to adjust and realize that challenges (foreseen and unforeseen) are the essence of this work."

BIGGEST THRILL: "I love creating tight moments where the timing and flow of the lighting seems almost supernatural - when the performers are so present and invested in the play, and it seems like they are making the lighting happen. When my design work helps make a moment like that in a show it gives me chills. I love it."

WHAT SHE'S LISTENING TO: "I am a news and politics nut, so when I'm listening to something during the day it's NPR - or the Stephanie Miller Show if I need some funny with my politics. More than any other artist I own Bob Dylan albums, but I love classic country like Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline and Willie Nelson."

EDUCATION: MFA in Theatre (Lighting Design Emphasis), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2007; BA in Drama/Speech and Mathematics, Clarke College, Dubuque, IA, 1997, summa cum laude.

OTHER APOLLO FAVES: "I have used Apollo steel templates, but I'm really looking forward to the first show where it's right to use an Apollo Super Resolution glass template. I hear their clarity is amazing."

AWARDS: Apollo Standing O Award, 2008; USITT Lighting Design Award sponsored by Barbizon, 2007; Charlene Wackman Award (UW-Madison), 2006; Meritorious Achievement in Lighting Design (KC/ACTF), 2005; Maneve Dunham Fine Arts Award (Clarke College, Dubuque), 1997.

WINNER'S REACTION: "When I found out I had won the Apollo Standing O Award I was pretty floored. It feels great to get this recognition, but I'm just doing what I love. Everyone should get awarded for doing what they love."