Libby Skala - Darien Times, Etc. 4

THE DARIEN TIMES

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2003

ARTS & LEISURE

Libby Skala's one-woman play, 'LILIA!'

to make another run in New York City

Former Darien resident Libby Skala's one-woman play, "LILIA!" has returned for an extended run as part of the New York Solo Play Festival at the Where Eagles Dare Theatre, 347 W. 36th St., New York City.

The hit of the Fourth International Midtown Theatre Festival, the play will be performed at 7 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays until Dec. 9.

In "LILIA!," Skala, who grew up in Darien and performed her show at the Weatherstone Studio under the auspices of the Darien Arts Center three years ago, portrays both herself and her actress grandmother, Oscar nominee Lilia Skala.

In this heart-warming tale about the journey of a remarkable woman and the connection between two kindred spirits, Skala tells the true story of the Viennese-born actress who became the first female architect in Austria, a stage star in Max Reinhardt's theater, and finally a Hitler refugee who leaped from New York zipper factory to a career on Broadway, television and film.

Portraying their special relationship, Lilia also humorously guides her granddaughter through the perilous waters of being an actress in New York and Hollywood.

Lilia Skala collected an Academy Award nomination for her role as "Mother Superior" in the 1963 classic "Lilies of the Field," opposite Sidney Poitier; a Golden Globe nomination for "Roseland;" and an Emmy Award nomination for "Eleanor and Franklin."

"In the last conversation I had with my grandmother, she asked me to write a part for her," Libby said. "She was an extraordinary woman who had an extraordinary life. I began developing the show immediately."

Skala has performed the play at venues across North America and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It was selected as "Best Show" at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival in 2000 out of 118 shows.

Bruce Weber, a reviewer for The New York Times, wrote, "Ms. Skala does a marvelous rendition, in an evocative Middle European patois, of her grandmother's velveteen, old world charm. An adoring portrait ... Libby Skala is magnetic in a part that clearly means the world to her."

For tickets, call Smarttix at (212) 868-4444, or visit smarttix.com.

For more information, visit liliashow.homestead.com

Last Updated: 3/4/2009

LIBBY

SKALA

Performer Writer