THE DARIEN TIMES
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2002
Libby S[k]ala brings 'Lilia!'
to Sande Shurin Theatre
After sold out performances in Los Angeles and Toronto, actress/playwright Libby Skala
brings her one-woman show "Lilia!" to the Sande
Shurin Theatre New York City.
In it, Skala plays both herself and her grandmother, actress Lilia Skala, simulta-
neously. The play entails the true story of
her grandmother, a 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 worked her way
out of a New York zipper factory to a career
on Broadway, television and film.
Lilia Skala went on to collect award nominations for her performances in "Roseland"
(Golden Globe), "Eleanor and Franklin" (Emmy)
and, most notably, Oscar and Golden Globe
nominations for her role as "Mother Superior" in
the 1963 classic "lilies of the Field," opposite
Sidney Poitier.
Libby Skala literally morphs from one Libby Skalacharacter into the other, and from her own early
childhood through adulthood. The story captures their bittersweet relationship, in which the Grande Dame serves as mentor, role model, and at times unwitting adversary.
Before she died in 1994, Lilia asked Libby to write a part for her. Libby, who was then an emerging New York-based actress, began developing the show through improvisation shortly after her grandmother was gone.Today, "Lilia!" has been received with acclaim across North America and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.The play is directed by Tony Award-nominee Gabriel Barre, who most recently directed the Off-Broadway production of "The Summer of '42" and the national tour of "Cinderella," starring Eartha Kitt. For additional information and photos, visit Liliashow.homestead.com. 
COPYRIGHT © 2007 LIBBY SKALA
Last Updated: 3/4/2009
LIBBY
SKALA
Performer Writer
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