Libby Skala - The List Interview

The List

Scotland

2 - 9 August 2001

Lilia by Libby Skala

The mother-daughter bond is familiar territory for novelists and playwrights. Less usual are the complex ties that skip a generation. Canadian-American actress/playwright Libby Skala reportedly fills that gap brilliantly in a warts-and-all tribute to her domineering grandmother, Lilia Skala. Austria's first female architect and a respected actress, she fled Vienna in 1939, learned English and within two years landed on Broadway after working in a factory. Oscar-nominated for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field, she died in 1994 age 98.

Would grandma approve of this dramatisation of her life and character? 'She'd be grateful that I took some initiative,' the younger Skala says. 'She always said, "It's not enough to be a pretty girl. You've got to do something with your life!'"

Gilded Balloon Theatre, 3 - 27 Aug, 2pm.

(Donald Hutera)

Last Updated: 3/4/2009

LIBBY

SKALA

Performer Writer