Libby Skala - Spokesman-Review

The Spokesman-Review

Thursday, September 23, 2004

History to take place at Interplayers Sunday

Two pieces of history will take center stage at Spokane Interplayers Ensemble on Sunday.

The theater will dedicate its auditorium at 174 S. Howard St. in honor of its founders, Bob and Joan Welch.

And as part of the festivities, Libby Skala - a New York actress appearing with the Welches in Interplayers' current production, "Painting Churches" - will present her acclaimed one-woman play "Lilia," about her grandmother, Oscar-nominated actress Lilia Skala.

Lilia Skala was a famous Austrian actress (and that country's first female architect who fled the Nazis and came to the United States in 1939. She attended night school to learn English while working in a New York City zipper factory by day. Within two years she was cast in a Broadway show, and her career on stage and in television and film continued for five decades.

She received a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her role opposite Sidney Poitier as the chapel-building nun Mother Maria in "Lilies of the Field" (1963). Her other film credits included "Charly," "Ship of Fools" and "Flashdance"; among her numerous TV appearances was the special "Eleanor and Franklin," which earned her an Emmy nomination. She died in 1994 at age 97.

In the program for "Lilia," Libby Skala says of her grandmother: "After receiving countless acting award nominations, she said, 'I believe I've barely scratched the surface in terms of what's inside me - of what I can give to mankind." She asked me to write a part for her. Here it is!"

Skala portrays both herself and her grandmother in "Lilia," tracing their sometimes strained relationship over the years. It debuted at the Kelowna (B.C.) Alternative Fringe Festival in 1999 and has since been performed across the United States and England, as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

A New York Times reviewer said Skala was "Magnetic in a part that clearly means the world to her."

Sunday's events begin with a reception at 1 p.m. in the theater's Gellhorn Gallery, followed by a 2 p.m. performance of "Lilia." A dedication and public open house will follow.

Tickets to the reception, performance and dedication are $50, available by calling 455-PLAY weekdays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Last Updated: 3/4/2009

LIBBY

SKALA

Performer Writer