I Shook Hands With Ronald Harwood

Ronald Harwood photo
Photography by Jean-Philippe DeFaut for The New York Times

Last Thursday I went to the screening of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.” This screening was at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. Ronald Harwood adapted the book and since I’m in one of his plays (TAKING SIDES) I had to meet him and invite him to the play.

I almost didn’t see the invitation in my inbox but thanks to James Sharpe, the lead in the play, he sent out an email to ask us cast and crew to go. So I jumped on the opportunity and I rsvp’d and went to the screening.

I thought that there would be a q&a after the screening and I’ll get to see what he looks like and then approach him on stage. But there was no q&a and I had no idea how to find him.

After the screening there was mingling and desert in the lobby and the patio. There were so many people, how could I find him? Well, I walked up to a photographer and hoped that he would know. And indeed he was very helpful and he showed me Ronald Harwood’s photo on his camera screen. Then he introduced me to someone who showed me where Ronald was.

And so I met Mr. Harwood, shook his hand. I told him how great the play was coming along and how honored we would be if he could come out and watch it. Unfortunately he said he was busy but he would have loved to come, would we have invited him earlier. Bummer.

I still handed him the envelop I brought along with the invite in it and with my headshot and contact info. And the next morning he called me. That was a huge surprise! He called me twice. He didn’t want to leave a message, so he called me until he could get a hold of me.

When I picked up the phone, he thanked me for getting him the invitation, for coming out to the screening to meet him. Again, he said he’ll be flying to NY and he wont be able to come but he wishes our cast all the Best and much success for the rest of the run.

What a great man! And what a great experience. I am grateful for the man who writes things that matter and I was honored to have met him.

Category: Goals, Performances, Taking Sides
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November 12th, 2007 , Enci
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Some Family History from WW II

Sari Fedak 1879-1955

Since I’m performing in TAKING SIDES, the play that is based on true events in the year 1946, I have been doing a lot of research about Germany, women growing up under the Nazi Regime, and I even tried to find some connection with me, my family and my past.

Well I found out earlier this year that I had a great-great aunt, who was a very famous Opera Singer, and a stage and film actress in Hungary. She lived from 1879 to 1955. Her name was Sari Fedak.

With some digging on some hungarian online groups and history websites, I found out that Sari was imprisoned after 1945 for one year. She was over 66 years old.

It turns out that she worked from 1919 on propagating the war and she ended up working for the Donausender Radio for the German Fascists.

Some searches later I also found out that at the age of 57 she adopted a jewish girl, who would have otherwise been deported to the camps.

This was not known until this girl, named Erzsebet Paksi Laszlone ( Elizabeth Paksi) went to see an exhibit about hungarian Divas in 2004 (68 years old at this time) and the exhibit inspired her to do some research in a local library.

Elizabeth found out by accident, that her father, Sandor Winter, was a jewish film maker, who married in 1935 a christian woman.

When Elizabeth was born, the family had to hide her and they took her to Sari to save her from the camp. Elizabeth’s mom never told her who her father was and Elizabeth never met her jewish dad. She only knew her mother and she was raised Catholic by Sari for 6 years and after that she was taken to a catholic convent.

I find this incredibly fascinating. What people did, what their motivation was, who they were, etc. How would I have reacted at that time? What side would I have chosen? Would I have died early or would I have survived? How do we choose between right and wrong, and how do we choose between survival or death?

I hope you will come out and see this show. I know it will inspire you in many ways.

Category: Performances, Rehearsals, Taking Sides
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October 30th, 2007 , Enci
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I Found Some Interesting Links

I did some search on MySpace. I typed in the search “Chornobyl” and a bunch of stuff came up. A lot of people write about the incident and I also found some people who are personally affected by it.

One couple for example adopted two children from Chornobyl. Find out for yourself by going to MySpace.

I also found this link:

http://www.englishrussia.com/?p=293

More links are coming. My computer froze so I’ll be back…

…

…Okay, I’m back with more links:

A Band that is influenced by the diseaster:

http://www.myspace.com/manequinn

myspacetv:

http://vids.myspace.com/…

More links:

http://blog.myspace.com…

http://www.myspace.com/herefordchernobyl

and more to come later…

Category: Voices From Chornobyl
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October 11th, 2007 , Enci
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That Chicken Won’t Leave Me Alone

It’s been a week since we performed at the Empty Stage and that chicken song won’t go out of my head.  HEEEELP!  I  wake up with it and I go to bed with the song and thorughout the day it’s constantly, and I mean constantly, in my head.

Category: Voices From Chornobyl
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October 6th, 2007 , Enci
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Full House at “Voices From Chornobyl”

Voices From Chornobyl postcard

I performed last Sunday in VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL and we had a full house. It was incredible!

My hubby and I had a few cyclists join us on our ride to the theatre and as promised, all cyclists got $5 off their tickets :-) . We were three riders going over to the west side, and we met up with three others at the Theatre.

After the show a Russian woman went up to the director in tears. She loved it!

We had people linger a bit afterward but not much. This I think is a good sign. People had a lot to think about. Some of my friends looked like in a daze from all that information that was thrown at them. It was great but also strange.

In the past couple of years I worked on shows that were happy and cheery, and we talked and laughed afterwards. But this feels almost like after “A Bright Room Called Day.” People needed time to absorb and to speak about what they experienced. Some people came over crying, remembering wars that they lived through. The responses of “Voices” reminds me of that.

We have one more show on Sunday, October 14th at 7 pm and the seats are filling up fast. Please, RSVP now at 323.552.3333 or email bookshoptheatre@gmail.com to get your seats. Again, we offer $5 off for anyone arriving on a bike. More info is on the website www.voicesfromchornobyl.com

I hope to see you after the show!

Category: Performances, Voices From Chornobyl
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October 5th, 2007 , Enci
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Less Than One Day Left

Todays rehearsal was so much fun! I think I laughed some tears :-)

I wish I could see the production as an audience member. I got goosebumps a few times during the run-through.

Cindy said that she got emotionally involved when she watched the rehearsal. Cindy read the book a million times, she knows some of the lines by heart and if she still gets moved, that says a lot.

I’m looking forward to performing tomorrow night. I’m nervous but I’m also very excited!

Category: Voices From Chornobyl
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September 29th, 2007 , Enci
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I Fell Asleep During Rehearsal

This cast is pretty amazing. I feel completely safe with everyone. I felt safe just crying my eyes out yesterday. I was crying from exhaustion. I felt safe today falling asleep while we were running lines.

That’s all we did today at rehearsal. Running lines. We ran them italian style, which is the speed read. We ran off book and on book. We red a few scenes separately and we also red the entire play from beginning to end stuttering, trying to remember our cues and our lines. It was great!

Tonight was very casual. No acting. Just rehearsing lines. And I felt very comfortable with everyone. It was a great rehearsal. And I got a shut-eye as well :-)

Category: Voices From Chornobyl
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September 28th, 2007 , Enci
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I’m Really Nervous Today

Yesterday I had no time to work on Chornobyl.  I’ve rehearsed for another play, that will open in October, then I had to do some VO work for that other play.  After that, I ran to vote at my Neighborhood Council election and then I was off to a Women In Theatre Quarterly Mixer that I was hosting.  I didn’t get home until 11 pm. Dead tired!

I didn’t read the book, I didn’t pick up the script, I didn’t practice my lines. Nothing. The only thing I did was find in the morning a pair of thick knitting needles and some thick yarn. And I knitted three rows in the “library.”

I liked the idea of knitting during Anna’s interview.  Cindy loved it so much, she asked me if I could knit something 10 feet long. Ha! She said that it’s not necessary but she loves the visual of Anna knitting an endless scarf.

I love the idea as well and even though Cindy said it’s not important, for me it is. I want to make the directors vision true. It’s her play and I love to be directed. Not bossed around. But directed. And Cindy does it well. So I’m going to try to knit an endless scarf for Sundays performance.

So much to do! I hope I’ll know my lines tonight at rehearsal. I’m really nervous. Only 4 days left. And I’m worried about my cues. I’m worried about remembering my lines. I’m just a nervous wreck today. Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!

Category: Voices From Chornobyl
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September 26th, 2007 , Enci
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Anna Petrovna Badaeva and Me

Anna Petrovna

Anna Petrovna Badaeva loves nature. And so do I. Cindy offered me Anna’s role because she new that Anna and I are very compatible.So why do I struggle with my character? Why do I struggle with my lines? Why do I have such difficulty to connect to some words? Because I did not live through the disaster?

Tonight, after rehearsal I rode home on my bicycle and four full grown coyotes crossed my path. I slowed down and followed them. They stopped and looked at me. They were curious. I held my distance. I watched them and they watched me.

Then three of them started playing with each other. They looked beautiful. They let me watch them. And when I decided to go, one of them ran ahead of me and the other three were following me while they were chasing leaves on the ground.

I was so happy with them, I had to laugh out loud. I thought of Anna. I thought of her and I thought, this is how she would laugh. This is how she would feel amongst the animals. I think I truly found the connection with her tonight. I found the connection we share. To the animals. To earth.

What will happen to the part of her life that I can’t connect to? Who knows. I’ll keep looking.

Category: Voices From Chornobyl
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September 20th, 2007 , Enci
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One Day I’m in Russia And the Next In Germany

I’ve been rehearsing all week long for two plays that I’m involved in. “Taking Sides” and “Voices From Chornobyl” (I just built the website for it, check it out) two plays that are historical and that are heavy.

I have been rehearsing each day rotating the plays. One day I’m in Russia in 1986 and the next day I’m in Berlin, Germany in 1946.

My head is spinning and I just want to cry for all the people, for all those in the unknown, for all those who suffered. I want to scream, and wail after some of the rehearsals. And I want to shut everything out at times.

But I love what I’m working on! I love that I feel so alive that I can feel so much! I love the emotions that come up during rehearsal and during research.

Tomorrow I’m back in Russia and Sunday in Germany again. What a week! What an adventure! What a journey! I’m glad to be alive and healthy!

September 14th, 2007 , Enci
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