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.

Today we had our first real rehearsal for “Taking Sides.” The cast came together at 12 noon at the little SkyPilot Theatre in Toluca Lake and after we signed away our life for the next 5 weeks of rehearsals ( ) we got on our feet and on stage and worked Act I until almost 4 pm.

It was exhausting! Mentally! As we are getting to know each other as actors, we are also getting to know each others characters.

Michael Brainard, who is directing this play, directed me in two other plays at Stages Entertainment in Orange County. He was the first person to cast me on american stage

(Yes, Mike, if you are reading this, the truth is out. To be completely truthful, Mike, I am forever grateful for giving me your trust, the first time in “A Murder of Crows” and then a second time in “Frontier.” Working with you gave me a lot of confidence as a performer and as an artist. I thank you for that! And now you are giving me your trust for the third time. This is an actors dream come true!)

Rob Tepper, playing Lieutenant David Wills, I worked with before on “A Bright Room Called Day” by Tony Kushner and he is an amazing actor to work with!

James Sharpe is playing Major Steve Arnold, who blew me away at the table read and I’m looking forward to working with him for the next 10 weeks.

Katy Boyer, who has quite the acting experience on imdb, plays Tamara Sachs, and I’ll guarantee that her performance will blow your socks off. At todays rehearsal she didn’t hold back even though she had her hands full with the script and her pen.

Wilhelm Furtw??ngler is played by Benton Jennings whom you will probably recognize from many movies, tv show and/or his commercial appearances.

Helmut Rode is played by Eric Johnson, whom I can’t find anything about on line. Eric’s character is so amazing to me. It reveals so much about us human beings.

And lastly, I’m playing Emmi Straube, the secretary to Major Steve Arnold. I love me role for many, many reasons! I have so much going on internally. And I get to speak a few lines in German. I always wanted to speak German or Hungarian on stage and now I can (thank you, again, Mike!)

This is my short introduction to the cast. I’m still trying to absorb todays rehearsal and as I try to sort things out for me and for my character, I am feeling greatful for writers like Ronald Harwood who write meaningful plays with great characters that I can sink my soul into.