Tanna Frederick recently wrapped production on Henry Jaglom’s romantic mystery “Ovation” starring opposite James Denton. The story is set in the backstage world of theatre where the cast struggles to keep their play afloat while they search for a murder suspect amongst themselves.
Frederick is currently starring in Jaglom’s original play “Train to Zakopané” at the Edgemar Theatre in Santa Monica. The play is based upon true events that occurred in the life of Jaglom’s father as he crossed Poland on a train in 1928. Anti-Semitism was, at that time, rife in much of Europe, especially in Poland. In the play, a successful Russian businessman (Jaglom’s father) meets a young nurse in the Polish army (Tanna) on a train-trip to Warsaw, and he is faced with a life-changing dilemma when he discovers that the nurse he is drawn to and who is enchanted by him is fiercely anti-Semitic.
Next year Frederick will star as a single mother who returns to Iowa (Frederick’s hometown) to deal with her past in “Garner, Iowa”.
Last year she starred in a year long performance of “The Rainmaker” at the Edgemar Theatre. The Los Angeles Times gave it Critics’ Choice and said, “The standout of this terrific cast is Tanna Frederick’s acerbically yearning Lizzie…It’s a transformation not to be missed.”
Frederick’s performance in her first feature with Jaglom, “Hollywood Dreams,” earned her Best Actress at WorldFest Houston, Montana International Film Festival, Fargo Film Festival and the Wild Rose Film Festival. The film took Best Picture honors at the San Luis Obispo Film Festival and to Best Comedy at WorldFest Houston. She was named Method Fest’s “Performer to Watch” and has also received the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre Festival’s “Maverick” Award.
Off-screen, Frederick has proved just as driven and talented. A fitness aficionado who runs daily, Frederick ranked 52nd out of 1,321 women in her division in the LA Marathon. She is a second-degree Tae Kwon Do blackbelt and a passionate surfer. She founded “Project Save Our Surf,” a non-profit that promotes clean oceans and water. She is also founder of the Iowa Film Festival, now in its’ seventh year and was named recipient of the University of Iowa’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2012.
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Jan. 6, 2015
SPECIAL EVENT ON JANUARY 17: A UNIQUE THEATRICAL DOUBLE FEATURE:
“DUTCHMAN” AND “TRAIN TO ZAKOPANE” AT EDGEMAR CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Two plays exploring the bigotry of racism and anti-Semitism will be presented in a unique one-night event scheduled fittingly on Saturday, January 17, during the week of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, at Edgemar Center for the Arts.
First up at 6:00 p.m.is a staged reading of “Dutchman,” the one-act by Amiri Baraka in which a Black man on a subway train does not fare well in an encounter with a lone white woman. It is directed by Levy Lee Simon, whose own play “The Magnificent Hotel Dunbar” received critical and popular acclaim in its recent production downtown.”Dutchman” stars Tanna Frederick and Siaka Massaquoi and is presented by The Rainbow Theater Company in association with Kilpatrick/Cambridge Theatre Arts and Jazzlion Productions.
Then, at 7:30 pm., there is a performance of the long-running and critically acclaimed play by famed writer and filmmaker Henry Jaglom,“Train to Zakopané.”
In 1928, a young Jewish businessman concealing his ethnicity is traveling in Europe by train. Along the way, he and a beautiful Polish nurse meet and fall in love.
But the nurse is an avowed and unashamed anti-Semite, who harbors a secret of her own. The play, based on true events in the life of playwrite Jaglom’s late father,
is directed by Gary Imhoff with a superb cast toplined by Tanna Frederick and Mike Falkow and featuring Stephen Howard, Cathy Arden, Jeff Elam and Kelly DeSarla. Presented by The Rainbow Theatre Company in association with Edgemar Center for the Arts, it will continue it’s regular run the next day at the 5pm Sunday matinee
and in the weeks and possibly months that follow Saturday’s unique double bill.
Both plays star Tanna Frederick as the female lead. Having completed a year-long run in “The Rainmaker” at The Edgemar, which was designated a “Critic’s Choice” by the Los Angeles Times (while lavishly praising her performance), she has continued to win plaudits for her astonishing body of work, both on stage and
on screen, most recently in Mr. Jaglom’s critically acclaimed film, “The M Word.”
Saturday evening’s double bill will conclude with a wine and cheese reception.
All proceeds from the Saturday, January 17 event will benefit The Museum Of Tolerance.
Minimum contribution $25.
At Edgemar Center for The Arts, 2437 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405.
Parking is available in an adjacent lot (fee charged).
Reservations can be made online at www.edgemar.org or by calling 310/ 392-7327.
