Tanna Frederick
by Lydia Rilea
Following my viewing of the Sierra Madre Playhouse production of Sylvia by A.R. Gurney, I sat down with the incredible personality of the lady behind the title character. We conducted our interview on the run, as the stage manager of the playhouse was exhibiting infinite patience in trying to close the stage down and still accommodate our chat.
Under these rushed, hurried and herded circumstances, I asked Tanna what about the role had so fascinated her to the point of taking it on.
Tanna, it seems was looking for a show, and having lost their former lead, "Sylvia" was looking for a replacement. Through an act of incredible serendipity, it worked. Tanna explained that she'd been told on several separate occasions that she should play the character of Sylvia, it was a challenge which called to her. She committed to a read through, and the character just simply fit her like a glove.
The night which I viewed the performance, there was a benefit funding the local Sierra Madre Humane Society, so I asked Tanna her opinion of the Humane Society and its work.
Tanna wasn't familiar with local Societies, but said that back home, in Iowa it was considered a huge deal. With the many farms surrounding her home, she said animals were given priority and consideration and that the facilities and services were run very well, and she had great respect for the work they did.
I went back to addressing the character, and asked her if there was a particular item of wardrobe which helped her get into character.
Items were chosen from her own wardrobe as well as costuming to give her the various stages of this homeless character who suddenly finds herself set up, and taken care of in the lap of luxury, from frumpy sweaters, to tennies, to tutu's, and each variation in costume lent itself to the needs of the character in that portion of the performance. Also, hair changes, insignificant to major also helped with the "feel" of the character.
As the character develops through the course of the performance, it is quickly apparent that the story hinges on the relationship between the title character Sylvia, played by Tanna, and the character of Greg, her owner (as played by Stephen Howard). I asked her feelings on that relationship.
"My first impression of Stephen was that if I were a dog, I would choose this man, if I were alone in a park, and saw Stephen sitting on a bench, he's the perfect man to find. The character of Greg needs Sylvia as much as Sylvia needs Greg, it's the quintessential love, adoration relationship everyone looks for." Tanna said. Her hands waved enthusiastically showing as much affection as her words did.
Talking about the interaction between Sylvia and Greg led me to wonder if Ms. Frederick had a pet of her own, which she does. For the past three years, she has been the great friend of a Shiba Inu named Garbo. It's her first dog, and she loves Garbo every bit as much as the character of Greg loves Sylvia in the show.
Tanna went on to explain that the closeness of the cast really lent itself to the incredible flow and smoothness of the production. She said that everyone of them were fantastic actors, not only Mr. Howard, but also Cathy Arden who beautifully and endearingly plays "Kate" the pushed to her limit wife of Greg., as well as Frank Dooley who manages to take on several characters. "Everyone has each others backs, and the comfort of knowing that keeps each scene flowing."
There is a moment in the show, when Sylvia breaks out in song. Tanna Frederick has a lovely voice and I was curious to know if this was the first production which called for singing. She cited Iowa again, explaining that there are fantastic music programs there, and she'd studied swing, show, chamber as well as choir. This training helped in "Irene in Time" her second film, where singing was required. She said she would love to do a musical, I personally hope she will get her chance soon.
"Sylvia" is such an entertaining production that giving away plot points is something which I'd prefer not to do, however, I must point out that the "heat" scene is hilarious. According to Tanna, the original play calls for the use of a lot of profanity. The Playhouse preferred keeping it a "family" style production, so Ms. Frederick was left with the task of conveying a lot of the emotion without the language. Her answer was flirty, evocative and hilarious. I personally laughed so hard I was dabbing my eyes constantly to keep the tears from falling.
Though the production has closed at Sierra Madre Playhouse, there are hopes that it will move to a new venue under a new Director. If you have a chance to see Tanna Frederick as Sylvia, it will be a treat like no other.
I'd like to close by saying that my interview with Tanna was lovely. She is a glowingly delightful person and anything she performs in, she would improve, no matter what it might be. My gratitude to Ms. Frederick for both her time, and her kindness.
Following my viewing of the Sierra Madre Playhouse production of Sylvia by A.R. Gurney, I sat down with the incredible personality of the lady behind the title character. We conducted our interview on the run, as the stage manager of the playhouse was exhibiting infinite patience in trying to close the stage down and still accommodate our chat.
Under these rushed, hurried and herded circumstances, I asked Tanna what about the role had so fascinated her to the point of taking it on.
Tanna, it seems was looking for a show, and having lost their former lead, "Sylvia" was looking for a replacement. Through an act of incredible serendipity, it worked. Tanna explained that she'd been told on several separate occasions that she should play the character of Sylvia, it was a challenge which called to her. She committed to a read through, and the character just simply fit her like a glove.
The night which I viewed the performance, there was a benefit funding the local Sierra Madre Humane Society, so I asked Tanna her opinion of the Humane Society and its work.
Tanna wasn't familiar with local Societies, but said that back home, in Iowa it was considered a huge deal. With the many farms surrounding her home, she said animals were given priority and consideration and that the facilities and services were run very well, and she had great respect for the work they did.
I went back to addressing the character, and asked her if there was a particular item of wardrobe which helped her get into character.
Items were chosen from her own wardrobe as well as costuming to give her the various stages of this homeless character who suddenly finds herself set up, and taken care of in the lap of luxury, from frumpy sweaters, to tennies, to tutu's, and each variation in costume lent itself to the needs of the character in that portion of the performance. Also, hair changes, insignificant to major also helped with the "feel" of the character.
As the character develops through the course of the performance, it is quickly apparent that the story hinges on the relationship between the title character Sylvia, played by Tanna, and the character of Greg, her owner (as played by Stephen Howard). I asked her feelings on that relationship.
"My first impression of Stephen was that if I were a dog, I would choose this man, if I were alone in a park, and saw Stephen sitting on a bench, he's the perfect man to find. The character of Greg needs Sylvia as much as Sylvia needs Greg, it's the quintessential love, adoration relationship everyone looks for." Tanna said. Her hands waved enthusiastically showing as much affection as her words did.
Talking about the interaction between Sylvia and Greg led me to wonder if Ms. Frederick had a pet of her own, which she does. For the past three years, she has been the great friend of a Shiba Inu named Garbo. It's her first dog, and she loves Garbo every bit as much as the character of Greg loves Sylvia in the show.
Tanna went on to explain that the closeness of the cast really lent itself to the incredible flow and smoothness of the production. She said that everyone of them were fantastic actors, not only Mr. Howard, but also Cathy Arden who beautifully and endearingly plays "Kate" the pushed to her limit wife of Greg., as well as Frank Dooley who manages to take on several characters. "Everyone has each others backs, and the comfort of knowing that keeps each scene flowing."
There is a moment in the show, when Sylvia breaks out in song. Tanna Frederick has a lovely voice and I was curious to know if this was the first production which called for singing. She cited Iowa again, explaining that there are fantastic music programs there, and she'd studied swing, show, chamber as well as choir. This training helped in "Irene in Time" her second film, where singing was required. She said she would love to do a musical, I personally hope she will get her chance soon.
"Sylvia" is such an entertaining production that giving away plot points is something which I'd prefer not to do, however, I must point out that the "heat" scene is hilarious. According to Tanna, the original play calls for the use of a lot of profanity. The Playhouse preferred keeping it a "family" style production, so Ms. Frederick was left with the task of conveying a lot of the emotion without the language. Her answer was flirty, evocative and hilarious. I personally laughed so hard I was dabbing my eyes constantly to keep the tears from falling.
Though the production has closed at Sierra Madre Playhouse, there are hopes that it will move to a new venue under a new Director. If you have a chance to see Tanna Frederick as Sylvia, it will be a treat like no other.
I'd like to close by saying that my interview with Tanna was lovely. She is a glowingly delightful person and anything she performs in, she would improve, no matter what it might be. My gratitude to Ms. Frederick for both her time, and her kindness.
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