BWW Interviews: Julia Silverman and Liza de Weerd Discuss Collected Stories to Open at Group Rep, October 12

Sherry Netherland directs actors Liza de Weerd and Julia Silverman in Collected Stories, opening Friday, October 12^th at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in the NoHo Arts District. Silverman recently received critical praise for her role in Group rep's The Paris Letter and de Weerd for her role in Group rep's Wait Until Dark.

Both actresses, who are GRT veterans, recently sat down to discuss the play and its challenges.

Julia:  My parents and grandparents have always gone to the theatre.  My grandparents would keep their playbills, and mark notes (Gertrude Lawrence - "wonderful as always").  I think it was in my early teens I started tip-toeing into the world of theatre. In high school, I was lucky to have had an amazing theatre teacher who set high artistic standards.  I was hooked.

Liza:  I'm one of those people who pretty much came out of the womb knowing what I wanted to do.  I’ve been involved in performing as long as I can remember.  I think I did my first play around age six.

How do you know each other?

 Liza:  We met two and a half years ago doing a play called A Shayna Maidel at ICT.  Julia played my mother and Larry Eisenberg, one of GRT's co-artistic directors, played my father. We all had a wonderful experience working together and were looking for something else to collaborate on.

Don Grigware is an Ovation nominated actor and writer whose contributions to theatre through the years have included 6 years as theatre editor of NoHoLA, a contributor to LA Stage magazine and currently on his own website: www.grigwaretalkstheatre.com

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