Lilia with Libby Skala at Pentameters Theatre from 26 Oct

Lilia!, about the life of Oscar-nominated actress Lilia Skala, written and performed by her granddaughter, Libby Skala, at the Pentameters Theatre, in Hampstead, north London, from 26 Oct to 13 Nov 2010.

Tracing their intimate relationship over 20 years, in which Lilia served as mentor, teacher and role model, Libby plays both her indomitable grandmother and herself.

Lilia Skala was Austria' s first female architect, and went on to become a stage star in Max Reinhardt' s theatre and all over the German speaking world. In 1939 when Hitler invaded her home country, she fled to America as a penniless political refugee, not speaking a word of English, and starting life again as a humble zipper factory worker to support her family. She attended night school and within two years she was cast in a Broadway show. Her career on stage, in TV and film, continued for five decades, culminating with Oscar-nominated Hollywood fame in 'Lilies of the Field', in 1963, acting alongside Sidney Poitier.