ACTING IS a tough business, especially for women. Good projects are few and far between. Some stars become powerful enough to find their own material and produce it. But with the right amount of grit, even actresses with names not known in every household can work continuously.

Take Tanna Frederick. She’s starred in Henry Jaglom‘s last four movies, with a new one on the way, “The M Word.” But she’s not just resting on her Jaglom. Tanna is a smart cookie. She put on and starred in two long-running plays in Los Angeles in the past few years. And she directed her latest stage effort, Clair Chafee’s “Why We Have a Body.”

Miss Frederick watched a lot of old Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movies. You know; the ones where Judy or Mickey would suddenly exclaim, “Let’s put on show!” (Usually in a barn, or an abandoned warehouse or a theater about to be torn down.) And, of course, the little show was always a great big hit. Tanna thought, “If Judy and Mickey could do it, why can’t I?” Miss Frederick’s got a lot of grit, and greasepaint is her middle name.

This summer Tanna will accept a distinguished alumnus award from the University of Iowa. She will be the youngest recipient ever. And Tanna has saved enough money to make four indie movies, also funding fellow Hawkeye filmmakers.

Tanna Frederick. I must say I never heard the name. But now that I know her story, I won’t forget it. And don’t you, either. I have a feeling we’re going to hear more from this girl.

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From the moment Frederick steps on stage, you are transported to a different world. One that has a crazed outlook, that only Tanna is able to carry to into, but once you are there, it’s like “Alice in Wonderland,” because you get to see so many other fascinating characters, all played to perfection by three gorgeous and talented leading ladies. In Frederick’s play, there are no supporting players, they each have their own place on stage, and Barbara Bain plays the only sensible character in the play, because fortunately for (Eleanor), she spends her entire time running away from two deliriously insane daughters (Mary and Lili), who are perfectly played by Frederick and co-star Alex Sedrowski! Then add phenomenal actress Cathy Arden (Renee), who is sexually involved with Lili, and you won’t stop laughing from the opening scene until the foursome run off stage in totally different directions.

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Claire Chafee’s comedy, Why We Have a Body has just opened at The Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica. Chafee’s play originally opened in San Francisco in 1993 and enjoyed a long run. It is especially timely now with the current political climate bringing gay marriage and women’s rights into question.

Why We Have a Body is Tanna Frederick’s directorial debut. She also stars as Mary, a crazy young woman who robs convenience stores and is in and out of jail. Tanna is a comedic gem as Mary. Some of the funniest physical comedy I have seen in a long time. She has some touching moments as well and even though she is crazy, and a criminal, you still fall in love with her.

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Claire Chafee’s comedy “Why We Have a Body” is a lighthearted fable, centering on four women, about love in all its permutations. Lili (Alex Sedrowski) is a private detective who specializes in investigating adulterous husbands yet falls in love with married woman Renee (Cathy Arden), whom she meets on an airplane. Lili’s sister, Mary (Tanna Frederick), fantasizes about being Joan of Arc and dreams of female empowerment, which she seeks to achieve by robbing convenience stores, until her life of crime catches up with her. The two sisters long for a close-knit family, but their mother, Eleanor (Barbara Bain), is too busy exploring exotic places to have time for maternal responsibilities. There is also a quintet of musicians (David Abrams, guitar; Cooper Appelt, bass; Robert Humphreys, drums and percussion; Kyle O’Donnell, saxophone; and Trevor Steer, piano), who play Edward Auslender’s eclectic score and interact with the actors.

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Tanna Frederick makes her directorial debut with Claire Chafee’s delightful “Why We Have A Body.” This spirited comedy is a joint venture with The Rainbow Theatre Company and The Edgemar Center for The Arts. Frederick’s direction is upbeat, spirited and brings out the best of her very talented ensemble cast which includes Barbara Bain (Eleanor, the absent mother), Cathy Arden (Renee, the lover), Alexandra Sedrowski (Lili, the private investigator sister) and of course Tanna Frederick (Mary, the crazed sister). It is no easy feat to self-direct but Frederick certainly meets this challenge well. She moved the play at a fast clip and had a very nice balance of the absurd and real and in the over-all pacing. This is one of playwright Claire Chafee’s best known works which premiered in San Francisco in 1993 with a long run and was revived last year and ran off Broadway. This comedy makes for an interesting and fun evening with laughs at the human foibles of the four women. Chafee shows what shaped much of women’s thinking through different generations. The play was done in a poetic and mystical style Chafee has many zinging one liners that give pause for thought. The dialog is rich with imagery.

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If you live in Los Angeles and don’t know who Tanna Frederick is, you probably haven’t driven down Sunset Boulevard sometime in the past few years. Her face has been plastered on the billboard in front of the complex that housed the now closed Sunset Laemmle theatres. Why, you ask? She is independent director Henry Jaglom’s de facto leading lady.  As I have often wondered who this woman on the billboard is, I jumped at the chance to speak with her about her relationship with Jaglom and her upcoming film, The M Word. And while Tanna has had what many aspiring actors must consider enviable success, it hasn’t gone to her head — her bubbly personality and natural charm make her utterly likable.

Earlier this year, Tanna Frederick was a huge hit with audiences and critics in the enormously popular comedy “Sylvia,” when it was presented at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Now, she brings her starring performance to the Westside, where the play will be given a different directorial perspective by its new award-winning director, Gary Imhoff; and a new look from its award-winning production designer Joel Daavid. “Sylvia” runs May 20- July 10, 2011. Thurs. through Sat at 7:30, Sun. at 5.

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Me. New Years Eve. We’re having a party and I’m hiding in the kitchen, depressed by the happy people invading my house.  I get like that when I haven’t worked for a while. Brain shuts down, tear ducts on over-drive, the meaning of life eludes me. Basically my Eleanora Duse goes into full swing, and I become a monster to all those near and dear.

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