Does Tanna Frederick ever rest? The 32-year old Hollywood actress appears to always be involved in something. When she’s not starring in a feature film, she’s acting on stage; or behind the scenes directing the production; or working on the film festival she established in her native Iowa; or advocating for cleaning up the California coastline; or just surfing. Does she do windows? We didn’t ask.

Frederick is best-known for the numerous films she’s worked on with indie cult director Henry Jablom, the British-born, LA-based writer/director best-known for his intimate dramas and comedies.

Since 2006, the pair has worked on both film and stage projects together, including “Hollywood Dreams,” in which she played a young woman, Margie Chizek, from Mason City, Iowa that’s comes to Hollywood to break into the movie business. In a positive review of the film, The New York Times described Frederick as having “tumbling Titian curls and a smile as wide as Hollywood Boulevard…

Critically acclaimed actress Tanna Frederick, who is a Mason City native and the Founder of Project Cornlight (www.ProjectCornlight.org), adds another accolade to her resume this weekend as she is honored at the inaugural Julien Dubuque International Film Festival (ww.JulienFilmFest.com). Frederick will receive the 2012 CineCause Award at the CineCause Gala on Friday, April 20, at the
historic Hotel Julien in downtown Dubuque. Presenting the award is CineCause CEO Jon Fitzgerald.
CineCause is a filter to quality film programming, connecting news, celebrities and socially relevant films
with related causes (www.CineCause.com).

read the press release

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.

read the full article

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.

read more

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.

read more

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.

read more

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.

read more

Tanna Frederick will star in indie film director Henry Jaglom‘s romantic comedy “The ‘M’ Word,” which begins principal photography November 28th in Los Angeles. Corey Feldman (Lost Boys), Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos) and Francis Fisher (Janie Jones) will co-star.

“The ‘M’ Word” will explore the themes of menopause, men and menses. It will Mark Frederick‘s fifth collaboration with Jaglom, the others being “Hollywood Dreams” “Irene in Time,”‘ “Queen of the Lot” and the upcoming film adaption of Jaglom’s hit play “Just 45 Minutes from Broadway” to be released next spring.