Anna

[NoHo Arts District, CA] –  “Anna,” written by Nick Freedson, starring Laura Walker, and directed by Kelly DeSarla, makes its debut at Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest 2023 on Saturday, March 4.

Anna, a struggling mother battling unresolved trauma, mental health, and a difficult family life, fights to retain her resilience every day. After so many years, it has begun to wane. In an attempt to put the pieces of her scattered life back together again, Anna starts a monthly virtual diary on her computer. These conversations with herself allow for a sense of rehabilitation; mending the tears in her psyche left by the trials of her past. However, with each entry, more challenges appear in the present. Her marriage strains, her mental health fluctuates, and her relationship with her beloved son, Laurie, becomes ever harder to conserve. Anna slowly finds that the past is only a part of the puzzle when it comes to recovery. In order to move forward, the past must be accepted and the present must be lived in. For nothing is more precious than time. Anna seeks to pose the question, “How can we move on? And how should we?”

“I feel that mental health is something that has become stigmatized and is extremely misunderstood. Due to its invisible nature, these disabilities are hard to identify and even harder to talk about. Especially because every person is different. The fact that many people struggling with mental health do not share their challenges due to fear of judgement is painful for me to see as I struggle with depression myself. This story is meant to normalize mental disability and show that it does not have to control you. Your mental health does not define you. It is merely a shadow. You can acknowledge it, accept it, and keep walking into the light of the sun.” – Nick Freedson

Kelly DeSarla- Director

“…beautifully directed by Kelly DeSarla. What could become a dark descent into hell instead shimmers with a light touch making the show’s poignant message all the more powerful in its subtlety.” ~ Musicals LA (for the show “Rose Petals and Ashes”)   

Kelly DeSarla won a 2014 Last Straw Award for her “exquisite… not to be missed” (Joe Straw) performance as Marousia in the World Premiere of Henry Jaglom’s acclaimed play, Train to Zakopane, which ran for 9 months at The Edgemar Center for the Arts.   Greg Grigware called her work in the play “marvelous,” and Broadway World called it “positively giddy.” Recent credits include Joan in Randal Kleiser’s Virtual Reality series “Defrost,” which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in 2016; Henry Jaglom’s film version of the play Train to Zakopane, which premiered at the 2017 Jewish Film Festival; and most recently in Judy Norton’s comedic covid comedy Space Limbo, which premiered at the Hollyshorts Festival in 2022.  She is also a trained classical musician, having studied flute with greats such as James Galway, Julius Baker, and Jim Walker.  She is proud to direct this beautiful play and work with the tremendously talented Laura Walker and Nick Freedson.  Love you!  Mean it!

Laura Walker- Anna

Actress/Writer/Producer Laura Walker is always thrilled to share her work with you and so honored to have been gifted the opportunity to bring this piece to life. Recent credits include the films, “Scars,” “Why?,” “It Crawls Beneath,” “Middleton Christmas,” “Younger,” and “Divorce During Pandemic.” Now that her short film has been selected into screenings and won “Best Indie Short”, Ms. Walker looks forward to making “Fancy Meeting You Here” into a feature film with George Clooney directing. Her short film, “3 Day Walkers,” has won “Best Long Short” and is still making it’s festival rounds.  Her new web-series, “The Hope & The Hopeless,” is a hit on Rizzle TV with over 160K views. She is currently in pre-production on her short film, “Are You Ready?” and working on a new dramatic tv pilot. Check out more of Laura’s updates at www.thelaurawalker.com

Nick Freedson- Playwright

Nick Freedson is an L.A.- based actor, playwright, and lyricist and graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Theatre and Community. Past performances include “Hamlet” with Santa Barbara Naked Shakes, “Two Gentlemen of Verona” and “Richard II” with the Prague Shakespeare Company, and F.Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Vegetable” with Next Stage Theatre Company. Apart from acting, Nick writes music, poetry and theatre pieces. His original full length play, “Ice Breakers,” was produced by UCSB’s New and Reimagined Works Initiative, workshopped by Santa Barbara Center Stage Theatre, and featured in Skypilot Theatre Company’s Runway Program. His #MarchForOurLives inspired short, “This is Not a Drill,” was produced by Skypilot Theatre, of which he is now a member, in their 2018 one act play festival. He is honored to share his work with the artistic community in Whitefire Theater’s solo festival.