Film and stage actress Tanna Frederick says she had a fulfilling 2009.

To help flex her muscles as an actress, the 30-year old Iowa native does her best to maintain a work schedule that alternates between film and stage.

Now, Frederick is kicking off the new year the same way she ended the previous one — starring in Henry Jaglom’s latest theatrical production.

“Just 45 Minutes from Broadway” has been extended through Jan. 31 at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica.

The sharp comedy/drama tells the story of the Isaacs family, of which all are actors, including Pandora, played by Frederick.

The plot revolves around Pandora’s return home to visit her mother, father and other relatives after a recent breakup.

Her tightly-wound and sharply-dressed sister also pays a visit and sparks the drama when she clashes with her family for being so different.

A frequent collaborator with Jaglom — known for films like “Summer in the Hamptons” and last year’s “Irene in Time,” which starred Frederick — the actress says she sees no end in sight for her partnership with the filmmaker.

In an interview with the Independent, she discussed connecting with her character, why she wants to keep working with Jaglom, and goals for 2010.

So how do you reflect on 2009?

I’m from Iowa, so this is like a lame cliché, but I feel like this has been my farmer year where I’m actually out in the field reaping, going out every day plucking the corn. Like I planted the seed when I first go to out here, and now I’m finally starting to finally reap the benefits from the work I invested into everything. It’s been an amazing year and really nonstop. It’s so easy with film to zone out. You can work a third of he day the you’re just sitting around. Theater is just so intense. You go in and there’s no room for diversion or drifting off, no room to read a magazine or a novel and wait for them to call you to the set. It’s intense. … I think this is my hard work year. “Irene in Time” is doing incredibly well. I also shot “Queen of the Lot” a year ago, with Noah Wyle, which is going to come out end of next summer. A lot of things have been going on so I’ve been really blessed.

What was your initial reaction to the Isaacs family when you met them on paper? Did you think this was a nightmare family?

All of us have that dream of being born in a theatrical family. … My mom’s a nursing professor, my dad’s a pharmacist, so many actors have come from more conservative families. I wasn’t so much of a reaction of a nightmare family to me, it was like this is the ideal family. Why didn’t I grow up in this family? There’s so many films and so much material about families that are conservative then there’s the one weird child, and this is just a family that’s completely out there and the weirdo is the conservative child. I love that.

What did you find in Pandora’s character that resonated with you?

A lot. The sibling issues. I have a little brother we, get along very well. I like Henry’s sort of universal theme that he likes to approach. Sometimes he does stories about women and their fathers, this one was more about families and siblings. … I really liked addressing that because a lot of people came up to me after the show and said this is my sister or these are my daughters, that really resonated with me. I enjoyed delving into that, and explaining that.

You’ve done four plays and three films with Henry Jaglom. What do you like about working with him?

I think that it’s kind of one of those unexplainable things. … For some reason we work great together. It’s just a match made in heaven. As artists, Henry and I have the same sense of humor, the same aesthetic, artistically. It’s just joyful creating art with him and so why stop? Why not create more work together? He obviously can move onto other actresses, but he doesn’t, and I really appreciate that. I don’t think there’s that many opportunities for many actresses. As far as being guaranteed work and being the lead actress ins some sort of company, it’s not MGM, it’s the Rainbow Film Company. It’s kind of amazing, because I have an affinity for the Hollywood golden age, I’m obsessed with all of the old actresses. To find this sort of system like this is perfect for me, sort of keeping it in the family or the studio if you will.

What do you like about having a balance between shooting films and performing in plays?

I have actually been able to coordinate my schedule so I’m doing film, play, film, play, film, play. What I love about that is I never sink into complacency that way. I forget what it’s like to film when I’m on stage, and I lose myself in that world and when I’m doing long runs of shows then I forget what it’s like to film. … There’s something that you gain from theater and something that you gain from doing film. It’s easy if you go to film to film to film to lose touch with that feeling of having a live audience and really giving a full performance.

So what projects do you have planned for 2010 and what kinds of characters would you like to take on?

Henry’s adapted “45 Minutes” into a script, so we’re going to be filming that, which I’m really excited about, because I think there’s something … that’s really accessible to the audience. Not that all his work isn’t accessible, there’s something different about it. I think Henry in this play is coming out, he’s bringing his commercial side out, but not to where he feels he’s compromised, so I’m really excited about because I think it’s a different style. I also am working on a lot of my own projects. I’ve adapted a screenplay called “Kansas City Green,” it’s very “Fargo”-esque. Coming from a small town in Iowa I’m very interested in those small town antics of people and the dynamics, I just love that. I’m also just reading scripts right now and keep looking fort things to challenge me and show completely different sides than what I’ve played so far.