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Kim Wayans displays much more talent than Li'l Magic, a wannabe child actress character she created on the groundbreaking 1990s Fox sketch comedy show "In Living Color."

Like several of her famous Wayans brothers, she acts, produces, writes and directs. She appeared in the sitcom "In the House" and in films "Juwanna Mann" and "Dance Flick." She directed episodes of brother Damon Wayans' "My Wife and Kids."

Next week, Kim Wayans will make her first appearance at the National Black Theatre Festival. Now 47, she will present her one-woman show, "A Handsome Woman Retreats."

Critics and audiences have praised her "seriously funny journey to inner peace," based on her experiences growing up in the New York projects and surviving in Hollywood.

She also will sign copies of the new series of children's books that she wrote with her husband, Kevin Knotts. "Amy Hodgepodge" follows the challenges and triumphs of a young, multiracial girl.

In an interview from Los Angeles, she talks about her show, her life and growing up in a family of 10 children, half of whom went into showbiz.

Where does the title "A Handsome Woman Retreats" come from?

"When I was a little girl, my grandmother used to tell me I wouldn't grow up to be pretty, that I would grow up to be a handsome woman." She laughs. "Every little girl wants to be told she is pretty, not that she is going to grow up to be handsome. ..." She adopts a high-pitched grandmother's voice. " 'And they don't mean anything by it, baby. They're just being honest'."

How did your show come about? Your MySpace page says that, having suffered panic attacks and struggling to find your own voice, you attended a 10-day silent meditation retreat.

"I was looking for an answer, a cure for panic attacks. I didn't want to take medication. My yoga teacher said that all anxiety is based in fear and that I should explore and find out what I was afraid of, what was causing this anxiety.

"It was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but the most rewarding. ... I like to call it 'boot camp for the soul.' But it has ... transformed the way I see the world, the way I see myself in the world and the way I experience myself in the world. So it was the greatest gift I ever gave myself.

"I did it the first time eight years ago and have gone every year since. I knew I wanted to write a one-person show about the experience. It took awhile before I found the construct for what I wanted to do and the way I wanted to tell the story."

Do you find it a difficult story to tell?

"It's a challenging piece. It's 90 minutes long, it's just me, there's no intermission and it's a roller coaster ride in terms of the emotional spaces I move in and out of. So it's difficult -- but fun."

What was it like growing up in your family?

"We had a lot of laughter. Mostly the boys would compete -- with jokes, who could be the funniest, who could outdo the other with a funny gag or a funny character. I would participate, but it was mostly driven by the boys. It was fun to have a big family like that, to always have companions, someone to play with, someone to have your back in case you get in trouble."

Where did you and your siblings get your sense of humor?

"I think it comes from my mom. She is really funny, especially when she is not trying to be funny. I think there is a lot of comedy in lack. We didn't have much in the way of material things, and things were always tight financially, and I think we found a lot to laugh at in that. You either laugh or cry, and we chose to laugh."

The name of your production company is Li'l Magic Productions (named after one of her "In Living Color" characters). Do you have a favorite character among those you have portrayed?

"That is one of my favorite characters. David (Alan Grier) was so hysterical as her mother. He was a stage mother, and Li'l Magic had very little talent, but she was irrepressible and bold and daring and would do anything to snag the job.

"My favorite was Bonita Butrell, the gossipy neighbor. ... The woman who said, 'I ain't one to gossip, so you ain't heard it from me.' ... Everyone knows somebody like her or has aspects of her in themselves. Who hasn't smiled and said something nice about somebody, and the second they walk by, change their tune?"

Is there anything else that you will be doing in the near future in addition to your play and books?

"I hope to do more television and film. I have some ideas I am developing with my husband, some ideas for a sitcom. We would love to do a cartoon of the 'Amy Hodgepodge' series eventually because it's a really great children's book series that would benefit from a cartoon. ... Who is to say what is in the future, on the horizon? I stay open and creative and see which way the wind blows me."

Contact Dawn DeCwikiel-Kane at 373-5204 or dawn.kane@news-record.com