Pamela Gien

As both writer and performer of The Syringa Tree, Pamela won the Obie for Best Play, 2001 and also the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, a Drama League Honor and received a nomination for the John Gassner Playwriting Award. Pamela performed The Syringa Tree in New York at Playhouse 91 for a year, and then at The National Theatre in London. She most recently performed it at the World’s Festival in Toronto. A principal member of The American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, for four seasons, Pamela played Estrella in Life's a Dream with Cherry Jones, Annabella in 'Tis Pity She's a Whore opposite Derek Smith and Sonya in the premiere of David Mamet's adaptation of Uncle Vanya with Christopher Walken. She played Gabriella in Ronald Ribman's Sweettable at the Richelieau and Angela in The King Stag, both directed by Andrei Serban. She also appeared in several productions directed by David Wheeler including Gillette by William Hauptman and The Day Room by Don de Lillo. She played Stella/Ann in The End of the World With Symposium to Follow, directed by Richard Foreman. She played Lavinia in Titus Andronicus for the Public Theatre's New York Shakespeare Festival, Alicia in Piano  by Anna Deavere Smith and starred opposite David Selby as Hannah Jelkes in Night of the Iguana at the LATC, for which she won a Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Achievement in the theatre. She has performed in the New Works Festival at The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles opposite J.T. Walsh, The Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville and at South Coast Repertory. Her TV appearances include guest starring roles in Tales from the Crypt, Reasonable Doubts, Hunter, Secret Lives and Into Thin Air. She recently began working in film, appearing in Men Seeking Women with Will Ferrell, directed by Jim Milio and in The Last Supper starring Bill Paxton and Jason Alexander. Random House has commissioned Pamela to write The Syringa Tree as a novel. She is writing the screenplay of The Syringa Tree and has completed the screenplay for the upcoming film The Lily Field. The Syringa Tree is dedicated to her parents and to the children of South Africa.