Pamela Gaye Walker
| Pamela Gaye Walker | |
|---|---|
 Walker backstage, preparing to play Georgia O'Keeffe. Photo credit: Bader Howar |
Pamela Gaye Walker is an American actress, writer, director, and producer for film and theatre. She is a member of Actors' Equity Association (AEA), and Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Radio and Television Artists (SAG-AFTRA).[1] She is the founder and President of Ghost Ranch Productions.[2] She is known for Shakti's Retreat (2013)[3] and Trifles (2009).[2]
Walker is married to the actor and stage/film producer John Walker. Professionally, John and Pamela starred together in over twenty shows at The Peninsula Players Theatre in Door County, Wisconsin.[4] Her marriage proposal took place onstage there, after the opening night performance of Children of a Lesser God.[5]
In Chicago, Walker worked and taught acting at Victory Gardens Theater, where she played Georgie in Theresa Rebeck's Spike Heels and the Chicago Tribune's review said, "she's a sharp, funny, delightful comic actress, and she anchors the production in warmth, grace, spontaneity and beauty."[6] She was also in Murder in Green Meadows by Doug Post, and Claudia Allen's Hannah Free, which garnered her the Actress of the Year Award from the Academy of Theatre Artists and Friends. Walker also received a nomination by the Joseph Jefferson Award committee for Outstanding Achievement by a Principal Actress in a Play for her work in Sea Marks at The Royal George Theater.[7]
One of her most highly acclaimed roles was as Georgia O'Keeffe in the two-person play, Alfred Stieglitz Loves O'Keeffe, based on the volatile love and artistic relationship between painter Georgia O'Keeffe and photographer Alfred Stieglitz.[8]
Critical reviews of Walker's work include:
- Backstage: "Walker beautifully conveys O’Keeffe’s inner turmoil, self-centeredness and eroticism...volatile, sensuous, playful, withholding and insecure..."[9]
- Pasadena Weekly: "Walker and Ortlieb bring the lovers to life. Alone, each performer is formidable. Together, the play leaps off the stage and into the stratosphere."[10]
Walker worked as an actor with Theatreworks in Donald Margulies' Brooklyn Boy,[11] at the Magic Theatre in Theresa Rebeck's world premiere of What We're Up Against,[12] and in two plays for the Aurora Theatre – Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman[13] and Amy Herzog's After the Revolution.[14] Most recently, in May 2015, Pamela starred with her husband, John, in the world premiere of Empty Nester by Garrett Jon Groenveld.[15][16]
Early life
Walker grew up in South Bend, Indiana; she has a twin sister (Patricia) and three older brothers. Her father suffered a stroke when Pamela and her sister were three years old.[17]
Career
Theatrical studies and early career
Finishing her undergraduate work at the University of Notre Dame, Walker majored in theatre, where she starred as Winnie in Samuel Beckett's two-character play Happy Days.[18] It was at Notre Dame that she met her future husband, fellow actor and eventual theatre and film producer John Walker. They performed together in Brecht's Caucasian Chalk Circle, You Can't Take it with You, Fiddler on the Roof, Molière's Imaginary Invalid, Barefoot in the Park, Treasure Island, among other plays.[19]
After graduation, Walker trained in New York at Broadway's Circle In The Square Theatre Conservatory, where her teachers included Larry Moss (The Intent to Live), acting coach to Helen Hunt and Hilary Swank; Michael Kahn (The Acting Company); Jacqueline Brookes (Broadway actress); and Nikos Psacharopoulos (Artistic Director, Williamstown Theatre Festival).[20]
Theatre credits
| Title | Role | Theatre | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty Nesters | Francis | Playground, Thick House, SF | Amy Glazer |
| After the Revolution | Mel | Aurora Theatre | Joy Carlin |
| What We're Up Against | Janice | Magic Theatre, SF | Loretta Greco |
| John Gabriel Borkman | Mrs. Wilton | Aurora Theatre | Barbara Oliver |
| Hauptmann | Mrs. Lindbergh | Cherry Lane Theatre, NY | Terry Mccabe |
| Buckets O' Beckett (w/ John Mohoney) | Wife | Mercury Theatre, Chicago | Matt O'Brien |
| The Last Schwartz | Bonnie | Zephyr Theatre, L.A. | Lee Sankowich |
| Brooklyn Boy | Nina | Theatreworks, Palo Alto, CA | Joy Carlin |
| Alfred Stieglitz Loves O'Keeffe | Georgia O'Keeffe | Fremont Theatre, L.A. | Mary-Pat Green |
| No. 11 (Blue and White) | Suzanne | Phoenix Theatre, S.F. | Paul Draper |
| Hannah Free | Rachel | Victory Gardens, Chicago | Sandy Shinner |
| Sea Marks | Timothea | The Royal George | Peter Forster |
| Spike Heels | Georgie | Victory Gardens, Chicago | Amy A. Field |
| The Good Times Are Killing Me | Sharon | Halsted Theatre, Chicago | Arnold Aprill |
| Alfred Stiglitz Loves O'Keeffe | Georgia O'Keeffe | Players Theatre, Columbus | Paul Draper |
| Sea Marks | Timothea | Peninsula Players | Sabin Epstein |
| Great To See You | Liza | Theatre Neo, L.A. | Mary-Pat Green |
| Murder In Green Meadows | Joan | Victory Gardens, Chicago | Curt Columbus |
| South Pacific | Janet/Nellie U.S. | Drury Lane Theatre, Chicago | Todd Booth |
| Clarence | Cora | Milwaukee Chamber | Montgomery Davis |
| Happy Days | Winnie | Notre Dame, Guest Artist | Julie Jenson |
| The Fancy Man | Amy | The Royal George | Peter Forster |
| Sex In the Title | Lola | Theatre NEO, L.A. | Mary-Pat Green |
| Children of a Lesser God | Sarah Norman | Peninsula Players | Bob Thompson |
| The Jewish Wife | Wife | The Cypress Group, Chicago | John Nicholson |
| Little Shop of Horrors | Audrey | Peninsula Players | Bob Thompson |
| The Sea | Mrs. Tilehouse | The Cypress Group, Chicago | John Nicholson |
| Biloxi Blues | Daisy | Peninsula Players | Nancy Simon |
| Hurry, The Train is Leaving | Barbara | Theatre Geo, L.A. | Mary-Pat Green |
| Juno And The Paycock | Mary | Peninsula Players | Bob Thompson |
| The Early Male Years | Cynthia | Northlight Rep, Chicago | Mary Monroe |
| The Importance of Being Earnest | Gwendolyn | Peninsula Players | Carl Benson |
| Repeat With Madeline | Madeleine | Voltaire, Chicago | Jim Mcdermott |
| A Life | Mibs | Peninsula Players | Montgomery Davis |
| Coming Back | Mother | The Cypress Group, Chicago | John Nicholson |
| The Middle Ages | El | Peninsula Players | Montgomery Davis |
Television and film credits
| Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Remember Me | Dr. McInerney | 2016 |
| Shakti's Retreat | Penelope | 2013 |
| Play by Play | Mrs. Chisholm (Short) | 2011 |
| Seducing Charlie Barker | Fiona | 2010 |
| Trifles (Short) | Minnie Wright | 2009 |
| The Incredibles | Additional Voices (voice) | 2004 |
| The Package (Short) | The Mom | 2004 |
| Wooly Boys | Starla | 2001 |
| Blueberry Pancakes (Short) | Chris | 2000 |
| Saved by the Bell The New Class (TV Series) | Matthew's Mom | 1999 |
| Last Rites (TV Movie) | Sheila | 1999 |
| Mercury Rising | Susan (uncredited) | 1998 |
Awards and nominations
| Category | Award | Theater | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actress of the Year | Academy of Theatre Artists & Friends | Chicago Theatre | Won |
| Outstanding Achievement by a Principal Actress in a Play | Joseph Jefferson Award | Chicago Theatre | Nominated |
| Rated "Best Actress, 2001" | Reviewplays.com | Alfred Stieglitz Loves O'Keeffe | Los Angeles Theatre |
| Best Play | Alfred Stieglitz Loves O'Keeffe | Valley Theatre League | Nominated |
| Artistic Director Achievement Awards | Alfred Stieglitz Loves O'Keeffe | Valley Theatre League | Won |
References
- ↑ "JE Talent, SF". JE Talent.
- 1 2 Carpentier, Martha C.; Jouve, Emeline (2015-10-09). On Susan Glaspell's Trifles and "A Jury of Her Peers": Centennial Essays, Interviews and Adaptations. McFarland. ISBN 9781476622064.
- ↑ "Shakti's Retreat | A Comic Thriller by Pamela Gaye Walker". shaktisretreat.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
- ↑ "Peninsula Players". Peninsula Players.
- ↑ Chowenhill, Dennis. "Virago Theatre Notes". Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ↑ "`Spike Heels' Trips In Bid To Get Laughs". tribunedigital-chicagotribune. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ↑ "After the Revolution | Aurora Theatre". auroratheatre.org. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
- ↑ "Pamela in Stieglitz Loves O'Keeffe | Pamela Gaye Walker". Retrieved 2015-11-26.
- ↑ "THE LAST SCHWARTZ". Backstage.com. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
- ↑ "Theater: 'The Last Schwartz' gets the last laugh | Arts". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
- ↑ "'Brooklyn Boy' makes good | August 4, 2006 | Mountain View Voice | Mountain View Online |". www.mv-voice.com. Retrieved 2006-08-04.
- ↑ "What We're Up Against". Variety. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- ↑ "John Gabriel Borkman | Aurora Theatre". auroratheatre.org. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ↑ "'After the Revolution' review: Heartbreaking". SFGate. Retrieved 2013-09-26.
- ↑ "The Empty Nesters rings true at the Thick House". forallevents.info. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
- ↑ Schiffman, Jean. "'Empty Nesters' never gets off the ground". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
- ↑ "Celebrity makeover: home edition". KPCNews. Retrieved 2009-06-07.
- ↑ "A happy ending for Happy Days | Chad Jones' Theater Dogs". Retrieved 2015-08-24.
- ↑ "Archives of the University of Notre Dame :: Specialized Indexes :: Theatre Chronology". archives.nd.edu. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
- ↑ "Outside Mullingar". Issuu. Retrieved 2014-03-28.