Pam Gems ( Iris Pamela Price; 1 August 1925 – 13 May 2011) was an English

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. The author of numerous original plays, as well as of adaptations of works by European playwrights of the past, Gems is best known for the 1978

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

'' Piaf''.

Personal life

Iris Pamela Price was born in

Bransgore Bransgore is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish within the New Forest District, Hampshire, England. The village developed in the 19th century when a church and a school were built. It is technically classified as an urban area ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

, and had her first play – a tale of goblins and elves – staged when she was eight by her fellow pupils at primary school. She studied psychology at

Manchester University The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

from which she graduated in 1949. She was in her forties when she started to write professionally. She is best known for her 1978

''Piaf'' about French singer

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

. She was nominated for two

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

s: for ''

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

'' (Best Play) in 1997, and for '' Marlene'' (Best Book of a Musical), starring Siân Phillips as

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

, in 1999. Gems adapted works by dramatists ranging from

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27, a g ...

and

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

Marguerite Duras Marguerite Germaine Marie Donnadieu (, 4 April 1914 – 3 March 1996), known as Marguerite Duras (), was a French novelist, playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and experimental filmmaker. Her script for the film ''Hiroshima mon amour'' (1959) ea ...

Family

In 1949, she married wax model manufacturer (the family firm, Gems Wax Models, established in 1885, has supplied models to

Madame Tussauds Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in London in 1835 by the French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud. One of the early main attractions was the Chamber of Horrors, which appeared in advertising in 1843. In 1883, the restricted space of ...

) and former architect Keith Gems; the couple had four children.

Filmography

List of works

Early plays (1972–1976)

Source: :''(work, year, place first produced)'' * ''Betty's Wonderful Christmas'' (1972), Cockpit Theatre, London * ''My Warren And After Birthday'' (1973),

Almost Free Theatre The Almost Free Theatre was an alternative and fringe theatre set up by American actor and social activist E. D. Berman in 1971 in Rupert Street, Soho SoHo, short for "South of Houston Street, Houston Street", is a neighborhood in Lower Man ...

, London * ''Miz Venus and Wild Bill'' (1973), Almost Free Theatre, London * ''After Birthday'' (1973) * ''The Amiable Courtship Of Miz Venus And Wild Bill'' (1974), Almost Free Theatre, London * ''Go West Young Woman'' (1974),

The Roundhouse The Roundhouse is a performing arts and concert venue at the Grade II* listed former railway engine shed in Chalk Farm, London, England. The building was erected in 1846–1847 by the London & North Western Railway as a roundhouse, a circ ...

, London * ''Up In Sweden'' (1975), Haymarket, Leicester * ''My Name Is Rosa Luxembourg'' (adaptation), (1975) * ''Up In Sweden'' (1975) * ''Rivers and Forests (adaptation)'', (1976) * ''Dead Fish'' (aka ''Dusa, Fish, Stas And Vi'', 1976), Edinburgh Festival * ''Guinevere'' (1976), Edinburgh Festival * ''The Project'' (1976), Soho Poly, London

Middle plays (1977–2000)

* ''Franz Into April'' (1977), ICA, London * ''Queen Christina'' (1977), Other Place, Stratford-on-Avon * '' Piaf'' (1978), Other Place, Stratford-on-Avon * ''Ladybird, Ladybird'' (1979), The King's Head, Islington, London * ''Sandra'' (1979), London * ''Aunt Mary'' (1982), Warehouse Theatre, London * ''The Treat'' (1982), ICA, London * ''The Cherry Orchard'' (adaptation) (1984) * ''Variety Night'' (1982), London * ''Camille'' (adaptation) (1984) * ''Loving Women'' (1984) * ''The Danton Affair'' (1986) * ''Pasionaria'' (1985), Playhouse Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne * ''Arther and Guinevere'' (1990), Edinburgh * ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

'' (adaptation) (1991) * ''The Blue Angel'' (1991), Other Place, Stratford-on-Avon * ''Deborah's Daughter'' (1994), Manchester * ''Ghosts'' (adaptation) (1994) * '' Marlene'' (1996), Oldham * ''

'' (1996), London * ''At the Window'' (1997) * ''The Snow Palace'' (1998) * ''Ebba'' (1999)

Late plays (2000–2009)

* ''Girabaldi, Si!'' (2000) * ''Linderhof'' (2001) * ''Mrs Pat'' (2002), Theatre Royal, York * '' Yerma'' (adaptation) (2003), Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester * ''Not Joan the Musical'' (2003) * ''The Lady From The Sea'' (adaptation) (2003), Almeda Theatre London * ''The Little Mermaid'' (adaptation) (2004), Greenwich Theatre, Riverside Theatre, London * ''Nelson'' (2004), Nuffield Theatre, Southampton * ''Broadway Lady'' (2007) * ''Piaf'' (2008), Donmar Warehouse, London * ''Winterlove'' (2009), The Drill Hall, London * ''Despatches'' (2009), The Drill Hall, London

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gems, Pam 1925 births 2011 deaths Alumni of the University of Manchester People from New Forest District Place of death missing British women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British women writers