Pam Dickler

Originally from Bucks County, PA, Pam has been part of Chicago’s theater community for more than twenty-five years. Her plays include the full-length drama "Life Defying Acts" (finalist: 2019 Inkslinger Playwriting Competition; winner: 2017 UMass New PlayLab), the comedy "Fugue in a Cold State" and the children’s musical, "The Little Turtle," a parable on homelessness. Her one-act "Promising" was selected for the 2009 East Village Festival at New York’s Metropolitan Playhouse, and her comedies "Philbert Eats a Nut" and "Someone Has to Die Tonight, Indeed He Does" were two of the four finalists presented at Stage Left Theatre’s 2009 DrekFest at ComedySportz. Pam was also a contributing writer/assistant director for "The Arab-Israeli Comedy Hour" at Chicago’s iO. As a producer/director, she...

Originally from Bucks County, PA, Pam has been part of Chicago’s theater community for more than twenty-five years. Her plays include the full-length drama "Life Defying Acts" (finalist: 2019 Inkslinger Playwriting Competition; winner: 2017 UMass New PlayLab), the comedy "Fugue in a Cold State" and the children’s musical, "The Little Turtle," a parable on homelessness. Her one-act "Promising" was selected for the 2009 East Village Festival at New York’s Metropolitan Playhouse, and her comedies "Philbert Eats a Nut" and "Someone Has to Die Tonight, Indeed He Does" were two of the four finalists presented at Stage Left Theatre’s 2009 DrekFest at ComedySportz. Pam was also a contributing writer/assistant director for "The Arab-Israeli Comedy Hour" at Chicago’s iO. As a producer/director, she worked with Tony-nominee Herb Schapiro, helping to shape his world-premiere of "The Love Song of Saul Alinsky," which included panel discussions with such luminaries as (then) Senator Barack Obama, Monsignor Jack Egan, and Studs Terkel (Pam’s refusal to “release the tape” of the play was the focus of Andrew Breitbart’s final blog entry on Breitbart.com before his fatal heart attack, earning her the moniker of “treasonous Obamabot” on right wing blogs and several mentions by Sean Hannity -- even though it was simply an archival tape of the show). As founding managing director of Terrapin Theatre, she produced ten seasons of award-winning world-premieres, and directed such plays as "Laurel & Hardy Sleep Together," "The Inspector General," and "From Thought to Finish." Pam received her BFA in theater from Syracuse University, where she later served on the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ inaugural Advisory Board. She is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild.

Scripts

Someone Has to Die Tonight or the Play Can't Go On

by Pam Dickler

Synopsis

A spoof of British-living room-murder-dramas, if there is such a thing.

At a party in Braxton Pickle’s home, Percival is hoping to convince Braxton to invest in his new play after he’d lost all is funding. Intrigue and an unexpected murder make Percival’s efforts more challenging than expected. This brief comedy shows what can happen when an American tries their hand at British farce.

A spoof of British-living room-murder-dramas, if there is such a thing.

At a party in Braxton Pickle’s home, Percival is hoping to convince Braxton to invest in his new play after he’d lost all is funding. Intrigue and an unexpected murder make Percival’s efforts more challenging than expected. This brief comedy shows what can happen when an American tries their hand at British farce.

Life Defying Acts

by Pam Dickler

Synopsis

One sister tries to take her life...the other battles to get it back.

A tale of two sisters caught in the throes of America’s epidemic wave of juvenile depression and young adult suicide; the toll and atonement and what lies beyond.

Cassandra witnessed a trapeze artist miss a catch and fall to her death. Her older sister Helen had wandered off and, when she heard screams, raced back, praying that her sister...

One sister tries to take her life...the other battles to get it back.

A tale of two sisters caught in the throes of America’s epidemic wave of juvenile depression and young adult suicide; the toll and atonement and what lies beyond.

Cassandra witnessed a trapeze artist miss a catch and fall to her death. Her older sister Helen had wandered off and, when she heard screams, raced back, praying that her sister was okay. This was Cassandra’s 11th birthday, ten years ago. The present, past, and Cassandra’s subconscious blend together as we piece together the puzzle of how she ended up in a coma today, and whether Helen will have the strength to do what is needed to help her sister, as well as herself, find peace.

Relative Distance

by Pam Dickler

Synopsis

A contemporary Jewish family in southeastern Pennsylvania proves that love is stronger than their intense desire to blame each other for the past. With three generations, four points of view, and countless zingers over Scrabble, one family's struggle to move beyond grief and recriminations, finally draws them toward hope and reconciliation.

A contemporary Jewish family in southeastern Pennsylvania proves that love is stronger than their intense desire to blame each other for the past. With three generations, four points of view, and countless zingers over Scrabble, one family's struggle to move beyond grief and recriminations, finally draws them toward hope and reconciliation.

Promising

by Pam Dickler

Synopsis

On a New Jersey Transit train on his way to a Norfolk Street synagogue to fulfill his father's last wish, Ben learns from some Lower East Side residents that the more things change in the Village, the more its spirit survives.

On a New Jersey Transit train on his way to a Norfolk Street synagogue to fulfill his father's last wish, Ben learns from some Lower East Side residents that the more things change in the Village, the more its spirit survives.

I'm Giving You Pearls Here

by Pam Dickler

Synopsis

Three 70+ year old women discuss life and death following the untimely loss of their fourth.
(written in two lengths: 10 min and under 30 min)

Three 70+ year old women discuss life and death following the untimely loss of their fourth.
(written in two lengths: 10 min and under 30 min)

Fugue in a Cold State

by Pam Dickler

Synopsis

In the middle of a couple’s absurdly bitter breakup, in-laws arrive to a cold apartment for a surprise visit, entirely unaware of the situation.

In the middle of a couple’s absurdly bitter breakup, in-laws arrive to a cold apartment for a surprise visit, entirely unaware of the situation.

The Little Turtle

by Pam Dickler

Synopsis

A sweet and fun musical for our very youngest audience. A parable on homelessness.

A sweet and fun musical for our very youngest audience. A parable on homelessness.