The Syringa Tree

The Syringa Tree is a solo performance memory play of a childhood under apartheid, written and often performed by Pamela Gien [d], and directed by Larry Moss.^[1][2] It was produced by Matt Salinger, son of writer, J. D. Salinger.^[3]

It centers on the story of Elizabeth Grace, a Roman Catholic White South African of mixed English and Afrikaner descent. The play spans four generations.

Gien has adapted the play into a novel.^[3]

Production

The play debuted in Seattle, WA. It later opened at the Playhouse 91 intimate theater in Yorkville, Manhattan in Fall 2000.^[3] The Manhattan reception was lukewarm at first, but news of Gien's performance soon garnered attention, drawing the interest of celebrities such as Oprah and Rosie O'Donnell.^[3]

It won an Obie Award for Best Play in 2001.^[4]