Pamela Gaye Walker Embraces, Illuminates Painful Memories 

by Mary Lou Herlihy

Attics are mysterious, sometimes scary places, crowded with memories. We find Penelope (Pamela Gaye Walker’s onstage persona) rummaging through what she describes as “the attic of my mind.”

The stage is her attic and Walker covers every inch. In a lovely, red embroidered shirt, leggings and comfy sneaks, Penelope puts us at ease. Among many favorite artists, Penelope confides a special admiration for Georgia O’Keefe, whose brave life and stark paintings inspire her. Penelope longs to paint pictures with words. 

But unlike O’Keefe’s pared down images, Penelope’s words fill the stage. “Little BIG Mouth” shares a vast collection of memories, tributes, and life lessons. She jump saround in time, mostly back to her troubled childhood.

Young ‘Penny’ is the black sheep of her family. Her parents call her ‘Big Mouth’ because she stands up for herself, speaks her mind, and doesn’t shrink from conflict. When her bullying brother beats her up, she’s left alone with no allies. She quotes Margaret Atwood to express an ominous undercurrent: “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” 

In another family, this petite and precocious girl would be encouraged to make people laugh. But in her Midwestern, Bible thumping household, a health compromised Dad and an exhausted Mom offer scant stimulation to their imaginative daughter. She needs an exit strategy.

Performance provides Penny with a safe escape. When faced with the travails of ‘charm school,’ she entertains her classmates with ridiculous lessons in “small talk, proper dressing, and minimal  diet.” But a  teacher notices Penny’s gift for performance., so she chooses the intriguing path of high school and college drama.

We chuckle as Penny strives to find the right words, as she experiments with language and rehearsal. By writing and performing plays, she produces a treasure trove of characters. In the attic, when Penny removes a shawl, she uncovers a trunk full of family and friends’ photos. Two photographs prompt loving stories about her quirky grandmother, and later, her own beloved granddaughter. 

To entertain her 6-year-old granddaughter, who calls her “Gwanny,” Penny pulls out hats, wigs, and boas from the trunk. Wearing the costumes, she becomes the women she played on stage. As she sings, a blond wig transforms her into Audrey from “Little Shop of Horrors.” Penny’s favorite characters come back to life and delight us.

When her granddaughter asks Penny to ‘play’ her grandmother, we sense her hesitation. Penny picks up the beloved photograph and holds it to her chest. In one powerfully felt moment, Penny understands that the women whose voices she’s spoken for years contain all the wisdom she needs. Words come slowly as she begins to speak in a thick southern drawl. She gives voice to her grandmother who was silenced at a young age through neglect, misunderstanding, and ‘madness.’ Penny rejoices at the “unmuting” of her cherished grandma. 

Is Walker’s Penelope a nod to the Odyssey or perhaps she’s Penny Sycamore from “You Can’t Take It With You”? Whoever inspired her, Pamela Gaye Walker’s attic of the mind uncovers a rich and creative life filled with hard won battles.

 

“Little BIG Mouth” —written & performed by Pamela Gaye Walker, directed by Pam Walker, at The Marsh, Berkeley. Info: themarsh.org – Sundays at 5:00 pm – to August 2, 2026.

Cast: Pamela Gaye Walker (playing many roles)

Banner Photo: Pamela Gaye Walker in her attic. Photos by Ken Stone