FRESH PRODUCE Comes to Pear Theatre

Pear Theatre, always a champion of new plays by local playwrights, presents "Fresh Produce": staged readings of two new plays under development from members of the Pear Playwrights Guild. "The Queen's Cookies, or Cymbeline Simplified" by Carol Wolf, and "Mothers of the Bride" by Meghan Maugeri will be performed by local actors on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon at the Pear Theatre, 1110 La Avenida St., Mountain View. Tickets ($15 per reading, or $20 for both) can be purchased by visiting www.thepear.org or calling (650) 254-1148.

"The Queen's Cookies, or Cymbeline Simplified" by Carol Wolf is a flippant take on classical texts, frequently making fun of dramatic convention even as it tells the story. Wolf's plays have been seen on both coasts and five continents. This summer her award-winning play "The Thousandth Night" toured fringe festivals across North America, while the French translation, "La Millieme Nuit," was performed at the Avignon Theatre Festival in France. Other plays include "The Terrible Experiment of Jonathan Fish," a feminist musical farce; "Burglar in the House," "Tea Time for the General," "Day/BlackNight/Morning," "Daughter of France," "The Place in the Woods," and "Dr. Rowan, the Demon, and Love" (a demonological comedy that received an enhanced workshop by RTO Productions' Stage to Screen in August).

In "Mothers of the Bride" by Meghan Maugeri, Hannah has a plan: help her mothers bury the hatchet while finding the perfect wedding gown. The problem: her strong-willed mom has a bone to pick and her traditionalist stepmom is at risk of getting caught in the crossfire. Throw Hannah's soon-to-be mothers-in-law into the mix and it's safe to say that finding a dress will be the least of her problems. "Mothers of the Bride," in a 10-minute form, was an audience favorite at last spring's Pear Slices and has since been expanded to full length; the three actresses in that incarnation are returning to reprise their roles for the reading. Maugeri completed The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre summer playwriting program and graduated from Boston College with a degree in literature. Other recognized works include "Headwind," which won Best Short Film at The World's Independent Film Festival, and middle grade novel-in-progress, "Pez Proudly Presents." Meghan also worked for several years as a public school teacher.

The cast for this year's Fresh Produce includes Paul Braverman, Michael Champlin, Betsy Kruse Craig, Becca Gilbert, Troy Johnson, Drew Benjamin Jones, Melissa Jones, Chris Mahle, Nicole Martin, Roneet Aliza Rahamim, Drew Reitz, Jackie Roach, Max Tachis, Leslie Newport Wright, Daniel Zafer-Joyce. Robyn Ginsburg Braverman handles play direction and the reading of the stage directions during performance.

Pear Theatre is one of the only theatres in the Bay Area to host its own playwrights development group, known as the Pear Playwrights Guild. Playwrights meet regularly to share their writing, whether short plays or full-length works. Newer playwrights get the benefit of the more experienced writers' knowledge of plot development, character development, and action that sounds good on paper but may not translate well to the stage. Short plays from the Guild are considered for each year's Pear Slices, and longer plays often see full productions at the Pear, such as last season's highly acclaimed premiere of "Sojourn" (Evan Kokkila-Schumacher).

Pear Theatre began as the Pear Avenue Theatre in June 2002, under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Tasca, by a group of theatre artists who believe that audiences are eager for plays that challenge as well as delight and move them. Pear Theatre produces intimate theatre by passionate artists, whether classic works or cutting-edge plays. Now in its sixteenth season, The Pear attracts theatre artists and audience from all over the Bay Area for its award-winning and high-quality productions; and its ongoing commitment to excellence was recognized by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle with the Paine Knickerbocker Award, an annual special award for a Bay Area company contributing to the high quality of theatre in the region.

Pear Theatre moved in 2015 from its original 40-seat warehouse space to a new, state-of-the-art black box theatre close by, with capacity of 75-99 seats depending on the configuration of the production. This exciting move allows The Pear to continue its tradition of intimate theatre while taking on new challenges and opportunities. In August 2017, Betsy Kruse Craig took the helm as the new Artistic Director, instituting several new programs and expanding the range of the theater's offerings. In January 2020, Kruse Craig will be stepping down from that role, which will be filled by a candidate selected by the Board of Directors.

For information or tickets, visit www.thepear.org or call (650) 254-1148.

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