Pear Theatre Presents AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY This Summer

Pear Theatre completes its 2015/2016 season with AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, a searing, dark comedy of an American family, where secrets and lies spill out over dysfunctional dinners and drug-laced arguments, and nothing is sacred-or safe. Called "Hugely entertaining! A ripsnorter full of blistering, funny dialogue, acid-etched characterizations and scenes of no-holds-barred emotional combat" by The New York Times, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize in 2008. Directed by Jeanie Smith, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY previews on June 23rd; with Press and Opening Night on June 24th, followed by a champagne gala. The run continues through July 10. All performances are held at the Pear Theatre's new space at 1110 La Avenida St., Mountain View. For tickets ($10-$35) and information the public may visit www.thepear.org or call (650) 254-1148.

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY centers around the Weston family clan, whose members are all intelligent, sensitive creatures who have the uncanny ability of making each other absolutely miserable. Although most dread the notion of living alone, they violently resist intimacy. When the patriarch of the household mysteriously vanishes, the Westons gather together to simultaneously support and attack one another. Dirty little secrets, pills, and acid tongues fly in this scathing look into the underbelly of a Midwestern American family.

Tracy Letts is a playwright and actor who moved to Chicago at the age of 20, and worked for the next 11 years at Steppenwolf Theatre Company (of which he is still an active member) and Famous Door. AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY was Letts' Broadway debut in 2007, and in 2008, it earned Letts a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Other plays include KILLER JOE, which has been performed in at least 15 countries in 12 languages, and MAN FROM NEBRASKA, for which Letts was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize. Inspired by the plays of Tennessee Williams and the novels of William Faulkner and Jim Thompson, Letts writes plays about people struggling with moral and spiritual questions. He was nominated for a Saturn Award for "Best Writing" for his screenplay of Killer Joe, and won a Tony Award for his portrayal of George in the revival of WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?.

The cast for this production includes Bill C. Jones as Beverly Weston, Diane Tasca as his wife Violet, Betsy Kruse Craig as the eldest daughter Barbara, Janine Evans as middle daughter Ivy, and Marjorie Hazeltine as youngest daughter Karen. Other cast members include Gary Mosher as Charles Aiken, Leslie Newport Wright as Mattie Fae Aiken, Michael Champlin as Bill Fordham, Vivian Pride as Jean Fordham, Dan Kapler as Steve Heidebrecht, Max Tachis as Little Charles Aiken, Keith Larson as Sheriff Deon Gilbeau, and Roneet Aliza Rahamim as Johanna, the live-in housekeeper. The production team includes Stage Manager Kelly Weber Barraza, Set Designer Janny Cote, Lighting Designer Edward Hunter, Costume Designer Anna Chase, Sound Designer Gordon Smith, and Prop Designer Miranda Whipple.

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 fourteenth season, The Pear attracts theatre artists and audience from all over the Bay Area for its award-winning and high-quality productions; and this year The Pear's ongoing commitment to excellence has been 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.

Photo credit: John Beamer