Pear Theatre to Present TRIBES, 11/6-22

Pear Theatre continues its 2015/2016 season with the brilliant and moving play from Nina Raine, TRIBES. Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play in 2012, TRIBES explores the dynamics of deafness, the potential polarization of the hearing and non-hearing communities, family conflict, identity, and love. Witty and tender, the play follows Billy, a deaf young man who has been lip-reading all his life to fit in with his hearing family. When Billy meets Sylvia, a young woman who is losing her hearing, she shows him a new way to connect: sign language. Conflict arises between Billy and his non-signing family, provoking thoughts about the ties that bind, and separate, us into "tribes." The production features Greg Anderson, deaf actor of Oakland, as Billy, opposite Morgan Dayley as Sylvia. Dayley was seen at the Pear last season in Slices 2014. Preview night is November 5th; Press and Opening Night is November 6th, with a champagne gala following the show. The run continues through November 22, including two ASL-interpreted performances, on Thursday, November 12 and Sunday, November 15. All performances held at the Pear Theatre's new theatre 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.

TRIBES introduces us to Billy's highly-educated and eccentric family-erudite, talented parents, two bright but emotionally challenged siblings, and a cacophony of words-but does anyone really hear? Powerful and poignant, Raine's play proceeds to question all we think we know about family, identity, perspective, and what it means to hear and be heard. Billy's journey is epic, cutting swaths through parallel worlds, destroying stereotypes and constructing fragile new identities forged of a desperate need. Yet it is also funny, filled with the easy comedy of real life situation. Raine ultimately delivers a delightful and deeply felt story, timely and unforgettable.

Pear Theatre veteran Troy Johnson has directed and performed in numerous shows at The Pear and elsewhere in the Bay Area, including directing the Slices series, Intimate Apparel, Fifth of July, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court; and performances in Pygmalion, The Apple Never Falls, Birds of a Feather, and No Good Deed. His cast includes Pear favorites Dan Roach (Birds of a Feather) and Jackie O'Keefe (Death of a Salesman, Pygmalion) as Billy's parents; Greg Anderson, local deaf actor featured in productions in Oakland and San Francisco, as Billy; Morgan Dayley (Slices 2014) as Sylvia; Jarrod Pirtle (Intimate Apparel, Moon for the Misbegotten) as Billy's brother, Daniel; and Kendall Callaghan, new to The Pear but a veteran of Bay Area stages including Shakespeare Santa Cruz and the Jewel Theatre.

The production team includes: Troy Johnson, director; Norman Beamer, scenic design; Sara Sparks, lighting design; Anna Chase, costumes; David L. Hobbs, Projections Consultant and sound design; ASL Coach Dane Lentz; John Beamer on animations; Patricia Tyler, production manager; and Samantha Schroeter, stage management. The new Pear has been moved into its proscenium configuration for this production, to accommodate a multi-level set and technology for projections, animations, and supra-titles for signed sequences.

ABOUT PEAR THEATRE:

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 offers a theatrical alternative-- intimate, innovative productions that prove you can work wonders if the spirit is willing and the imagination wide. Now in its fourteenth season, The Pear attracts theatre artists and audience from the entire Bay Area region because of its reputation for excellence and its award-winning and quality productions of classic, contemporary, and new works.

The Pear, as it is affectionately known by its loyal patrons, has won numerous awards over the years, including Dean Goodman Choice awards, Silicon Valley Small Theatre awards, and SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle awards; this past Spring, two productions earned the new TBA Adjudicator Recommended status. 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 theatre contributing to the high quality of theatre in our region.

The Pear moved this summer from its original 40-seat warehouse space to a new, state-of-the-art black box theatre mere blocks away, with capacity of 75-99 seats depending on the configuration of the production. An exciting and daring move for The Pear, looking to retain its feeling of intimate theatre while taking on new challenges and opportunities in a larger space.

Tickets for all shows range from $10 to $35, with discounts available for seniors and students, and groups. Additional information and online ticketing are available by calling 650-254-1148 or going to www.thepear.org.