RICHARD II to Open in March at The Pear Theatre

The Pear Theatre has announced casting and production details for its next co-production, William Shakespeare's Richard II, with Perspective Theatre Company. The show runs March 9 - 26, 2023 at The Pear Theatre in Mountain View.

Perspective Theatre Company returns to The Pear with this rarely-produced play after their Fall 2021 Pear co-production of Somewhere. Shakespeare's Richard II chronicles the historical and compelling saga of King Richard II including his controversial time in power, familial conflicts and inevitable imprisonment and downfall. A cast of six actors will portray over 25 different characters.

Toronto-based Richard II director Kevin Hammond, Artistic Director for both Humber River Shakespeare and Shakespeare in the Rough who has directed and performed in over 30 Shakespeare productions, shares: "Richard II takes place at the end of an era and the beginning of another; a time of uneasy change, social and political norms are in upheaval, a nation is fractured on diametrically opposed sides and a sense of confusion and dread for the future permeates the land. So yeah, similar to what we experience nowadays.

This seldom seen history play seems a perfect choice to revisit right now, as notions of power, leadership, honesty, integrity and honor all seem to be in a permanent state of chaotic flux in our current political climate. Who has the right to rule? How should a leader rule? What qualities make a good ruler? Is rebellion against traditions and norms held up for centuries good for a country? Or will it tear us all apart?

If power is concentrated in one person, is the exercise of that power fundamentally unjust and arbitrary? And if being in power makes a person unable to realize even their own humanity, how can anyone hope to be a 'good' king?

A play about legitimacy of rule and the transfer of power, with or without bloodshed. When can a rebellion become a revolution, and who decides? These are just some of the challenging questions we will be exploring in this co-production."

The cast features William J. Brown III* as York, Servant & Scroop, Sinjin Jones as Bolingbroke, Jennifer Le Blanc* as Mowbray, Aumerle, Willoby, Lady, & Bushy, John R. Lewis* as Richard II, Julian Lopez-Morillas* as John of Gaunt, Gardner, Green, & Northumberland, AnnaMarie MacLeod as Duchess of Gloucester, Hotspur, Queen, Captain, & Messenger. *Denotes members of Actors' Equity Association.

The crew and creative team includes director Kevin Hammond, stage management by Pear Production Manager Kelly Weber Barraza, costume design by Joanne Martin, lighting design by Adrian Gilstrap, and set design by Pear Technical Director, Louis Stone-Collonge.

ABOUT THE PEAR THEATRE

The Pear Theatre was founded in 2002 by Diane Tasca and came under the leadership of its third Artistic Director, Sinjin Jones, in 2020. Its mission is to ignite the passions, awareness, actions, and lives of all who visit in transformative ways by sharing stories that represent the full spectrum of the human experience. The theatre, a state-of-the-art black box with a capacity of 75-99 seats, has been recognized by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle with the Paine Knickerbocker Award. In 2022, The Pear began hosting monthly Pear Pressure Cabaret Nights presented by Harmony Werks. The Pear is also home to the Pear Playwrights' Guild which hosts a developmental reading series, an annual production of new one-acts (Pear Slices), a theatre student immersion and education program (Pear Roots), and recently launched The Pear Seeds Youth Summer Camp.

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