2012/13 Season

 

The Cherry Orchard

by Anton Chekhov

September 21 – October 14

We inaugurate the Pear’s eleventh season with our 70th production: Anton Chekhov’s last and greatest play. Madame Ranevskya returns from Paris to find her beloved estate put up for auction to cover debts. Family pride, squabbles, and distractions; a wealthy neighbor intent on buying the land; and love, always love, intervene and hasten the inevitable. Chekhov called it a comedy-- but who's doing the laughing? .. more

 

The Real Thing

by Tom Stoppard

November 2 – 18

Meet Henry, a clever playwright who happens to adore tunes by the Monkees and their ilk. Henry has fallen in love, and so now he’s a Believer but discovers to his dismay that, eloquent as he is, he has no idea Who (Who! Who!) Wrote the Book of Love. Stoppard’s most personal play—breathtakingly witty yet profoundly heartfelt ... more

 

Intimate Apparel

by Lynn Nottage

January 11 - 27

This prize-winning play was inspired by Nottage’s grandmother, an African-American seamstress who, stitch by stitch, silk by lace, patiently sewed her way out of grinding poverty. A haunting portrayal of American urban life set at the same time as Chekhov’s masterpiece, but at the other end of the social scale. ... more

 

The Apple Never Falls (World Premiere)

by Paul Braverman

February 22 – March 10

It’s January, 1964, and you can smell the fear as the Boston Strangler stalks his victims. While East Boston hides behind locked doors, Frankie Payne, the gin-soaked but not quite burned-out detective, has her own problems. A disturbing message from a family member, a friend’s son gone astray--it all adds up to unlikely alliances and unforeseen betrayals, as Frankie learns the hard way that the apple never falls far from the tree. ... more

 

Pear Slices 2013

by The Pear Playwrights Guild

April 5 – 28

We congratulate our Pear Playwrights Guild on their tenth Pear Slices. What wonderful new confections will they serve up this time? Always a treat, always a surprise—don’t miss the next batch of these short new plays! ... more

 

Hanging Georgia

by Sharmon Hilfinger & Joan McMillen

May 24 – June 9

Hanging Georgia tells the story of America's most famous painter, Georgia O'Keeffe, and her relationship with Alfred Stieglitz. These two giants of the Modern Art movement live a life of passion and high drama. Created and performed by the BootStrap Theater ensemble (originators of 2009’s Tell It Slant), this new play also marks the Pear’s 75th production! ...more

 

Superior Donuts

by Tracy Letts

June 28 - July 14

Arthur’s a Polish-American former draft resister, as run down as his
Uptown Chicago donut shop. Enter Franco, a young African-American
man who dreams of being a writer and making the shop a happening
place. Endearing comedy about the redemptive power of friendship.