Meet Our Season 25 Directors
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DENNIS M. LICKTEIG
Dir., Private Lives by Noël Coward | SEPT. 25 - OCT. 11, 2026
A Bay Area director since 1992, Dennis Lickteig is excited to make his Pear Theatre debut with Private Lives! Recent projects include productions of Falsettos and Merrily We Roll Along for 42nd Street Moon. A free-lance director in the Bay area, Dennis has also served as a resident director at The New Conservatory Theatre Center where his credits include Encore!, Avenue Q, Still at Risk, The Nance, The Busy World Is Hushed, The Lisbon Traviata, Farm Boys and Lips Together, Teeth Apart. Dennis has served as Artistic Director of Lamplighters Music Theatre where he directed their productions of A Little Night Music and Carousel. Dennis also served as Artistic Director for Peninsula Center Stage from 1992-1996 directing and producing 13 productions during his tenure. Dennis is an associate member of SSDC and TCG.
WYNNE CHAN
Dir., Underdog: The Other, Other Brontë by Sarah Gordon | NOV. 6 - 22, 2026
Wynne Chan is a Hong Kong-American director, dramaturg, and performer based in San Francisco. She’s excited to be back at The Pear to direct Underdog: The Other, Other Brontë. Select directing credits: The Chinese Lady at The Pear Theatre, Chinglish at SF Playhouse (associate director), She Kills Monsters at Plethos Productions, Tell Me on a Sunday at SDC Productions, and The Language Archive at Masquers Playhouse. Wynne is also the Managing Director at Golden Thread Productions, the first American theater company dedicated to the Middle East. Coming up, she will be directing a piece in Golden Thread's ReOrient Festival this fall.
LYSANDER ABADIA
Dir., Guys and Dolls | Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser | Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows | FEB. 19 - MAR. 7, 2027
Lysander Abadia (he/him) is thrilled to be giving the Pear treatment to the classic Guys and Dolls for this community. For the Pear he last choreographed My Fair Lady. He was also the Assistant Director for Come From Away at Theatreworks. Lysander has also directed Pippin, All Shook Up, and Triumph of Love for West Valley Light Opera, as well as Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and Starmites for Playful People. He was also the choreographer for Kinky Boots at City Lights. South Bay audiences have seen him onstage as Walter in Los Altos Stage’s Elf, Trevor in Palo Alto Players’ The Play That Goes Wrong, and Angel in Ohlone Summerfest’s Rent. His upcoming projects include directing Joseph…Dreamcoat for Los Altos Stage and choreographing for Theatreworks’ next season.
JOHN R. LEWIS
Dir., Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegria Hudes | APRIL 16 - MAY 2, 2027
John R. Lewis is an Oakland-based director, actor, musician, producer, educator, and activist. This will be his fourth time directing at the Pear, previously helming Gods of Comedy last season, Somewhere in 2021 and co-directing Pass Over in 2024. He was also onstage here in the titular role of 2023’s production of Richard II. Throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to play and collaborate on stages all over the Bay Area, including TheatreWorks, Berkeley Rep, ACT, Marin Theatre Company, Cal Shakes, the Magic, City Lights, and San Jose Stage. Lewis is a founding member of City Street Artists and the Latinx Mafia, and freelances as a consultant to the Casting Collective. He believes strongly in championing new and underrepresented artists and perspectives, and is grateful to the Pear family for sharing that vision and putting it into regular practice.
SARA KANNEN DEAN
Dir., The Book Of Will by Lauren Gunderson | JUNE 11 - 27, 2027
Sara Kannen Dean (she/ they) is a non-binary arts leader who currently serves on the Board of Directors for Theater Bay Area. Sara’s career began on Broadway, where they worked as a Production Assistant for the original company of Disney’s The Lion King. She later brought her expertise to the Bay Area, working in management with organizations such as Hammer Theater Center, American Musical Theatre of San Jose, San Jose Repertory Theatre, South Bay Musical Theatre and Starting Arts. Sara holds a BFA in Theatre (New York University) and is completing a MA Arts Admin (SUU). They direct locally for the Pear (My Fair Lady, The Book of Will), Silicon Valley Shakespeare (The Importance of Being Earnest), Los Altos Stage Company (Elf, Twelfth Night, the musical), South Bay Musical Theatre (The Spitfire Grill) and Redwood Symphony (Follies, A Little Night Music).
AMANDA LE NGUYEN
Dir., Pear Slices by Members of the Pear Playwrights Guild | DATES TBD
Amanda Le Nguyen s a multifaceted Vietnamese American artist based in the Bay Area. Coming off the rockin' run of We Will Rock You at San Jose Stage, she was also seen in M. Butterfly at SFPH, the West Coast Premiere of Gift of Nothing at MTC, and the world premiere of Cuckoo Edible Magic with SFBATCO. She has performed as Tong in Vietgone (OKC Rep and CLTC), the world premiere of The Hippest Trip, Soul Train the Musical (ACT), Poor Yella Rednecks (ACT), A Christmas Carol (ACT). Love to her beautiful family and friends. Hey, Bub. @sillieamanda (she/her)
JEPOY RAMOS
Dir., Pear Slices by Members of the Pear Playwrights Guild | DATES TBD
Jepoy Ramos is a Software Implementation Engineer and an active member of the San Francisco Bay Area theatre community, with experience as an actor, director, producer, and stage manager across various theatre companies. Outside of theatre, he teaches fitness at F45, competes in Hyrox and Spartan races nationwide, and enjoys traveling around the world. His next project is serving as Associate Director for RENT at SF Playhouse in Fall-Winter 2026. Follow his adventures at @jepriy. Full Send!!!
