Season 25
Defiant Voices. Vibrant Art. 25 Years Bold.
To subscribe online, click on SUBSCRIPTIONS tab at top of VBO event page.
To subscribe via printed form, download and print the attached form and mail it back to us.
Season 25 artwork by Stephanie Whigham.
Dear Pear Patrons,
For 25 years, in our black box theatre in Mountain View, we have built something intimate and enduring. A place where artists are able to take risks, where audiences sit close enough to feel breath and silence, where stories unfold without spectacle but never without ambition. That intimacy can be radical. That language matters.
Tucked into a nook in Mountain View, away from the mainstream, we are bold, unique and fiercely independent.
Our 25th anniversary season embraces that identity. Each play we produce this season tells the story of people on the margins -- artists erased from history, lovers who defy social expectation, gamblers and missionaries negotiating morality, veterans navigating invisible wounds, actors fighting to preserve culture itself.
In Private Lives by Noël Coward two lovers discover that fitting into polite society may be less honest than living passionately outside it.
In Underdog: The Other Other Brontë by Sarah Gordon, a forgotten sister confronts the machinery of literary fame.
In Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser, hustlers and missionaries inhabit a mythic New York that belongs to those who live by wit and nerve.
In Water by the Spoonful by Quiara Alegría Hudes, recovering addicts and veterans create community beyond the borders of polite visibility.
In The Book of Will by Lauren Gunderson, actors dismissed as rogues fight to preserve the words of William Shakespeare — ensuring that what was once ephemeral becomes immortal.
And Pear Slices 2027 - 8 tales crafted by the Pear Playwrights Guild come together for an ethereal and unforgettable evening.
These stories are not incidental to The Pear. They are reflections of who we have always been.
Like the actors in The Book of Will, small theatres safeguard the future of theatre by fiercely honoring the text.
Like Anne in Underdog, not all artists receive the spotlight.
Like the gamblers in Guys and Dolls, we bet on bold choices.
Like the community in Water by the Spoonful, we believe connection transforms isolation.
The Pear is unrivaled in spirit.
The Pear is persistent and resilient.
The Pear changes the landscape quietly, steadily, bravely.
This season is a celebration of that persistence — and an invitation.
If you have ever felt just outside the mainstream…
If you believe theatre should challenge as much as entertain…
If you value language, risk, and community…
There is a seat for you here.
Twenty-five years bold.
And we are just getting started.
Sara Kannen Dean
Artistic Director | Pear Theatre
Artwork by Stephanie Whigham.
SEPT. 25 - 0CT. 11, 2026
Private Lives
by Noël Coward
Directed by Dennis Lickteig
In this sparkling comedy of manners, two former lovers find themselves honeymooning with new spouses in adjoining rooms—only to discover that their passion for each other hasn’t dimmed. As they abandon convention for a reckless reunion, they expose the absurdities of polite society and the fragile structures that hold it together. With razor-sharp wit and irresistible charm, the play asks whether civility is merely a performance—and whether love is ever meant to be tamed.
NOV. 6 - 22, 2026
Underdog: The Other Other Brontë
by Sarah Gordon
Director to be determined.
Anne Brontë steps out from the long shadow of her famous sisters in this inventive and fiercely intelligent play. As she confronts the literary machinery that elevates some voices while silencing others, Anne wrestles with ambition, legacy, and the cost of being overlooked. Blending humor with pointed insight, this work reclaims a narrative often left untold, inviting us to reconsider who gets remembered—and why.
Artwork by Stephanie Whigham.
Artwork by Stephanie Whigham.
FEB. 19 - MAR. 7, 2027
Guys & Dolls
Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Directed by Lysander Abadia
Welcome to a vibrant, larger-than-life New York where gamblers, dreamers, and missionaries collide. As high-stakes bets intertwine with unlikely romances, characters navigate a world built on risk, charm, and sheer nerve. Bursting with unforgettable songs and buoyant energy, this beloved musical celebrates the thrill of chance and the possibility of transformation—even for the most unlikely souls.
APRIL 16 - MAY 2, 2027
Water by the Spoonful
By Quiara Alegria Hudes
Directed by John R. Lewis
Poetic and profoundly moving, this Pulitzer Prize-winning play explores how we build community when traditional structures fall away. In a world often defined by disconnection, a group of recovering addicts finds solace and solidarity in an online chat room, while a returning veteran struggles to reconcile his past with his present. Their stories intersect in surprising and deeply human ways, forming a portrait of resilience, compassion, and chosen family.
Artwork by Stephanie Whigham.
Artwork by Stephanie Whigham.
JUNE 11 - 27, 2027
Book of Will
by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Sara Kannen Dean
Warm, witty, and deeply heartfelt, this play celebrates friendship, artistic devotion, and the enduring power of words. After the death of William Shakespeare, his fellow actors face a daunting realization: his plays may be lost forever. Together, they embark on a mission to gather, preserve, and publish his work—defying the odds to secure a legacy that would shape the future of storytelling.
DATES TBD
Pear Slices 2027
By Members of The Pear Playwrights’ Guild
Directed by Amanda Nguyen & Jepoy Ramos
An evening of delightful imagination and theatrical discovery, Pear Slices 2027 brings together eight original short plays from the Pear Playwrights Guild. These intimate, inventive works span genres and styles, offering glimpses into worlds both familiar and fantastical. This annual collection showcases the vibrant voices of Pear’s storytellers—each piece a spark, together an unforgettable theatrical experience.
Artwork by Stephanie Whigham.