Dear Patrons,
We have been extremely gratified with the positive response to Pear Slices 2020: Digital Edition. We feel lucky and proud to be able to continue to create art for you during these times. The Pear feels a strong commitment to being here for you and with you in any way that we can. It is in that spirit that we want to share an update about our season.
We know that digital productions are not the same as the feeling of being together with friends at the theatre and we eagerly await the time when we will be able to see you again in person. At the same time, we believe that it is our responsibility to create and engage with you during this difficult time and we are eager to continue to support artists and our community until we are able to join you in person at The Pear.
After a thorough exploration of every possible tactic to bring you Side by Side by Sondheim, it has become obvious that a digital production of this wonderful show is not possible for us. The rights to stream Sondheim shows are simply not available for theatres like The Pear. While we hope to be able to present this show in the future, for now we have to shift gears.
In looking at feedback from the Pear Slices survey, the response to Pear Slices, and in connecting with our patrons, we want to use this gap in programming as an opportunity to double down on some of the things that make The Pear unique. Our Pear Playwrights Guild, our commitment to developing new work, and our commitment to community are all things that we want to emphasize during this time. So it is with great pleasure that we share our plan to offer something new during this time:
This Street and the Next
This Street and the Next is a production that will be written and conceived for our current situation, a piece that is responsive to the current pandemic but offers a little bit of hope for the end of this tunnel. It is a production that uses overlapping narratives to explore the strength of the human spirit and relationships even in the most difficult of times.
With this production, we want to be responsive to some of the feedback we received from Pear Slices.
Easily watchable! Two hours of a production can be difficult to watch all at once so we’re proud to say that this production will be a playlist of sorts - allowing the audience to view as much or as little of the production as you’d like at a time and in whichever order you want!
We want YOU to be involved. Over the course of production, we will ask the audience to fill out a couple of fun surveys to help guide aspects of the production - if you’re interested, you might see your idea in the final product!
Backstage Pass is back and better than ever! We will continue to do interviews and insider looks but we will add more context, simplify the release schedule, and allow for special access.
More community events! As a part of this production, we will be hosting more live events: more opportunities to connect with other patrons and the artists involved.
Subscribers and patrons who already have tickets will automatically get access to this production on Friday, June 26th. A separate email is going out to confirm this access and Backstage Pass.
If you are not subscribed and would like access to this incredible production, please click the link below to purchase a ticket: $15 for access to the production and $30 for access to Backstage Pass and live events.
We thank you sincerely for supporting The Pear, we can’t wait for you to see what we’re cooking up and we hope that you’ll join us for our Season 19 Premiere Gala on June 13th to learn what we have in store for next season!
Sinjin Jones, Executive Artistic Director
Pear Theatre Board of Directors