Pear Theatre and Bootstrap Theatre Foundation Present YOU / EMMA

This December, Pear Theatre joins with BootStrap Theater Foundation to produce the Bay Area Premiere of You/Emma, a solo show which has been described as "a postmodern fever dream of Madame Bovary," where Flaubert's 19th century proto-feminist novel collides with a future that is female. You/Emma previews on Thursday, December 5, with press and Opening Night on Friday, December 6, followed by a champagne gala. The show runs Thursdays through Sundays through December 15. All performances are held at the Pear Theatre, 1110 La Avenida St., Mountain View. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.thepear.org or calling (650) 254-1148.

In this award-winning, witty work, Emma Bovary's voracious desires war with domestic boredom, cracking her life apart. Actress Valerie Redd performs as Bovary alongside the imagined character of You (who Emma would be in today's sexually liberated world), and converses with Emma's author, Flaubert. Under the direction of Devin Brain, Redd reprises the show that won Best Solo Performance at the New York Innovative Theater Awards in 2018.

Written by playwright Paz Pardo in collaboration with Redd, You/Emma was originally produced by Wandering Bark Theater Company and performed at IRT Theater, New York City in May, 2018 as part of IRT's residency program. Theatre is Easy praised, "Redd's performance is a delight ... a perfect fit for Pardo's razor-sharp humor."

Valerie Redd is a classically trained actor based in New York City. She earned her BA in Theatre from St. Edward's University and is also a graduate of London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, where she received advanced training in classical acting. Redd is a founder and Artistic Director of Wandering Bark Theatre Company, a group dedicated to adapting classic plays, and has created, produced, written, directed, and performed in several adaptations of Shakespeare, Chekhov and Ibsen as well as classic literature. Wandering Bark is a two-time recipient of a residency with IRT, a New York theater organization that offers full-immersion development residencies for carefully curated emerging and established artists.

Paz Pardo is a native of Palo Alto. Her plays include Milton, MI (LTC Carnaval reading 2018, Bay Area Playwrights Festival Finalist 2016), Movimiento Perpetuo/Perpetual Motion (which she has performed in 11 cities in three countries), Duct Tape Girl and Fetish Chick Conquer the World (BootStrap Theater Foundation), and RubberMatch (RED CARAVAN). Her writing has appeared in The Brooklyn Review, Encountering Ensemble, Howlround, and the I Scream Social Anthology. She earned her MFA in Playwriting from UT Austin; her BA from Stanford University; and a Fulbright Award in Buenos Aires in 2012.

Director Devin Brain is currently the Associate Artistic Director for The Acting Company, a touring repertory company that focuses on classical texts for production in national tours. He has worked for the company for the past five years, directing both Macbeth and Julius Caesar as well as developing and implementing a wide variety of educational programs across a national consortium in partnership with The Guthrie Theatre, UMKC, SUNY Oswego, Hamilton College, Ohio University, Towson University, and many more. Devin is also a working freelance director, who has worked extensively in both Chicago and NYC. He holds an MFA in Directing from the Yale School of Drama, where he was the Artistic Director of both the Yale Cabaret and Yale Summer Cabaret.

Pear Theatre began as the Pear Avenue Theatre in June 2002, under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Tasca, by a group of theatre artists who believe that audiences are eager for plays that challenge as well as delight and move them. Pear Theatre produces intimate theatre by passionate artists, whether classic works or cutting-edge plays. Now in its eighteenth season, The Pear attracts theatre artists and audience from all over the Bay Area for its award-winning and high-quality productions; and its ongoing commitment to excellence was recognized by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle with the Paine Knickerbocker Award, an annual special award for a Bay Area company contributing to the high quality of theatre in the region.

Pear Theatre moved in 2015 from its original 40-seat warehouse space to a new, state-of-the-art black box theatre close by, with capacity of 75-99 seats depending on the configuration of the production. This exciting move allows The Pear to continue its tradition of intimate theatre while taking on new challenges and opportunities. In August 2017, Betsy Kruse Craig took the helm as the new Artistic Director, instituting several new programs and expanding the range of the theater's offerings. In January 2020, Kruse Craig will be stepping down from that role, which will be filled by a candidate selected by the Board of Directors.

For information or tickets, visit www.thepear.org or call (650) 254-1148.

Photo Credit: Samantha Fairfield Walsh

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