A CONVERSATION WITH EDITH HEAD Comes to Pear Theatre

LA Stage Alliance Nominated Actress and New Times Winner, Best Actress Susan Claassen stars in the Bay Area premiere of "A Conversation With Edith Head" at Pear Theatre from December 7 through 16. The internationally acclaimed show, based on Edith Head'S HOLLYWOOD by Edith Head and Paddy Calistro, is a feast of delicious behind-the-scenes stories about Hollywood's greatest stars that provide an intimate portrait of Hollywood's legendary costume designer. "A Conversation With Edith Head" previews on December 6, with press and Opening Night on Friday, December 7 (followed by a champagne gala). The show runs Thursdays through Sundays through December 16. 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.

Susan Claassen was inspired to write and star in "A Conversation With Edith Head" while watching a TV biography of Ms. Head. Claassen said: "Not only do I bear a striking resemblance to Edith, but we share the same love for clothes and fashion. She stitched Dorothy Lamour into her sarong; put Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in kilts in "The Road to Bali," dressed Ingrid Bergman in "Notorious," Grace Kelly in "To Catch A Thief," Kim Novak in "Vertigo," Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard," and Sean Connery in "The Man Who Would Be King." There are many myths about her but she was a discreet, tenacious personality. She knew whose hips needed clever disguising and made sure those legendary stars always looked the part. Our show gives the inside scoop on Edith and the Golden Age of Hollywood."

In her six decades of costume design, Edith Head worked on over eleven hundred films; dressed the greatest stars of Hollywood; received 35 Academy Award nominations, and won an unprecedented eight Oscars. Edith Head's story is as fascinating as the history of the film industry itself, filled with humor, frustration, and - above all - glamour. Forty-four of her working years were spent at Paramount Studios, where she worked with the most famous actors of the time, from Mae West and Clara Bow to Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis. When Paramount failed to renew her contract in 1967, Alfred Hitchcock stepped in and Ms. Head was invited to join Universal Studios. At Universal she costumed Robert Redford and Paul Newman in "The Sting" and won the first-ever Oscar for a film without a female lead. Her eight Academy Awards celebrated her artistry in "The Heiress" (her first Oscar), "Samson & Delilah," "All About Eve," "A Place in the Sun," "Roman Holiday," "Sabrina," "The Facts of Life," and "The Sting." Edith Head died in October 1981, still under contract to Universal Studios, having just completed the Steve Martin film, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid."

The Bay Area production of this show is long overdue, as Edith Head completed her undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley and went on to post-graduate studies (and sorority membership) at Stanford University. She survived the boys' club of old Hollywood, and reached her remarkable success at least in part because she took the radical step of actually discussing costumes with her leading ladies before designing them. Younger generations, who may not know her by name, almost certainly know the animated character she inspired - Edna Mode, the superhero costume designer of Pixar's "The Incredibles" movies. Susan will be joined on stage by local actor and choreographer, Michael Saenz, as "the Host."

"A Conversation With Edith Head" premiered at Invisible Theatre in Tucson, Arizona and has played coast to coast with more than 375 performances. The production has toured internationally to Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia; a "Sold Out" engagement at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe (out of the 2,000 shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, only 200 were officially designated "Sold Out" engagements) and an acclaimed five-week run at the Leicester Square Theatre in London's West End. The New York Times has said, "Edith Head comes to life in a way that's so perfectly accurate" and the Los Angeles Times raved, "Susan Claassen nails Edie in her one woman show." "A Conversation with Edith Head" is presented in association with the Motion Picture and Television Fund. The prop Oscars and photographic images and sketches are courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Margaret Herrick Library.

Much of the dialogue in the show comes directly from the famed designer. When she was asked to write the authorized posthumous autobiography, Edith Head'S HOLLYWOOD, Paddy Calistro acquired more than 13 hours of recollections recorded by Edith Head. The show also features insights from costume designer Bob Mackie, who once worked as Ms. Head's sketch artist; Edie Wasserman, wife of the late Universal Studio head Lew Wasserman, and Art Linkletter, award-winning host of TV's "House Party," who brought Edith Head into the homes of America. Edith would stroll through the studio audience with Linkletter, offering brutally critical fashion, diet and grooming advice - all this half a century before the current mania for on-screen makeovers.

Audiences at the Pear Theatre production are encouraged to dress their best, if they so dare - "Edith Head" will be awarding stickers for fashion-savvy outfits and patrons may even find themselves on stage and under her expert eye.

Susan Claassen was named 2012 Best of Phoenix Actress and nominated for the 2011 Los Angeles Stage Alliance Ovation Award for Best Lead Actress for her portrayal of Edith Head. In 48 seasons as Managing Artistic Director of the Invisible Theatre, she has produced more than 450 productions and directed more than 85. Susan has been a member of Actors' Equity Association since 1969, a member of the League of Professional Theatre Women, and Costume Society of America. Some of her most memorable roles have been Bella in Lost in Yonkers, Trudy and all in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, and Olive in Olive and the Bitter Herbs (MAC Award for Best Actress). She has been a consultant and director for Waterfront Playhouse and Red Barn Theatre in Key West, Florida, and directed Steve Ross at New York's Rainbow and Stars Cabaret and St. Paul's Ordway Theatre. Susan was a City of Hope Spirit of Life honoree, received Tucson's Humanitarian Torch Award for her work on behalf of people living with AIDS and performs as a clown in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She was selected as one of Tucson Lifestyle's 10 Most Admired Women, was honored by the Jewish Federation as one of Tucson's 13 Extraordinary Women, and is featured in Arizona's centennial legacy book, Arizona's 48 Most Intriguing Women.

Paddy Calistro is one of the leading authorities on the life and work of Edith Head and is the co- author of Edith Head's posthumous autobiography, Edith Head'S HOLLYWOOD. She was selected as Ms. Head's official biographer based on her experience as a fashion journalist. A former fashion and beauty writer for the Los Angeles Times, Paddy wrote the weekly "Looks" column in the LA Times Magazine for four years. She was the West Coast reporter for Allure and has written for Glamour, Mademoiselle, House Beautiful, Elle, Four Seasons Magazine, Fitness and Los Angeles Magazine. For more than a decade Paddy was the lead interior design writer for LA Magazine, and was also the editor of American Style, a bilingual fashion magazine sold in Mexico and South America. The co-founder of Angel City Press, an independent book publishing company based in Santa Monica, she currently serves as its Publisher and Editor-in-chief. The 25th anniversary edition of Edith Head'S HOLLYWOOD will be available for purchase at all performances of "A Conversation With Edith Head."

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 sixteenth 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, beginning with this season.

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