Pear Theatre Opens Season with THE GUYS AND VEILS

Pear Theatre opens its 2016/2017 season with two two-person shows running in repertory, each presenting a different perspective on modern conflict, identity, grief, and human nature. THE GUYS by Anne Nelson, directed by Christian Haines, previews on August 24; with Press and Opening Night on Friday, August 26, followed by a champagne gala. VEILS by Tom Coash, directed by Vickie Rozell, previews on August 25; with Press and Opening Night on Saturday, August 27, followed by a champagne gala. The two shows run concurrently through September 18. All performances are held at the Pear Theatre, 1110 La Avenida St., Mountain View. For tickets ($10-$35) and information the public may visit www.thepear.org or call (650) 254-1148.

THE GUYS follows the real-life relationship between a journalist working in New York after 9/11, and an FDNY captain struggling to write eulogies for eight men lost in the collapse of the Twin Towers. The play, written in just nine days, has had something of a celebrity history, having opened off-Broadway in 2001 starring Sigourney Weaver and Bill Murray, and later performed around the world by Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Helen Hunt, Bill Irwin, Anthony LaPaglia, Swoosie Kurtz, and others. CurtainUp.com said of the show, "This is a play that has an aura beyond 9/11, wherever people deal with human loss and unbelievable devastation." The New York Post called it "a generous, sad, touching play about the braveries of grief." Nick, the Fire Captain, will be played by Ray Renati (courtesy of Actors' Equity); and Joan, an editor, will be played by Diane Tasca. Christian Haines directs.

Set in the weeks just prior to the Egyptian revolution known as Arab Spring, VEILS follows Intisar, an African-American Muslim student, who enrolls for a year abroad at the American Egyptian University in Cairo, thinking she will finally feel like she belongs. Her new Egyptian roommate, Samar, has different views - particularly about the practice of veiling - and yearns to have greater freedom of expression as a journalist. As the political and personal turmoils build, the two young women struggle to find individual and cultural identity, and to find a way forward together. Coash wrote this play based on his experiences teaching at the American University in Cairo from 1996 to 2000, and VEILS won an American Theatre Critics Association "M. Elizabeth Osborn Award" for Best New Play by an Emerging Playwright as well as an Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, and was one of six finalists for the prestigious Steinberg/ATCA award. VEILS will feature Amani Dorn as Intisar (courtesy of Actors' Equity) and Naseem Etemad as Samar. Vickie Rozell directs.

The production team for both shows includes Stage Manager Lauren Howry, Set Designer Ron Gasparinetti, Lighting Designer Joseph Hidde, Sound Designer Steve Schoenbeck, and Projections Designer John Beamer.

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 fifteenth season, The Pear attracts theatre artists and audience from all over the Bay Area for its award-winning and high-quality productions; and last year The Pear's 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.

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