Pear Theatre Presents COWBOY VS. SAMURAI Opening in March

Inspired by the classic Cyrano de Bergerac, Michael Golamco's "Cowboy vs. Samurai" is not only a tale of misplaced love, it's also an insightful and wonderfully funny meditation on being Asian in middle America, on self-identity, and on the ways we categorize ourselves as well as each other. Pear Theatre's production of "Cowboy vs. Samurai," directed by Jeffrey Lo, previews on March 15, with press and Opening Night on Friday, March 16, followed by a champagne gala. The show runs Thursdays through Sundays through April 8. 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 Breakneck, a tiny little town in Wyoming, teacher Travis Park is the only Korean in town - and one of only two Asian Americans living there, which doesn't prevent his friend Chester from forming and chairing frequent meetings of the BAAA (Breakneck Asian American Alliance). The two-person organization debates issues such as boycotting the lone grocery store in town because they refuse to carry tofu, and whether or not meetings should be moved to Heck's Tavern so Travis can at least have a beer while listening to Chester's latest diatribes on Asian oppression. Into this comfortable stalemate comes new teacher Veronica Lee, a beautiful, polished and professional Korean woman from New York, who confides to Travis that she's determined to 'get good at being single' - until she falls head over heels for the rugged, Caucasian cowboy of a Phys Ed teacher, Del. Del, in turn, has never had to approach a woman he hasn't known since childhood, and begs Travis for help in romancing Veronica through letters.

"Cowboy vs. Samurai" was called "a gentle, genial, frequently wise comedy of character and race" by the Village Voice, and theMinneapolis Star-Tribune asserted, "Nimble, conversational and contemporary ... Funny yet sweet ... The cast can't go wrong because the playwright got it so right." SF Weekly said "Sweet, charming ... A story both unique and timeless waiting to be told."

Director Jeffrey Lo a Filipino-American playwright and director based in the Bay Area. He is the recipient of the 2014 Leigh Weimers Emerging Artist Award, the 2012 Emerging Artist Laureate by Arts Council Silicon Valley, and Theatre Bay Area Director's TITAN Award. His plays have been produced and workshopped at The BindleStiff Studio, City Lights Theatre Company, Custom Made Theatre Company, and the Orange County Playwrights Alliance. Recent directing credits include The Crucible, Dead Man's Cellphone, and Yellow Face at Los Altos Stage Company; The Santaland Diaries at TheatreWorks; and Eurydice at Palo Alto Players. Jeffrey has also worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, TheatreWorks & San Jose Repertory Theatre. He is the FutureWorks Fellow at TheatreWorks, the founding artistic director of The 06 Ensemble and a proud alumnus of the UC Irvine Drama Department. In 2015, Lo directed a staged reading of Cowboy vs. Samurai at Marin Theatre Company.

Playwright Michael Golamco, who grew up in San Mateo and later went to high school in Marin, is a recipient of a Helen Merrill Award and the author of the plays "Build" and "Year Zero." His plays have been produced at NYC's Second Stage Theatre, Chicago's Victory Gardens, The Geffen Playhouse, Actors Theatre of Louisville, The Guthrie, LA's Colony Theater, and many others around the country and internationally. "Year Zero" was the Grand Prize winner of Chicago Dramatists' Many Voices Project and was nominated for a Jeff Award for Best New Work. Golamco was also one of the writers on Actors Theatre of Louisville's Anthology Project ("Oh, Gastronomy!") for the 2012 Humana Festival of New Plays. He currently serves as a Writer/Producer on SyFy's NIGHTFLYERS, and has previously written for NBC's GRIMM. Feature films include UNTITLED ALI WONG AND RANDALL PARK ROMANTIC COMEDY, written with Ali Wong and Randall Park, and PLEASE STAND BY, starring Dakota Fanning, Toni Collette, and Alice Eve.

The Pear's production of "Cowboy vs. Samurai" features Lorenz Angelo Gonzales as Travis, Chuck Lacson as Chester, Drew Reitz as Del, and Heather Mae Steffen as Veronica Lee. The design and crew team includes Assistant Director Kaede Komatsuzaki, set designer Ting-Na Wang, lighting designer Tanya Finkelstein, costume designer Diane Tasca, and stage manager Kelly Weber Barraza.

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.

Photo: Phys Ed teacher Del (Drew Reitz) is dating coworker Veronica (Heather Mae
Steffen), but only because his friend Travis (Lorenz Angelo Gonzales) poured out his own heart in love letters to help his friend woo her.

Photo by Michael Craig/Pear Theatre

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