Sinjin Jones Appointed New Artistic Director of Pear Theatre

Pear Theatre Board of Directors has announced the appointment of their newest Artistic Director, Sinjin Jones. Jones, a recent transplant to the Bay Area, has been an artist and teacher of the arts for over a decade and was an Honorable Mention for the 2019 Tony Awards Excellence in Theatre Education Award. He will officially step into the role beginning January 1, 2020, as Artistic Director Betsy Kruse Craig steps down.

"My time as Artistic Director of the Pear has been incredibly fulfilling," said Craig. "I am proud of the work we have done, the new audience members, and the continued commitment to offer actors, designers, and directors a unique platform to create and thrive. I'm excited to welcome Sinjin and all the experience and skill he brings to the table. I look forward to supporting him in this transition and continuing to be a part of the Pear community."

"The Board was thrilled with the extremely high caliber of the candidates for the position of Artistic Director - it was very heartening," said President of the Board and Pear Theatre founder, Diane Tasca. "We feel that Sinjin brings, in addition to his personal warmth and artistic ability, an excitement and energy to the Pear, and a new direction for us."

Sinjin Jones comes to the Pear with a broad range of artistic experience including arts operations and finance, directing, performing, choreography, arts education, creative writing, devised and immersive theatres, slam poetry, painting, sculpting, photography, lighting design, sound design, and stage management. In recent years he has served as Artistic Director and Vice President of the Board of A Theatre Group in Silverton, Colorado. He also was the Founder and Artistic Director of Otherworld Collective, and Co-Founder and Head of Operations for Perplexity Pictures.

Jones earned the Chancellors Award for Excellence, Undergraduate Creative Activity from the University of Colorado Denver Research and Creative Arts Symposium for the project "Arts in Community Development" in 2011. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Film, and Video Production from University of Colorado Denver, and is currently completing a Master of the Fine Arts in Creative Writing: Fiction and Scriptwriting from Regis University. As a queer artist of color, he has a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion both on and off the stage. He lives with his law school-attending partner, Sam, and two cats in Redwood City.

"From the very moment I first stepped into Pear Theatre, I loved the feeling of community and joy that fills the air. There's an infectious camaraderie that makes you happy just to be there and prepares you to see exciting, thoughtful, well-produced theatre with purpose," said Jones. "I feel honored and thrilled to be taking the helm at this exciting time. Building on the strong foundation of success, I look forward to bringing my lens as both storytelling artist and leader of color to help move the Pear forward, both growing the already strong roots and branching out in new directions."

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 allowed 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. Kruse Craig steps down from that role at the end of 2019 in order to focus on her recent promotion at Stratford Middle Schools, but will still remain involved with Pear Theatre as an actor, director, and volunteer.

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