Pear Theatre Takes Silicon Valley Series of Short Plays Online This Year

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Mountain View, CA to the World onlineThe Pear Theatre’s annual short-play series “Pear Slices” offers a little something for everyone: romance, drama, and comedy. For the very first time, these will be moved online this year. Beginning Friday, April 30th and running through May 23rd, the series features a local cast under co-direction of Melinda Marks and Troy Johnson. This year’s line-up also features a comedy by Pear Playwrights Guild newcomer Matthew Fyffe: A Stable Family, a send-up of the Christmas story.

The Pear Theatre’s acting members include Maya Greenberg, Gaz Jemeel, Asha Kelly (Under Milk Wood), Justin P. Lopez, Francheska Loy, and Francisco Rodriguez (Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue). The short plays include newcome Fyffe’s A Stable Family, along with longtime Guilde member Leah Halper’s Yes Yes Maybe and Hello Heriberto; Don’t Let Go, by Carol Wolf; Wheel of Fortuna by Bridgette Dutta Portman; Power(less) Pete by Megan Maugheri; Sequestered by Barbara Anderson; and Roadside Attraction and Keepsake by Peggy Powell.

Pear Slices Cleopatra
From the Pear Theatre as way of Introduction:
A Stable Family by Matthew Fyffe
New father Joseph struggling with the responsibilities of raising his first son… who was born in a stable, in Bethlehem, in 0 AD. Can the Three Wise Ones offer some advice and hopefully save an entire religion at the same time? Or will their anxieties (not to mention Joseph’s) about being up to the task change the world as we know it?
Yes Yes Maybe by Leah Halper
A poignant story of a not-so-young man in Buenos Aires asking his family tough questions and demanding long-denied answers.
Hello Heriberto by Leah Halper
A woman in labor and her partner hurry to get to the hospital while simultaneously struggling with the personal, economical, and existential challenges of bringing a new life into the world.
Don’t Let Go by Carol Wolf
A community of blind primitives help one another through a fearful landscape of dangers. But when one leader notices he has additional senses, ones that help him gather more food and keep his people safe, he will discover that such an existence is more dangerous than he might have realized.
Wheel of Fortuna by Bridgette Dutta Portman
Contestants Nero (a moody teen with mommy issues), Cleopatra (a savvy ruler who is determined to win), and Marcus Anonymus (an obscure goat-herder) attempt to win money and the latest model chariot while the insanely bored show host (and goddess) Fortuna sneaks sips from her flask.
Power(less) Pete by Megan Maugheri
When Power(less) Pete sinks into an existential crisis during the summer of 2020, Magic Max attempts to help him get back to being a kick-ass superhero. Can Max get Pete to find his power again? To turn off “South Park” reruns and stop drinking Power Punch and gin? Or to at least take a shower and put on some pants?
Sequestered by Barbara Anderson
A couple struggles to find time together after their online, lockdown schedules become jam-packed. Can they find a few minutes for dinner together amid the nonstop streaming workouts, workshops, and work meetings? Will they ever return to the couple they were before — or have they, already?
Roadside Attraction by Peggy Powell
Two visitors to a Museum of Oddities in the middle of nowhere will undergo a very odd experience, indeed.
Keepsake by Peggy Powell
Keira’s husband has been cryogenically frozen for decades. The lab is ready to bring him back — but is she?

Kelly Weber Barraza stage manages, Ben Hemmen does lighting design, and Pati Bristow provides costumes.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the web site at www.thepear.org or call 650/254-1148.

About Michele Caprario 84 Articles
Michele Caprario is a writer and editor covering great people, places, and projects that bring goodness to the world.

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