Our Commitment
The Pear Theatre is committed to putting action to words, lifting up BIPOC, queer, and trans artists and moving forward the theatrical conversation in order to demand a more equitable and inclusive artistic community in the Bay Area and beyond.
The Pear commits to creating and transparently sharing yearly goals and updates with respect to equity. We invite our patrons and members of the wider theatrical community to view below our Artistic Strategic Plan along with our Board Commitments as a first step.
Artistic Strategic Plan
Diversity and Access
In the next year, The Pear Theatre puts significant focus on diversity and access. Located far off the beaten path in the midst of the off-campus Google and Microsoft buildings, The Pear is not the most likely area for theatre. Mountain View as a city struggles with engaging its diverse population, and so too does The Pear. This coming season (2020/2021), we focus first on the issue of engaging diverse voices and bringing theatrical experiences to those who don’t often get the opportunity.
The Pear Theatre will engage 50% artists from diverse backgrounds in the 2020/2021 Season (as defined as nonwhite, not cis-gender, queer)
The Pear Theatre will diversify its audience base:
The Pear Theatre will aim to increase sales of Student Tickets and Group purchases by 20% by extending the runs of shows, significantly expanding outreach to student groups in the South Bay, and creating student-specific engagement opportunities (study guides, tours, and interview opportunities). This is manifested through Pear Seeds and Pear Roots projects.
The Pear Theatre will partner with groups representing audiences from diverse backgrounds and offer AT LEAST 5 group discounts codes to those groups across the season. (Eg: For our recent production of Curious Incident, we were able to offer discount codes to members of the group AASCEND [Autism Asperger Spectrum Coalition for Education, Networking and Development] in San Francisco to give them expanded opportunities to see the show at a discounted rate)
Programmatic Expansion
The Pear Theatre, in order to more fully realize our vision for the development of artists and community, will seek programmatic expansion in the 2020/2021 Season
The Pear Theatre will continue the Pear Seeds program with a summer conservatory program in the summer of 2021 - achieving enrollment of 10 students per class offered.
The Pear Theatre will launch it’s fall after-school Pear Seeds Programming with an enrollment of 10 students per class.
The Pear Theatre will roll out specific workshops and events, curated by the Pear Playwrights Guild, to grow and diversify the Guild and to attract new playwrights to submit plays to The Pear for consideration in future seasons.
Recovery and Development
COVID-19 has hit The Pear, like most other arts organizations, incredibly hard. Our 2020/2021 Season must be spent reevaluating and strengthening our financial position in order to continue to offer strong programming for years to come:
The Pear Theatre will aim to increase donations by 15% over the previous season. We will do this through producing a major fundraising event at The Pear, increasing social media presences, and providing more direct donation opportunities for patrons.
The Pear Theatre will develop and offer new, business oriented, sponsorship opportunities to better capitalize on the wealthy tech infrastructure of Mountain View. We aim to receive 3 Sponsorships at this new level.
The Pear Theatre will apply for AT LEAST 5 new grant opportunities.
Board Commitments
Our Mission Statement
Pear Theatre was founded in 2002 with a mission to offer theatre that challenges our community to see all aspects of our world fully, with intellectually stimulating, emotionally powerful, and professional productions.
Our Commitment to Inclusiveness
To fully portray today’s world, we are dedicated to engaging diverse voices in our programming and to fostering an inclusive environment in all aspects of our work as artists, staff, volunteers and audience.
The Pear Theatre is committed to supporting our diverse audiences, actors, writers, directors and designers, education and our community at large.
Audiences:
To date, the Pear has given our audiences over 120 full-length productions, varying in content and style, always staged with imagination, emotional power, and intellectual rigor. The space is elegant, comfortable, and accessible, so that seeing a play at the Pear is a wonderful experience.
Actors:
We support, encourage, and respect the craft of acting, and Pear actors have been particularly praised for their rich, multifaceted performances.
Writers:
Unique in the Bay Area, the Pear has the treasure of an active Playwrights Guild, as well as a play development program (Fresh Produce) that cultivates new works.
Directors and Designers:
Directors create a collaborative atmosphere, encouraging set, lighting, sound, and costume designers to create imaginative solutions to theatrical challenges.
Education:
In 2018, we launched the Pear Seeds program, which offers playwriting classes to youth who produce their own new plays, mentored by the Pear’s theatre artists.
Community at Large:
We recognize that our responsibilities go beyond just producing entertaining plays. We have a unique platform to foster mindfulness within our community, and we continue to strive to find ways to practice leadership of thought.
From the Pear Playwrights Guild
The Pear Playwrights Guild (PPG) is committed to full inclusion of and equitable treatment of playwrights from historically marginalized populations, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) playwrights, LGBTQ+ playwrights, and playwrights with disabilities. In order to achieve that commitment, the PPG seeks to actively create and maintain a welcoming environment where persons from historically marginalized communities are able to develop their theatrical voices.
Keep on the lookout for upcoming Pear Playwrights Guild Initiatives like Fresh Baked Pears!
Want to get involved and move the pear forward?
Artistic Director: Sinjin@ThePear.org
Board President: Sharmon@ThePear.org