The Pear Greenhouse Project
Slowing Down to Speed Up
What’s Going On?
The Pear Theatre has implemented strategy of promoting unique, intimate, and powerful theatre in the South Bay. We have had many seasons successfully producing shows that challenge, entertain, and provide unique theatrical experiences for our audiences. We’ve always known that this type of theatre requires us to both take our traditional audience along with us AND reach new audiences. When we developed this strategy, beginning in 2020, we anticipated 5-10 years to build the new audience we need.
We recognized that the Pear’s sustainability would rest on a financial tripod: increased box office revenues, grants, and donations. As a result of the pandemic, box office revenues at The Pear, as at other theatres, have declined. What about the other two legs of the tripod?
The Good News: You, our donors, continue to be incredible supporters of The Pear. Your yearly donations to the Pear have gone up every year for the past five years. Thank you, many times over!
The Bad News: Grants have diminished sharply in the last few years. The Pear had incredibly strong granting years in 2020, 2021, and 2022, but 2023 and 2024 have shown us that the grant landscape has worsened in the post-pandemic years and will probably not improve. This development has impacted many arts organizations, including the Pear. You’ve seen that dozens of Bay Area theatres have shut their doors. We fiercely want our beloved Pear to survive. And we believe you want that as well!
So What Are We Going To Do About It?
We have decided that we will keep going but reduce what we do for a time - slow down for now, in order to speed up later on. If we succeed, 25 years from now, a vibrant Pear Theatre will still welcome its incredible patrons. After long and difficult discussions, we have settled on several short- and medium-term adjustments that we believe are our best choices right now. We’re calling it the Pear Greenhouse Strategy, because it will protect the Pear, sustain its life, and and help it to grow.
The Pear Greenhouse Strategy
Short Term Measures
- The Pear will implement a payroll cap so that we can mitigate as many monthly fixed costs as possible. This will require across-the-board cuts to staffing hours.
- The Pear will cut our productions of Everybody and She Who Dared in order to support the reduction in staff hours as well as decrease overall expenditures. We will, however, produce Ken Ludwig’s The Gods of Comedy, Henry V, Pear Slices 2025, Constellations, and our co- production of Penelope, as scheduled. We will also continue with our remaining Pear Pressure Cabaret shows.
- The Pear will cut 90% of all Core Community (improv and co-productions) programming to support the Artistic Director transition and the cut in staff hours.
Medium Term Measures
- In collaboration with the new Artistic Director, the 24th Season of The Pear will include four production slots, rather than the usual five.
- With more time freed up, The Pear will raise significant funds from substantial short- and long-term rentals. We are confident that this strategy will succeed since we have often had to turn away prospective renters due to time constraints.
These are difficult adjustments but we believe they are the best solutions to the worsening grant landscape in order to help The Pear survive and thrive into the future.
How Do These Changes Affect You?
If you are a Half-Season Pear Subscriber or you buy individual tickets to our shows, nothing will change for you. While we are losing a couple of repertory shows this season, you will still have the rest of our season to Be Transported with us!
If you are a Full-Season Pear Subscriber, you will still be able to use all seven of your tickets. Besides attending The Gods of Comedy, Henry V, Pear Slices 2025, Constellations, and Penelope, you can use your additional tickets to bring a friend to one of these shows, or come to the remaining Core Community productions. Or you can jumpstart being a Pear Greenhouse Keeper (see below) and donate those tickets back to The Pear.
What Can I Do?
Well, thank you for asking! We are so honored to have a passionate and supportive patron base here at The Pear. Continuing to attend Pear productions, telling your friends, and supporting The Pear will be more than enough.
And if you are looking for a way to go ABOVE AND BEYOND that, in order to show your ongoing support to The Pear, we are proud to announce the Pear Greenhouse Keeper Donor Tier.
Pear Greenhouse Keeper
Pledge a monthly donation of $50 or more for an entire year using the link below OR make a single donation of $500 or more. You will see your name displayed in our lobby’s NEW Greenhouse Keeper Vine, as well as being listed in our programs in a NEW category
We are proud to call you a patron of The Pear and we are looking forward to slowing down in order to speed up. Thank you, as always for your ongoing support.
Sinjin Jones, Outgoing Executive Artistic Director
Bridgette Dutta Portman, Board President
The Pear Board of Directors
