Representation at The Pear
Representation matters. It’s a foundational value that The Pear holds deeply, and influences our storytelling choices from show selection to artistic collaborators to the way we communicate with all of our stakeholders. Conversations about representation happen often at The Pear.
As our finale for Season 21, we are presenting Falsettos - a moving musical centering on the Jewish experience. The show explores Jewishness and queer culture in incredibly poignant ways and also includes self-deprecating Jewish humor. We relied on the knowledge of Jewish members of the production’s artistic leadership team, and individual research and consultations done by artists on the team. The cast and crew have taken the responsibility of this production seriously and have created something compelling.
However, we missed an opportunity.
Although our artistic leadership team has representation, we lack on-stage representation of the Jewish community in our production. As a result, we missed the lived Jewish experience in the development of cast chemistry, and we missed out on opportunities to deliver a more nuanced and thorough exploration of the culture.
Casting is a challenging process for even the largest theatres to get right. There are many stories in the news even now that deal with just this. While we don’t think there is a fool-proof solution to these conundrums, we know that we can do better and, perhaps, lead by example for other organizations.
Below you will find The Pear’s casting guidelines along with new additions we’ve made as a part of our currently-casting 22nd Season. We hope that these meaningful steps will help us ensure we have deep on-stage representation of all the backgrounds we represent with the diversity of our theatrical seasons. Similarly, we hope this is just the first step in our continued conversations about how to cast most effectively.
Additionally, in order to ensure The Pear is supporting the Jewish community and the larger goal of educating our audiences, we will also make a $500 donation to the San Francisco-based organization, Be’chol Lashon. We welcome and encourage you to learn more about their mission to strengthen Jewish identity and support them alongside us. Beyond that, you can view The Pear’s Falsettos program online for more information and causes related to both the Jewish and queer identities.
The Pear’s casting protocols prior to Season 22 include:
· Directors may not ask about any feature or characteristic about a performer that is federally protected from discrimination. If it can be used to cast, it could also be used not to cast - and that discrimination is unacceptable.
· If race/identity monikers are included in a playwright's character descriptions, it is listed in our casting call, unless there is some supported interpretation of the script that has been approved.
· In season general auditions, we encourage performers from all backgrounds to submit for any role, in line with our goal to cast 60% of our casts from historically excluded backgrounds.
· In all audition submissions, The Pear asks the performer to tell us a little about themselves, encouraging (but not requiring) them to share some thoughts about their identity.
· Directors and the artistic team are encouraged to reach out for relevant casting aid. This assistance can be paid if requested.
Starting in our 22nd Season, we add:
· The Pear will adjust our wording of callback audition questions to allow auditioners the opportunity to share their personal connection to the cultures and communities represented in the show in which they are auditioning.
· The Pear will increase outreach during casting by formally adding cultural institutions, advocacy groups, and community organizations.
· Along with the protocols of the Pear People Policy and our commitment to hire intimacy coordinators, fight choreographers, and dramaturgs when appropriate, The Pear commits to hiring cultural experts to join the rehearsal process when appropriate.
In the South Bay and beyond, The Pear aims to be an organization that strives to set a high representation leadership bar, and to be intentional and forward thinking about how we can improve.
We thank you for helping us grow and we look forward to seeing all of our patrons in Season 22!
Executive Artistic Director, Sinjin Jones & The Pear Board of Directors