Pear Theatre

If you haven’t been to the Pear Theatre, you need to stop denying yourself one of the best kept secrets in our community. Okay, maybe it isn’t a secret to some people, but the rest of you really need to discover how much fun it is to attend local theatre in a small, intimate setting.

Pear Theatre recently moved to a bigger, better location and, although I loved the old location, this new place is perfect! It hold about 96 patrons and every single seat is a “good” seat, close to the stage, and nothing’s better than seeing live theatre up close. I remember thinking that the old location was like watching a play while sitting on an airplane. The new one is much more roomy, but still less than half the size of SecondStage at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.

“Pear Slices” is an annual production, numerous short one-act plays, by local playwrights. The woman who plays the Sea in ‘Wave Walkers’ (by Bridgette Portman) was amazing to watch as she drifted around on the stage like waves on the beach, with the personality of the ocean, self-absorbed and slightly arrogant. It was exactly like the sea, if she could talk to you. I was mesmerized by her.

Since the new theatre is larger, the seating configuration can be rearranged, there are nice new restrooms, and plenty of room for a concession counter. The larger venue allows for a scene shop for building sets, a bigger dressing room, room for storage of props and costumes, and a rehearsal studio. Since they can rehearse in a separate studio, they can prepare for the next production much more quickly. Diane Tasca, the Artistic Director, told me that they’re going to be expanding to a 4-week performance schedule next year. 

Honestly, if you haven’t experienced a play at Pear Theatre, you need to go to one. They’re right across the street from Microsoft, kind of around the corner from the Computer History Museum, and they have plenty of parking. It’s rather charming and surprising to find this adorable little theatre tucked away, in the middle to some of the biggest tech companies in the world. I love Mountain View.

The Pear Theatre is sometimes available for rent. The address is1110 La Avenida Street | Mountain View, CA 94043. Contact info@thepear.org for more information about renting the theatre.

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