The Pear Avenue Theatre Presents
Pear Slices 2011 Playwrights
Beverly Altschuler V. B. Leghorn Leah Halper Elyce Melmon Margy Kahn Ross Peter Nelson Earl T. Roske Directors
Troy Johnson
Diane Tasca Producers
Robyn Ginsburg Braverman
Diane Tasca
Set Design
Stage Manager
Troy Johnson
Lauryn Park
Lighting Design
Costume Design
Zachary Howard
Diane Tasca
Sound Design
Gordon Smith & Jeanie Smith
The Acting Ensemble Robert Campbell Leticia Duarte Wendy Tremont King
Maria Giere Marquis Jeff Newton Todd Wright
The Plays
19 by V.B. Leghorn (director: Troy Johnson)
Robert Campbell (Harry T. Burn); Maria Giere Marquis (Ellen Cottrell)
Lost Girls by Earl T. Roske (director: Diane Tasca)
Wendy Tremont King (Dorothy); Leticia Duarte (Suzanne)
The Last Arawak by Ross Peter Nelson (director: Diane Tasca) Jeff Newton (Bishop Bartolome de Las Casas); Wendy Tremont King (Lucaya); Todd Wright (Brother Diego)
Through Delhi by Leah Halper (director: Diane Tasca) Leticia Duarte (Gale); Maria Giere Marquis (Blossom) INTERMISSION (15 Minutes)
Motherhood by Elyce Melmon (director: Diane Tasca)
Todd Wright (James Whistler); Wendy Tremont King (Anna Whistler); Leticia Duarte (Joanna Hiffernan)
Imperfect Union by Ross Peter Nelson (director: Troy Johnson) Jeff Newton (Thomas Jefferson); Maria Giere Marquis (Polly Jefferson); Leticia Duarte (Sally Hemings)
Letter from Leipzig by Margy Kahn (director: Troy Johnson)
Maria Giere Marquis (Gertrude Birge); Wendy Tremont King (Mary Birge); Robert Campbell (Herbert Gallinger)
Showdown by Beverly Altschuler (director: Troy Johnson)
Robert Campbell (Sheriff); Leticia Duarte (Sheriff’s wife; Bystander); Jeff Newton (Bartholomew Black); Wendy Tremont King (Newscaster; Bystander); Maria Giere Marquis (Cameraperson; Bystander) Todd Wright (Reporter; Producer)
The Production Team
Directors .................................................... Troy Johnson & Diane Tasca Producers ................................................... Robyn Braverman & Diane Tasca Stage Manager ........................................... Lauryn Park Set Design .................................................. Troy Johnson Lighting Design ........................................ Zachary Howard Sound Design ............................................ Gordon Smith & Jeanie K. Smith Costume Design ....................................... Diane Tasca Dramaturg ................................................ Jeanie K. Smith Set Construction ...................................... Troy Johnson, Todd Wright & Norm Beamer Screen Titles Design................................. Patricia Tyler Program Consultant ................................. Susan Petit Postcard Design ........................................ Patricia Tyler Publicity Directors.................................... Jeanie Smith & Shannon Stowe Website Design ......................................... Ray Renati
A Note from the Directors and Producers
This year, we are proud to bring you Pear Slices with something new--a twist of Americana. In keeping with this season’s theme, we requested that the plays submitted for Slices reflect some aspect of American experience. We were delighted with the results. Most of the plays take you back in time--to Thomas Jefferson’s Parisian digs in the 1780s, to a 16th century Spanish mission in Hispanola, to the 1860s studio of painter James McNeil Whistler. The plays explore American themes as well: race, female suffrage, conflicts between traditional and emerging values at different times in our history. You’ll learn a lot, but we promise not to test you afterwards. Each play premiering in Pear Slices 2011 was written by a member of the Pear Playwrights Guild, a group that came together informally on the day when we painted this space and turned it into the Pear Avenue Theatre. Writers whose plays have appeared in earlier Slices include Leah Halper, Margy Kahn, Elyce Melmon, and Ross Peter Nelson. Two writers making their Slices debut are Beverly Altschuler and Earl T. Roske. Our acting ensemble is a dream—versatile, creative, full of heart and humor. So sit back and enjoy your Slices of Americana. And thank you for supporting live theatre. – Diane Tasca, Troy Johnson & Robyn Ginsburg Braverman
Who’s Who in This Production Robert Campbell (19; Letter from Leipzig; Showdown) completed the Classical Acting Programme for Post Graduates and Professionals at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He holds a B.A. from Santa Clara University, where he was the 2007 recipient of the William H. Leahy Award. Credits include Villars (Compleat Female Stage Beauty), Seth (All This Intimacy), Joe Pitt (Angels in America), George Gibbs (Our Town), Valvert (Frank Langella’s Cyrano), Adam (The Shape of Things), Jesus (The Last Days of Judas Iscariot), Young Zeke (The Kentucky Cycle), Coriolanus (Coriolanus), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet). A proud member of TBA, he was recently named an ―Artist to watch for next season‖ by The Wave Magazine. www.robertseancampbell.com. Leticia Duarte (Lost Girls; Through Delhi; Motherhood; Imperfect Union; Showdown) is honored to have a part in telling these beautiful stories. She has worked with Teatro Visión, Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, Crowded Fire, Woman’s Will, Cutting Ball Theater, Douglas Morrisson Little Theatre, Stage 1 Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Willows Theatre Company. Leticia also enjoys acting in the world of commercials, industrials, and voice-overs. She is a recent TITAN finalist and a Resident Teaching Artist for the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. As a proud Theatre Bay Area Member, she gives you her heartfelt thanks for supporting live theatre! Many thanks to Robert E. for his friendship and laughter. For my little family whose eternal light guides me to always be my best . . . siempre. Wendy Tremont King (Lost Girls; The Last Arawak; Motherhood; Letter from Leipzig; Showdown) Wendy’s credits include two decades of audio theatre, book narration, puppetry, and film. Festival appearances include the Henson International Festival of Puppet Theater (In Xanadu) and the SF Mozart Festival (Puer Aeternus). Puppetry collaboration credits include Word for Word (Three Blooms) and Group Repertory Theatre Los Angeles (Nautilus). Film credits include Milk (Carol Ruth Silver), The Italian Women’s Club (Mylvia Santini), and One Kid (Judy Felner). Wendy is thrilled to be onstage at the Pear. Maria Giere Marquis (19; Through Delhi; Imperfect Union; Letter from Leipzig; Showdown) is happy to be back for a third course of Slices! She is a co-founder of Inkblot Ensemble, whose new piece, Satellites, will premiere at the FURY Factory Festival of Ensemble Theatre this June (www.inkblotensemble.com). She recently appeared in the Bay Area One Acts festival in the new play The Opposite
of Romance, and has worked with various companies while in the Bay Area. Favorite roles include Viola, Medea, Evelyn (The Shape of Things), and Jackie O. She thanks her amazing support system—especially the rock, S. Jeff Newton (The Last Arawak; Imperfect Union; Showdown) is pleased to make his debut performance at the Pear Avenue Theatre with this production. He was last seen as Harry in John Kolvenbach’s Love Song at the Exit Theatre, and will be performing next at Bus Barn Stage Co. as Paul in Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo. Other favorite roles include Valene in The Lonesome West, Teach in American Buffalo, Paul in Born Yesterday, and Lee in True West. A New Jersey native, he has trained and performed in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and Milwaukee, where he was a founding member and general director of Dramatists Theatre. Todd Wright (The Last Arawak; Motherhood; Showdown) is excited to be working with the Pear for the first time. In the south bay, Todd has worked with Broadway West, Los Gatos Shakespeare Festival, and Foothill Music Theatre. Some favorite roles include Alfie Doolittle (My Fair Lady), Long John Silver (Treasure Island), and Juror #3 (Twelve Angry Men). Thanks to Diane, Troy and the rest of the cast for making this Pear Slice a sweet one. Sit back and enjoy this slice of Americana. Beverly Altschuler (Playwright: Showdown), having retired from life as an intellectual property and corporate attorney (including several years at Adobe Systems as VP/Associate General Counsel), discovered that she was eager to give the left, analytical side of her brain a rest and see what was rattling around on the right side. Luckily, she discovered plein air painting and playwriting. Her three-act play, Body Politic, received a staged reading at the Pear. Showdown is her first play to be performed in Slices. What fun! Thank you, Pear Avenue Theatre. Robyn Ginsburg Braverman (Producer) has championed each and every Pear Slices. A Pear co-founder, she also serves on the theatre’s Steering Committee. She is a voiceover actress heard locally on KRQR/KCBS-FM, KQAK, KSJO, and KFJC-FM whose other favorite roles include East Coast car washes, Carmen Sandiego, and corporate and retail training for companies like Symantec and Cisco. Reach her at www.robynbraverman.com. Leah Halper (Playwright: Through Delhi) This is Leah’s fourth season in Pear Slices. Her works have also found audiences with Monday Night PlayGround at the Berkeley Rep, City Lights Theatre, Playwrights Center SF’s Sheherezade, and Actors Theatre Santa Cruz. Her PlayGround-developed play Ready was a
Heidemann Award finalist in 2008, and the longer Smithereen will have a developmental reading at PCSF May 24. Because her day job is in Gilroy and her play life is to the north, she has a reliable car, a good mechanic, and a penchant for audio books. She’s honored and grateful to make the Pear her home theatre. Zachary Howard (Lighting Designer) is delighted to be involved in his ninth show at the Pear, his first as lighting designer. Last season he stage managed Hay Fever, Speed-the-Plow, and Pear Slices 2010. He acted in the Pear’s production of Three Tall Women, and he has also been backstage for True West and Long Day’s Journey. He has worked locally as a lighting designer on productions such as the Dragon’s Spinning into Butter in 2008 and Foothill’s Dr. Faustus. Troy Johnson (Director; Set Designer) is happy to be co-directing Pear Slices 2011 – his fifth Slices and the second consecutive Slices in which he’s co-directing with Diane (always a pleasure). Troy is very pleased with this season’s Slices plays, and delighted with our cast and staff. Troy’s recent directing credits include Enchanted April, Bus Stop, and Incorruptible at Broadway West, and The Jungle Book for the Los Gatos Shakespeare Festival. Also an actor, Troy recently appeared in the Pear’s production of No Good Deed and will appear later this season in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. He thanks you for supporting live theatre. Margy Kahn (Playwright: Letter from Leipzig) Letter from Leipzig is based on the lives of Margy Kahn’s own great-grandparents, Gertrude Birge and Herbert Percival Gallinger. The idea was sparked by reading Gertrude’s letters home to her farming family in upstate New York from 1895-97. The Birge family history, written in Palo Alto in 1937 by Grace Birge Clark, provided the backstory. Margy’s full-length play, Familiar Strangers, will be produced by the Pear in March 2012. Many thanks to the Pear and the talented cast and crew for helping to make dreams into reality, or is it reality into theater? Heartfelt thanks to Phil for believing this was all possible. V. B. Leghorn (Playwright: 19) Thank you, Harry T. Burn. Without you, 19 would be just another lover’s quarrel. Elyce Melmon (Playwright: Motherhood), a retired teacher, devotes time to writing plays and poetry as well as volunteer activities and fun with family. Her fulllength play Vehicle was produced at the Pear in 2003; since then, Room 15 and Ellipsis received staged readings in Mountain View, Ross Valley, and Detroit. Her short plays have been produced in local theaters. Few artists choose to paint their mothers. Anna MacNeil Whistler’s rigidly practiced principles were challenged by her talented son. He also awakened her egotism, offering her
adulation she never dreamed of. Sincere thanks to the Pear’s dedicated director, Diane, and an inspiring cast. Ross Peter Nelson (Playwright: The Last Arawak; Imperfect Union) is a prizewinning author of short fiction and drama. His work has been performed on three continents, but nowhere more frequently than at the Pear. The Last Arawak and Imperfect Union are his 11th and 12th plays to be selected for Pear Slices since it premiered in 2004. Ross has also worked closely with Playground San Francisco, which honored him with its Emerging Playwright Award in 2006. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and two of his pieces have been anthologized in collections by Playground and Three Wise Monkeys. Lauryn Park (Stage Manager) is excited to be a part of Pear Slices 2011--her first show at the Pear as well as her first step into the professional theatre world. Currently a student at Palo Alto High school, she has worked on productions such as Fiddler on the Roof, On the Razzle, and My Fair Lady..
Earl T. Roske (Playwright: Lost Girls) Earl’s plays have appeared all around the world from Racine, Wisconsin, and Mountain View, California, to the other side of the globe in places like Singapore and Auckland, New Zealand. Lost Girls, Earl’s offering for this production, was inspired by a book–The Girls Who Went Away, by Ann Fessler–that tells of the diverse experiences pregnant girls experienced when their families pushed them into homes for unwed mothers. Earl Roske’s other plays include Light, Button, Drawer, Repeat; A Knight’s Dragon; and The Fruits of War. Special thanks to my wife, mother, and close friends. Gordon Smith (Sound Designer) has now done sound design and assistant directing for several shows at the Pear, and continues to enjoy the process of theatre, from casting to opening. He thanks his beautiful wife for introducing him to this world. Jeanie K. Smith (Dramaturg; Sound Designer) serves as resident Dramaturg for the Pear, including work on several world premieres and each year's production of Slices. She has directed numerous shows for the Pear, including awardwinning productions of The Seagull, Belle of Amherst, Long Day's Journey into Night, and Metamorphoses. She is on the board of BootStrap Foundation; is a member of the SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle; writes reviews for Palo Alto Weekly, San Jose Metro, and SF Bay Times; holds a PhD. in Drama; and designs sound when she can. She thanks Gordon for being so musical. Diane Tasca (Director; Costume Designer) is the Pear’s Artistic Director. She has acted in numerous plays at the Pear, and directed last year’s Slices, teaming up with Troy as Director and Robyn as Producer. She also directed this season’s
Our Town. She thanks Troy, Robyn, and the rest of the production team, the imaginative and soulful playwrights, and the riveting bunch of actors who bring the plays to life. Above all, love to Norm and John.
Acknowledgments
For their contributions to this production, the Pear thanks the following organizations: Broadway West Pat Tyler
Lyric Theatre of San Jose Todd Wright
Norm Beamer Mike Sokolsky
Donors to the Pear Root$ : $1000 +
Anonymous * Arts Council Silicon Valley * Evelyn Beamer Norman Beamer & Diane Tasca * The BootStrap Foundation The Carter Family Foundation * Catherine Garber Kathleen Hall & Leslie Murdock * Sharmon Hilfinger & Luis Trabb Pardo * Richard & Anita Inz * Roberta Morris & Phil Buchsbaum * Valerie Pagendarm * Mark & Theresa Rowland * Jan & Don Schmidek * Silicon Valley Community Foundation Abe & Marian Sofaer * Theatre Bay Area Lloyd Watts * Dr. Thomasyne Lightfoote Wilson
Branche$ : $200 - $999
Connie Allen & Doug Grieg * Beverley & Lee Altschuler * Anonymous Carol & Ray Bacchetti * Rhoda Bergen * Martin Billik * Robyn & Paul Braverman * Sandy Cademartori * Jean Colby * Jo Ellen Ellis Diane Ellsworth * Carol & Ken Emmons * Rebecca Ennals & Adam Wisnewski * Nancy Enzminger * Genevieve Firestone Tom & Charlene Giannetti * Sharon Graham * Kurt Gravenhorst Florence Howard * Barbara Ingram * Robin Jeffs * Margy Kahn Terry & Mauri Kearney * William & Peg Kenney * Ann Kuchins Coralia Kuchins * The Phil Kurjian Fund * Joan Little & Marty Ragno Elizabeth Lowenstein * The Lowney Family Fund Margaret Lynch * Rina & Tom Mandey * Elyce Melmon * Robert & Eloise Morgan * Carole & Edward Mullowney * Boaz & Aliza Porat Lindi Press * Jo Ann & Doug Rees * Ray & Katherine Renati Vivian Schatz * Martha Seaver * Edna & Dan Shochat John D. Stephens * Dana St. George & Gerry Gras * Patti & Wally Summers * Gloria Symon * Time-Warner, Inc * Mary Lou Torre * Onnolee & Orlin Trapp * Don & Sylvie Way * Mike Wilber
Pear$: $100 - $199
Creighton Asato * Anne & Greg Avis * Candice Basham * Roslyn & Arthur Bienenstock * Judith Bishop * Tom & Polly Bredt * Louise & Robert Burton * Ariel & Pat Calonne * Mary Carter & Mark Roberts Harve & Sandra Citrin * Joseph Colletti * Susan & Harry Dennis
Charlotte Dickson * Walt Doucett & Sally Hayse * Dave & Ruth Eakin Emily & Par Edsell * Kathy & Bruce Fitzgerald * Frank Friedlander * Victor & Beverly Fuchs * Bennett & Joan Gates * Dr. & Mrs. B.D. Gaynor Adrienne Gillespie * Lynn Gordon & David Simon * Martha & Bob Helseth Gabrielle Higgins & Bill Steinmetz * Charlotte Jacobs * Kevin & Melinda Johnson * Christina & Deepak Kamra * Pat Kapowich * Kay Mahon Terrence McCarthy * Mary & Thomas Nee * Ross & Cate Nelson * Jim & Barbara Newton * Laura Nuhn * Jill O’Nan * Judy Ousterhout * Natalie & Peter Panfili * Alex & Laura Praszker * Frances & Donald Ragno * Jennifer & Donald Ragno * Betty & Joe Renati * Tracy & Cynthia Rogers * Gary Rohloff *Antoinette & Dey Rose Susan Rosenberg * Bill & Sherrean Rundberg * Thomas & Noel Ryan * Elaine Sausotte & Michael Keys Hall * Amy Schenone * Rebecca Schenone * Norma Schleunes * Steve Schumann * Christina & Maurice Sciammas * Lewis Silver Laura Stefanski * Maggie Streets * Carol & Douglas Tanner David & Ondrea Tricaso * Lynne Weber * Robert Wenzlau & Julie Jomo Caryn Huberman Yacowitz
Blossom$: To $99
Josephine Abel * Marlene Anderson * Midori Aogaichi * Shawna Bateman Jane Benson * Mitchell Bolen * Gordon & Sharon Bower * Marina Brodskaya Mr. & Mrs. Frank Carney * Daryl Carr * Harold Chapman * Judy Chiasson Frank & Lorraine Collins * Dorothy Comstock * Caroline Cooper David & Anne-Ly Crump-Garay * Jean Cudlip * Nancy Davidson Allison Davis * Monica Devens * Bill Dodd * Joseph Durand * Deborah Dutton Doris Dyen * Nicole & Donald Ellis * Liz Elms * James & Dorothy Fadiman Oscar & Theda Firschein * Jewel Seehaus Fisher * Ronald Gentile * Jo Gilbert Adrienne Gillespie * Elaine Goldman * Dean Goodman Irene Grenier * Frances Hancock * Toni Heren * Byron Hubbel * Patricia Hughes Christy Jerkovich * Earl Karn * Siobhan Kenney * Lisa LaRocca * Ernest Lieberman Dena McFarland * Kathleen McGeary * Cheryl McNamara * Richard Medugno * Tekla & Eric Nee * Clare Novak * David Payne * Patricia Peterson * Susan Petit Jack & Susan Pines * Christine Wills Price * Toby Reitman * Lester Roberts Steven Rock * Diana Roome * Elaine Rossignol * Robert Rothrock Jean Scandlyn * Janine Schenone * Matt Schenone * Ray Schenone Gerry Schoennaueram * Allegra Seale * Julia Seiff * Barbara & Skip Shapiro Myrna Soper * Verna & Robert Spinrad * Nancy Ginsburg Stern * Burton Sukhov Kevin & Barbara Susco * Beverley Taylor * Elizabeth Truro & James Quinn Patricia Tyler & Ben Marks * Hava & Oskar Vierny * Sherry Waki * Kristin Walter Marilyn Walter * Lisa Wiseman * Vivie Zau * Irene Zubeck
NEXT UP AT THE PEAR
A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR’S COURT by Mark Twain (Dramatized by Diane Tasca) 5/13– 5/29
Time traveling from 1880s America to sixth-century England, Twain’s crafty Yankee hauls medieval society into the modern era—but only for a while. Breathtaking, hilarious, moving—and shockingly relevant to our time.
The Acting Ensemble
Robert Campbell Leticia Duarte Wendy Tremont King
Maria Giere Marquis Jeff Newton Todd Wright
The Plays
19 by V.B. Leghorn (director: Troy Johnson)
Robert Campbell (Harry T. Burn); Maria Giere Marquis (Ellen Cottrell)
Lost Girls by Earl T. Roske (director: Diane Tasca)
Wendy Tremont King (Dorothy); Leticia Duarte (Suzanne)
The Last Arawak by Ross Peter Nelson (director: Diane Tasca) Jeff Newton (Bishop Bartolome de Las Casas); Wendy Tremont King (Lucaya); Todd Wright (Brother Diego)
Through Delhi by Leah Halper (director: Diane Tasca) Leticia Duarte (Gale); Maria Giere Marquis (Blossom) INTERMISSION (15 Minutes)
Motherhood by Elyce Melmon (director: Diane Tasca)
Todd Wright (James Whistler); Wendy Tremont King (Anna Whistler); Leticia Duarte (Joanna Hiffernan)
Imperfect Union by Ross Peter Nelson (director: Troy Johnson) Jeff Newton (Thomas Jefferson); Maria Giere Marquis (Polly Jefferson); Leticia Duarte (Sally Hemings)
Letter from Leipzig by Margy Kahn (director: Troy Johnson)
Maria Giere Marquis (Gertrude Birge); Wendy Tremont King (Mary Birge); Robert Campbell (Herbert Gallinger)
Showdown by Beverly Altschuler (director: Troy Johnson)
Robert Campbell (Sheriff); Leticia Duarte (Sheriff’s wife; Bystander); Jeff Newton (Bartholomew Black); Wendy Tremont King (Newscaster; Bystander); Maria Giere Marquis (Cameraperson; Bystander) Todd Wright (Reporter; Producer)
The Production Team
Directors .................................................... Troy Johnson & Diane Tasca Producers ................................................... Robyn Braverman & Diane Tasca Stage Manager ........................................... Lauryn Park Set Design .................................................. Troy Johnson Lighting Design ........................................ Zachary Howard Sound Design ............................................ Gordon Smith & Jeanie K. Smith Costume Design ....................................... Diane Tasca Dramaturg ................................................ Jeanie K. Smith Set Construction ...................................... Troy Johnson, Todd Wright & Norm Beamer Screen Titles Design................................. Patricia Tyler Program Consultant ................................. Susan Petit Postcard Design ........................................ Patricia Tyler Publicity Directors.................................... Jeanie Smith & Shannon Stowe Website Design ......................................... Ray Renati
A Note from the Directors and Producers
This year, we are proud to bring you Pear Slices with something new--a twist of Americana. In keeping with this season’s theme, we requested that the plays submitted for Slices reflect some aspect of American experience. We were delighted with the results. Most of the plays take you back in time--to Thomas Jefferson’s Parisian digs in the 1780s, to a 16th century Spanish mission in Hispanola, to the 1860s studio of painter James McNeil Whistler. The plays explore American themes as well: race, female suffrage, conflicts between traditional and emerging values at different times in our history. You’ll learn a lot, but we promise not to test you afterwards. Each play premiering in Pear Slices 2011 was written by a member of the Pear Playwrights Guild, a group that came together informally on the day when we painted this space and turned it into the Pear Avenue Theatre. Writers whose plays have appeared in earlier Slices include Leah Halper, Margy Kahn, Elyce Melmon, and Ross Peter Nelson. Two writers making their Slices debut are Beverly Altschuler and Earl T. Roske. Our acting ensemble is a dream—versatile, creative, full of heart and humor. So sit back and enjoy your Slices of Americana. And thank you for supporting live theatre. – Diane Tasca, Troy Johnson & Robyn Ginsburg Braverman