What's new and up-coming at the Pear Theater

The 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. The theatre's seasons include classics, contemporary plays, short plays by local playwrights, and world premiere productions of new works. Sara K. Dean is proud to be an arts leader based in the Bay Area, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Theater Bay Area (TBA). With a passion for advancing inclusive, equitable arts practices, Sara joined The Pear Theatre as Artistic Director in January 2025, joining former visionaries Diane Tasca, Betsy Kruse Craig and Sinjin Jones in leading the organization. Previously, Sara was the Executive Artistic Director for South Bay Musical Theatre (SBMT) and Managing Director for youth-focused Starting Arts. .

Sara's professional career began on Broadway, where she worked as a Production Assistant for the original company of The Lion King. She later brought her expertise to the Bay Area, working with organizations such as American Musical Theatre of San Jose and San Jose Repertory Theatre.

Sara holds a BFA in Theatre from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and is currently pursuing an MA in Arts Administration at Southern Utah University (SUU).