"These are risky times, economically. The arts are always a risk. They're the first things that get cut in the schools, and they shouldn't be, but they are," says Tasca, who serves as Pear Avenue's artistic director. "The people who give money to the arts are giving less these days. We knew all that when we went into this. We're not in it to make money, but we'd like to not go broke with this," she adds.

Tasca says Pear Avenue will develop plays by unknown playwrights and produce classic and contemporary works that aren't often performed locally, especially in Mountain View.

"I think that there's a lot of enthusiasm for the kind of theater we want to do, which is not really typical community theater," says Tasca as she prepares for an evening rehearsal of Pear Avenue's first production, George Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession, which began its run on Oct. 25 and will continue until Nov. 10.

According to Tasca, Mrs. Warren's Profession is not performed very often in community theater, although it's a classic Shaw play.

"We're giving it a shot because it's the 100th anniversary of the first production, and I really like the play and feel a special connection to the actress who originated Mrs. Warren, the role that I'm playing," Tasca says.

Written in 1898, Mrs. Warren's Profession was banned in Britain in 1902 because of racy subject matter (the title character runs a brothel), so the play didn't have its world premiere until 1905.

After Mrs. Warren's Profession's run ends, Pear Avenue will celebrate the holiday season in December with a doubleheader consisting of the Thornton Wilder playlet The Long Christmas Dinner and Col. Partridge's Pear Oil Radio Show, a new spoof of vintage radio dramas written by the participants of a Pear Avenue playwriting workshop taught by actress and director Neva Hutchinson.

Tasca, who also works as a proofreader for Sunset Publishing and has taught theater appreciation and literature classes at Foothill College, has wanted to start her own theater for years.

"It's something lots of actors dream of doing. I found some people who wanted to go into this venture with me, so I started looking for spaces and found this one on Pear Avenue in January," Tasca says.

After the company obtained the lease for the warehouse in June, they converted the space into the newly christened Pear Avenue Theatre.

Pear Avenue is also offering stage classes and workshops at the new building, including the aforementioned playwriting workshop.

The company will conclude its inaugural season on June 20 with a new original play by a Bay Area playwright. Though the season-ending play has not been chosen yet, Tasca says the company might choose a work written by a playwriting workshop member.

"By June 20, it will have had lots of time for development. Some places spend a lot more time nurturing and developing a work. They take a whole year to do it or more. Some places do even less," Tasca says.

Tasca recalls talking with a playwright who thrived on flying by the seat of her pants.

"One woman said she was working with a theater that produces new plays," Tasca says. "They asked her which slot she wanted in their season, and she said, 'I need deadline pressure, so give me the first play.' I said, 'So, when do you have to have it by?' She said, 'Next month.' I said, 'So, what's your play about?' She said, 'I don't know.' "

Mrs. Warren's Profession will run until Nov. 10 at the Pear Avenue Theatre, 1220 Pear Ave., Mountain View. For more information, visit www.thepear.org or call 650.254.1148.