True, personal stories about giving & taking
“All flourishing is mutual.”
— Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry
THE BEAR presents:
RECIPROCITY
Stories of Give & Take
Saturday, December 6 | Nikolaus Night at Theatre Pool
What does it mean to give? What does it mean to receive? And what happens when those two don’t balance?
On this Nikolaus night, we explore stories of reciprocity, the push and pull of human connection.
Join us for an evening of true, personal stories about generosity, imbalance, and the unexpected ways life gives back. Eight storytellers take the stage to share real moments of connection — the kind that make you laugh, cringe, reflect, and maybe even tear up a little.
Expect lively audience interaction, live music, and authentic connection with your fellow Berliners.
🎟️ Come listen, feel, and celebrate the season of giving - one story at a time.
📅 Date: Saturday, December 6, 2025
🕕 Time: Doors 19:30 | Show 20:00
📍 Venue: Theatre Pool, Boxhagener Straße 18, 3. Hinterhof, 10245 Berlin-Friedrichshain
🎤 Host: Almut Tiba
🎵 Live Music: James Harper
Don’t miss this special Nikolaus edition of THE bEAR.
👉 Tickets: €15–20 (sliding scale donation)
Meet your Show host
ALMUT TIBA
Almut Tiba, Dec 6th Show Host at THE BEAR.
Almut Tiba (she / her) has been one of THE BEAR’s audience favourites for years—an unforgettable storyteller with warmth, humor, and a big, open heart. She brings the kind of presence that makes you lean in, laugh out loud, and feel instantly at home.
Her own life journey has taken her through burnout, reinvention, and remarkable personal transformation. Today she helps people find their voice and their confidence—and she does it with clarity, compassion, and a spark that fills the room.
We’re thrilled to have Almut guide us through an evening of true, personal stories.
She knows how to connect with the audience, create a welcoming space, and give even first-time storytellers the courage to step on stage.
Meet your Musician
JAMES HARPER
James Harper, Dec 6th Show Musician at THE BEAR.
James Harper is the creator of award-nominated podcast Filter Stories, a show that uses our morning coffee as a lens to understand the world. His narratives explore history, science and sustainability, and he writes the piano music that underscore the stories.
His podcasts have been heard hundreds of thousands of times, and he has produced narrative podcasts for a wide array of clients, including Porsche (Driven Minds), Duolingo (Spanish Podcast), World Coffee Portal (5THWAVE), Specialty Coffee Association (World Coffee Championships), and others.
Growing up half Italian in Sydney, he’s lived in Hong Kong and Rome and began his career working for the Bank of England in 2009. However, his passion for coffee was simply too strong to resist, and in 2016 moved to Berlin to become The Barn Coffee Roaster’s Wholesale Manager, and then in early 2018 hopped on a flight to Guatemala to dive deeper into the world of specialty coffee as a documentary podcast producer.
When he is not traveling around the world, James generously accompanies storytellers at THE BEAR adding another delicious layer to our evening.
THE BEAR | Show #101 — Celebrating the stories that connect us.
FAVORITE Storyteller Fabienne Lang on stage at THE BEAR; Photo: Martin Bering
Special Notes
🎤 Want to tell your story?
Come early to drop your name in the hat — or email us in advance for feedback: 📩 hello@THEBEAR-storytelling.de
At the end of the night, the audience votes for their Favorite Story.
Because if you’ve got a story, we’ve got a stage.
THE BEAR presents is made possible by the generous performances of our storytellers, our team of volunteers, and the “Verein zur Förderung der Kunst des biographischen Geschichtenerzählens e.V.” .
Special thanks to our partners Berlin Erleben on Youtube and the public speaking training company Moving Speaker as well as Female Speaking Berlin, Unmaking Boxes, and Sales Chakra.
Strengthen Your Self-Confidence!
Stories connect us.
Because we all have stories to tell.
Please support our mission to bring compassion into our communities through the Art of Autobiographical Storytelling.
We thank you for your generosity.
Verein zur Förderung der Kunst des biographischen Geschichtenerzählens e.V.
IBAN: DE25 8306 5408 0005 2236 28
Or you can buy the team some cups of coffee for those long nights… Thank you.