“Winter is not a season, it’s an occupation.” — Sinclair Lewis
THE BEAR presents:
COLD
Stories about breaking the ice.
February invites us to slow down, pull our collars up, and pay attention.
Cold is more than a temperature. It can be a place, a moment, a silence, or a sudden realization. It is the absence of warmth—and the spark that makes us fight for it. For Show #103, we are exploring the moments that froze us in our tracks and the stories that finally broke the ice.
🎤 What kind of stories are we looking for?
We want true, personal, 5-minute stories that start with a specific moment or sensation. We are looking for "Cold" in all its forms:
The Big Chill: Survival stories from the dead of winter or a literal trek through the frost.
The Cold Shoulder: That moment a friendship froze or a romantic interest went silent.
Getting Cold Feet: Standing on the edge of a massive decision and feeling the blood run cold.
The Naked Truth: When the "cold, hard facts" finally came to light.
Breaking the Ice: A first date, a difficult conversation, or a brave move in a room full of strangers.
The Long Thaw: Recovering from a period of isolation or finding warmth in an unexpected place.
If your story makes us shiver—or helps us warm up—it belongs on our stage.
🕖 Earlier Start Time!
To ensure everyone heads home inspired (and gets enough sleep for the morning), we are starting one hour earlier this month.
When: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Doors & Show: 19:00 (7:00 PM)
Where: Theatre Pool | Boxhagener Straße 18, Berlin
Host: Veronica Louis
Music: James Harper
🎟 Tickets & Community
Tickets are donation-based. Your generosity makes these nights possible.
Recommended: 15–20 €
More if you can, less if you can’t. Everyone is welcome.
🐻 Call for Storytellers
No experience is necessary—just a moment that stayed with you.
The Rules: Stories must be true, personal, prepared (not read), and under 5 minutes.
Support: Connect with THE BEAR’s story coaches before the show for feedback to help you hook the audience from your first sentence.
Inclusivity: We love new voices! We slightly favor first-time storytellers to keep our community growing.
Audience Question: Tell us about your most unforgettable "cold" moment. Was it a literal frostbite or an emotional freeze?
❄️ Join us. Let’s break the ice together.
📍 Event Details
Thursday, 19 February 2026
Doors / Show: 19:00
Venue: Theatre Pool
Boxhagener Straße 18 · 3. Hinterhof · 10245 Berlin
🎤 Host: Veronica Louis
🎶 Musical Guest: James Harper
🎟 Tickets
Tickets are donation-based.
This is how we can make the event happen.
Recommended donation: 15–20 €
More if you can, less if you can’t.
Everyone is welcome.
🎤 For Storytellers
Stories should be true, personal, and prepared
5 minutes maximum
Told live, in your own words
We prioritize newcomers and storytellers who haven’t been on our stage yet during Season 11
(September 2025 – June 2026).
If you’d like feedback on your story (highly recommended),
you’re welcome to send it to us ahead of time.
No experience necessary. Just a moment that stayed with you.
Show host Veronica Louis on stage at THE BEAR.
Meet Your Show Host
VERONICA LOUIS
Veronica Louis is on a mission to "unmake boxes"—helping people break free from the limiting beliefs that keep them frozen in place. An award-winning speaker (and winner of the 2025 Berlin Toastmasters Speech Contest), Veronica has spent over 20 years using storytelling and creative arts to spark curiosity and connection.
She brings an infectious energy to the stage that is the perfect antidote to a chilly February night. Whether she’s leading an interactive workshop or hosting THE BEAR, Veronica’s goal is to replace "cold feet" with courage, joy, and a little bit of love.
Say hello: veronica@unmakingboxes.com | Connect: LinkedIn
Show musician James Harper on stage at THE BEAR; photo Emmi Mascher
Show musician
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 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.
Informative videos @ Berlin from 35-year experienced city guide Michael Rost.
Why just speak? Inspire! Training in storytelling & public speaking that moves listeners to action.
If you miss this show, you can have front row seats to beautiful stories made by THE bEAR with love on our bi-weekly podcast wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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.