You want to tell a story at the Bear?
Once a month the stage is open to anyone who would like to tell a true story based on the evening’s theme. The story has to be your story (not your sister’s) and told live (without notes). Stories are 5 minutes and can be told in German or English.
PREPARe your STORY
We have a team of expert storytellers, writers, and award-winning public speakers, who have volunteered their time to edit and give advice for those us who get “stuck” in the creative process or who would like to improve and need a challenging word of advice.
If you are interested in working with a storytelling mentor, please contact us at The Bear and we will try to hook you up with an available mentor.
PS. Our experts are donating their time, so please allow at least 2 weeks for the process to happen.
Below you will find the essential story elements.
2. BEFORE THE SHOW
Arrive early
Doors open at 7:30 pm, the show starts at 8 pm.
Register as storyteller
At the entrance simply place your name in the “storyteller bucket“ before the show. You will also be asked to sign a release form, so that we can make a recording of your story for The Bear podcast series and story archive.
3. ON STAGE
If your name is one of the 8 stories that are randomly picked, you will have 7 minutes of fame and glory on stage. If your name is not picked, please come again! The odds will be in your favor.
There are three judging teams, people, who we spontaneously group together to listen intensely and afterwards discuss the stories based on:
Sticking to the five-minute time frame.
Sticking to the theme.
Did the story have a conflict where the stakes were high and a resolution?
Did the speaker take a risk? Were they authentic? Vulnerable?
Trust your overall gut feeling. Were you touched?
The judging teams use a system from 1-10 and rate the eight stories as human beings, the best measurement for sticky stories. At the end of the evening, we add up the scores and award the speaker with the most points “The Bear Trophy“ designed and made by the violin maker Florence Ford.
Storyteller Eva Goellner; Photo: Martin Behring