In the organizer's words:

These 5-minute stories BEAR witness to the awkward, the inspiring, the heartbreaking, the hilarious, and everything in between.

THE BEAR presents: UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Stories from the messy middle

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke

January is the season of the unfinished.

Plans aren’t ready. Drywall is still exposed. And the people we’re becoming? Very much a work in progress.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION is a live storytelling show celebrating life in the in-between — the moments when nothing feels settled, polished, or complete… yet.

This evening is for stories of:

• repair, rebuilding, and reinvention
• things held together with metaphorical duct tape
• realizing that being unfinished might be exactly where the magic lives

🎤 Call for Storytellers
We’re looking for true, personal, 5-minute stories about life in the messy middle, such as:

• Living in a half-renovated apartment — or your own personal worksite
• A repair job that made things worse (bikes welcome 🚲)
• Trying to “upgrade” yourself and getting stuck between old and new
• Rebuilding trust after a breakup, conflict, or disappointment
• Moving to Berlin and constructing a life from scratch
• Learning a new language, starting over, or realizing: this will take longer than I thought
• The moment you believed you were finished… and discovered you were not

If your story is still under construction, it belongs here.

Storytellers receive:

• 5 minutes on stage
• Supportive feedback from THE BEAR’s story coaches before the show
• A warm, engaged audience ready to listen

Audience question for storytellers:
Tell us about your unforgettable “under construction” moment.
 

🐻 Audience Pick

At the end of the evening, the audience will vote for their three favorite stories.
The top storyteller will be invited to perform at Eve of the Champs, THE BEAR’s curated showcase.

🌱 Inclusivity Note

To keep our stage open and welcoming, we slightly favor first-time storytellers and those who haven’t performed during Season 11. Names are drawn randomly from separate hats.

🕖 Earlier Start Time

Because the venue can only host us on the 3rd Thursday of the month, we’re starting one hour earlier — so you can head home inspired and still get enough sleep for work or school.

📍 Event Details

Thursday, 15 January 2026
Doors & Show: 19:00

Venue: Theatre Pool
Boxhagener Straße 18 · 3. Hinterhof · 10245 Berlin

Host: Vishal Jodhani
Musical Guest: James Harper

🎟 Tickets

15–20 € (sliding scale donation)
Your generosity makes this event possible. Thank you for supporting live storytelling.

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.” .

❝ Stories connect us. 
Because we all have stories to tell. ❞

Price information:

Donation based on a slider scale of EUR 15 to 20