Lectures | Performances
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"Bear in performance is to reading his books what a live rock show is to listening to the
album - so much better. So much richer! And you'll never read his work the same way
off the page again, not without thinking of the side stories and hilarious faces.
- Carol Queen, Author/Performance Artist
Storytelling Performance
Writer, storyteller, gender-jammer and raconteur S. Bear Bergman takes the stage
with a mouthful of tender, teasing, complicated, challenging joyful words. Reading and
performing from his extensive published work as well as new, unpublished pieces, Bear
brings twenty-five years of performance training and a lifetime of storytelling experience
to hir performances - fresh, funny, and incredibly engaging.
Bear is more than happy to curate performances around certain themes, to suit the
needs of groups or communities. Commonly requested themes are family, pride, sex
and sexuality, growing up different, and Judaism, but feel free to ask about any topic or
topics that might fit your needs. Without specific direction, Bear will generally choose a
mix of stories - some funny and some more thoughtful, some classics and some new
work. Readings almost always include at least one piece of unpublished work, and
sometimes more.
Come enjoy the snap and crackle of a live show - something that cannot be repeated,
paused, or saved; performed only for the warm souls that show up.
Also available, upon request:
Improv Storytime, where the audience asks for the story topic and Bear tells a
fresh, unrehearsed story spun out of road snacks into gold.
Q&A afterward, where after a short break Bear will answer questions about art,
craft, identity, culture and the mix of them all.
Post-performance talk with theatre or writing classes about the differences
between writing for publication and writing for performance (and when it's possible to
bridge that distance).
Youth Acting Out
How much brave new theater can you make in one workshop?
You are invited to an intense and immersive experience in the theater, creating a
new work entirely from scratch out of your most authentic stories. Along the way,
you will learn new ways to speak out and act out. Perhaps you never knew you had
skills in storytelling, script writing, acting and directing. Discover them in a safe
and supportive environment! We will tease out compelling characters and riveting
plot lines from your most challenging times and joyful moments as LGBTT2IQQA
youth. You will get the chance to address the topics that matter to you - bullying,
homeroom, gym class, being popular, being unpopular, and fighting to wear a dress
to the prom.
This workshop culminates in your own short play that you will perform to a dazzled
audience. All this, in 72 hours or less. How is such magic accomplished? Find out!
Click to download more information on Youth Acting Out.
(This workshop is designed for youth groups and student organizations, but can be
adapted for adult groups upon request.)