THE BEAR Berlin presents: IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN

Stories of Hindsight & Hard Truths

“Life can only be understood backwards…”
— Søren Kierkegaard

We all have that moment.
The one where we look back and think: If only I had known.

Known how hard it would be.
Known how beautiful it would become.
Known what we were really walking into.

This evening, our storytellers take us into the moments before they understood—into choices made without a map, love without guarantees, and the realizations that came later.

And sometimes the lesson only arrives after the story.

Join us for true personal stories told live on stage — raw, funny, vulnerable, and deeply human.

If you’d like a little feedback before putting your name in the legendary hat, send your story idea to .

When you buy your ticket, please select the Storyteller Ticket so we know how many brave souls may end up in the hat.

Sometimes wisdom comes late — but it makes for a great story.

Date: Thursday, 16 April 2026
Time: 19:00 – 21:30
Venue: Theatre Pool

Host: Ben McGuire
Music: TBA

Entry is by donation. Your generosity keeps our stage independent and open to all.

Suggested donation: 15–20 €

Give more if you can, less if you can’t. Everyone is welcome.

The evening features a blend of curated storytellers and our signature Open Stage.

Want to tell a story? Put your name in the hat!
We draw names randomly throughout the night.

First time telling a story? Perfect. We love new voices and offer supportive coaching to help you shape your story.

Tell us about a moment when you later thought: “If only I had known.”

See you at THE BEAR!

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 on Youtube and the public speaking training company as well as , , and . More info: www.THEbEAR-storytelling.de

If you miss this show, you can have front row seats to beautiful stories made by THE BEAR with love, our podcast season 1, wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Meet Your Show Host

A passionate believer in the ferocious power of story, Ben McGuire is a lawyer, writer, documentary filmmaker, and photographer. He is yet to find a better compass than story to help us find true north and to celebrate the joys and quirks of life along the way.

After a decade of storytelling on stages and at festivals across Europe, a two volume audiobook collection of his stories will be released to celebrate THE BEAR`s 100th show: How to Jump a Fence – True Stories, Told Live (Volume I) will be released in late 2025 and The Werewolf and the Weakling – True Stories, Told Live (Volume II) will follow in 2026.   

Twice a year Ben leads groups of intrepid travellers on a unique adventure into one of the most storied landscapes on earth - the Sinai desert in Egypt - with Nomads of the Heart.

https://nomadsoftheheart.com

James 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.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher The Bear. True Stories. Erzähltes Leben.