These are the prices for live in-person shows played in your school.

The price is per show. We can agree a price per student if that is more convenient for you.

Normally we need at least two shows to be played in the same place on the same morning. They can be different shows (it doesn’t have to be the same show twice).

Reductions apply to shows booked by September 19th 2023 (Shows to be played by the end of November)

​

Extra Reductions (25% off the full price) are available if …….

You pay ahead (by invoice) before the end of September 2023.

You take the group option on our page at patreon.com/thebeartheatre.

(In this case you pay 1500 Kč/month and get 2000 Kč/month of credit towards our programs. You also get free access to extra materials, articles, games, scripts, videos, E-books, online courses etc).

​

You can also ask for extra reductions in these situations……

• Large bookings (More than two shows in a morning)
• Small groups
• Special circumstances
• Ukranian students (can usually attend free of charge).

These reductions will be judged case by case.

​

What does the theatre do exactly? The theatre plays live educational shows for students of English. The shows are played in theatre spaces, or, more typically, in a school. This year there is also a new online program, which means that students can have shows and workshops streamed live into the classroom from our home venue in Prague.

​

The theatre also has a workshop program and an evening program that is streamed live. Theatre director David Fisher is an active teacher-trainer who runs workshops at conferences and other events in the region. His tips for teachers are available on these pages.

​

In what way is the theatre ‚educational‘? The Bear Educational Theatre is truly educational because the whole program is designed to support the work of English teachers in schools. Other theatre companies that offer programs to schools tend to be more theatre than educational as the director and the actors have little experience of real-life classroom teaching.. The work of The Bear Educational Theatre combines good theatre practice with good teaching methodology.

​

What do the shows look like? The shows are technically very simple. The scene is just a decorated curtain stretched across the playing space. The actors generally play in front of this curtain and go behind to change costumes, to take new props, to play sound effects, etc. There is almost nothing that the school needs to provide or to prepare (see the section Practical Info/FAQ for more details on the technical requirements.).

​

The emphasis of the shows is always on the spoken word. The teacher/actors face out and speak clearly in a way that is appropriate to the age and level of the audience. The shows are all interactive and involve games, votes, debates, and sometimes even more direct forms of audience participation.

​

Are your actors native speakers? Many of them are, but we do not have a policy of hiring just native speakers. We rather prioritise people who can manage the demands of the work and who can make good contact with the students in our audiences.. We think that it is inspiring for students to meet people of different nationalities and not set an example that only native speakers can speak English well. All of our teacher/ actors can deliver the English text of the shows clearly and at a level that is suitable for the audience..

​

What is the philosophy of the theatre? The theatre exists to support English teachers and to help them to teach English in a way that is fun, but also effective. Being at school can involve a lot of pressure and negativity. The Bear Educational Theatre aims to offset that by giving students positive and enjoyable learning experiences that can help them feel positively about language learning. Having fun is not just a way of relaxing, it is also a part of teaching well.

​

What Are the Shows Like?

The Bear Educational Theatre focuses very strongly on being interactive and keeping students actively engaged during the shows. There are no special effects, no professional dancing, singing etc. The shows are technically very simple, but they include games, quizes, topics that students relate to, and for the most part the actors are talking directly to the audience. The focus of the show is on the students. The idea is not for the students to be impressed by how great we are, it is for them to feel personally empowered by having enjoyed a quality show in English. Our shows also support teachers by highlighting grammar and topics that are part of the regular English teaching curriculum. The Bear really is an educational theatre.

​

How Does It Work?

There are several different ways to see our shows. The most common way is for you to invite us to your school. Another is for you to visit us in the Reduta Theatre, Prague (the program for the Reduta Theatre is in the menu above). The final option is to see a show online (details on the online program are also in teh menu above).

If we come to your school, we will arrive by car 45 minutes before show time. We will have everything we need with us, but we will need access to the space in order to prepare the first show in time. Then you bring a group of students to watch the show. The show will last an hour (or less for primary students.) Then you take the students away and usually, if you want a different show for another group, we will take some time to pack away the first show and prepare the next show. The same team of actors can play up to three different shows in a morning. It is even possible to play four shows by special arrangement.

The best way to start the process of booking a show is to send us a short email with the number of students you have, the levels of English, and any special time requirements (e.g. the show must be on Thursday, you want the show at the end of November, etc). Then we can recommend a program based on your needs and our capacity.

How Many Students Do We Need?

The prices given here assume an average of 100 students per show. This number includes some flexibility and in reality 80 students is still acceptable. For school visits we also usually require 2 shows to be played in the same morning. It is sometimes possible to play just one show in and around Prague, where the travel time is less of an issue.

This year, because of the pandemic, we have an offer of 3 shows for the price of 2. This means that instead of playing two shows for groups of 100 students, we will play 3 shows for groups of 60-70, In this way you can avoid creating a very large group of students in the same space,

If you have smaller groups of students, please contact us anyway because there may be a solution. It may be possible to connect your group with another school in your town. Or we may be able to make an exception to our usual practice if your show is especially convenient for us during a tour. So please just let us know your situation and we will see if there is a chance to work something out.

The maximum amount of students allowed for one show is 150.

Which show should I choose?

The show descriptions above give suggested age ranges for the shows. The descriptions also point out which shows contain specific grammar or teaching points that you may be interested in. However, if you are not sure, send us the number of students and their level and we will make suggestions based on our experience and the options available. There can be limitations on which shows we can play at a certain time, based on actor availability.

​

What Kind of Space Do You Need?

We can play almost anywhere. We often play in school gyms, dining halls, school aulas, or larger classrooms. We can also play in theatres or cinema spaces. However, the space can affect the quality of the experience for the students. An ideal space has ……

Reasonable accoustic – Our actors are trained to speak loudly and clearly, but a space that has too much echo is not suitable as the students have no chance to hear the text of the show. Usually it is best if students can sit close to the stage space.

Reasonable comfort – It can be hard for them to focus on the show if they are too crushed in a hot room, etc.

Enough space for playing – The minimum space that should be pure stage space is 6 meters across, 5 metres from front to back.

We don’t need a stage – It is, of course, better for visibility if the actors are on a stage. However, sometimes we will choose to to play on the floor if the stage is either too small or takes us too far away from the audience. So, generally a stage is a good thing, but not in every case.

What Else Do You Need the School to Provide

The general answer is – as little as possible. We try to be independent so that teachers have no extra work when we arrive. The school is mostly responsible for providing access to the space and looking after the seating arrangements of the students (will they sit on mats, chairs, on the floor?)

For most shows we also need to borrow a few school tables and chairs. We will tell you what we need in advance. There will not be anything to provide that is not easily available in a school.

​

What About the Payment?

You can pay for the shows either in cash or by invoice and bank transfer. It is fine to pay in cash on the day, after the shows are finished. In this case we will give you a stamped receipt in exchange for the money. We can also send an invoice later by mail if you need this. There is no need to pay a deposit in advance.

Can We Get a Reduction?

There are reductions on all shows ordered before September 20th 2020. These shows should be played by November 20th 2020. The reduced prices for this offer are given in the section ‚Prices‘ in the menu above.

It may be possible to arrange extra reductions for larger groups or in special situations. Please mention this when you contact us. Generally though, The Bear Educational Theatre works as a non-profit organisation and the profit margins on shows are relatively small in relation to the high expenses involved in operating the theatre. Therefore reductions are the exception rather than the norm.

On this page you can download printable posters with basic information about the theatre and our program. The information is from the season 2019/20 so there will be some changes in the new school year (including two new shows), but the main offer and the prices will be the same as on these posters.

Program for Secondary Schools>>>

Program for Middle Schools (2. stupeň)>>>

Program for Primary Schools>>>

Universal Poster with prices>>>