Telluride Theatre in association with The Town of Telluride’s Black Bear Awareness Week presents BEAR IT! - Bear Safety for the 21st Century.

Friday September 6 at The Sheridan Opera House @ 8pm

BAR opens at 7pm, doors 7:30pm

FREE! & Open to the Public (21+ ONLY - NOT suitable for children)

(A hat will be passed, $20 suggested donation)

AFTERPARTY 10pm in the SHOWbar featuring DJ Kidpeace straight from LA

 Click here for more information

The BEST show about Black Bear Awareness you will EVER see! (really, probably the only one that exists). A raucous, ridiculous, ADULT show filled with very important bear safety. 

Conceived 14 years ago as a collaboration between Telluride Theatre and the Town of Telluride. Every year the Town of Telluride's Black Bear Awareness Week teaches the community about our furry, intelligent neighbors and ways to stay safe in black bear country.  In 2009, Karen Guglielmone,  Environmental & Engineering Division Manager for the Town of Telluride, approached Telluride Theatre to write a play for the adult community, to educate and enlighten, through pure entertainment.  

2024 marks Karen Guglielmone’s last year working for the town. She is retiring, after 24.5 years working for Telluride. So, this year’s show will be bigger, better, ON the Opera House stage and in celebration of all that Karen has done for our community. A show AND a retirement party, what’s more Telluride than that?

Karen had this brilliant idea and originally asked Telluride Theatre to write this play and has made it happen ever since says, “BEAR IT! is the best and most fun educational opportunity about black bears anywhere in the state of Colorado!... - A grand tradition intended to keep the bar crowd safe on their way home and the bears safe from human error. Our goal has always been to provide a little useful information, a lot of laughs, and maybe a little blush. BearIt!  Don’t be a douche!.”

BEAR IT! an original show, has played to packed houses in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023... and now its BACK for 2024! Each year’s rendition is a unique installment created in collaboration with the cast. 

2024 has a whole new cast of talented locals and will be hosted by Cat Lee Covert as Ranger Sherilyn Taylor Swift Jenkins-Bell-Jenkins-Lane. Compiled, and written by Covert & Telluride Theatre’s Artistic Director Sasha Cucciniello, in collaboration with the cast. Cucciniello says, “BEAR IT! has always been one of my favorite traditions we have created at Telluride Theatre. It is such a testament to our community and its excitement for theatre, bears and getting together to laugh at ourselves. This show brings home the messages of true bear safety while entertaining audiences with Telluride Theatre’s unique brand of comedy and ridiculousness. This year we are creating a BIG A$$ BEAR SHOW in honor of Karen. We usually do this show in a small bar, but a HUGE thanks to The Sheridan Opera House for putting us on the main stage for this very special show. Come for fun!”

BEAR IT! Bear Safety for the 21st Century -  is part forest rangers, part revival, part musical, part BEARlesque… music, dance, comedy and so much more! What happens at bear show… stays at bear show.

BEAR IT! is free and open to the public.  As always, donations are encouraged (a hat will be passed).