Bear suits, bereavement and big scary feelings... Oh my. When a grief-stricken widow struggles to cope with her husband's death, she finds comfort by donning a bear costume. Thus, BearGirl is born: an unfeeling, thick-skinned beast who doesn't care what happens to her next. But when the voice of her lost love starts to haunt her, she's reminded of a past mistake that she desperately wants to outrun. Can BearGirl ever truly disappear? Or will reality turn predator into prey? A new play about making peace with the beast within, written after The Bear by Anton Chekhov (1888).

2026 ART Award Runner-Up