MISS KATELYN'S GRADE THREES PREPARE FOR THE INEVITABLE
75 minutes, 1 actor.
MISS KATELYN'S GRADE THREES PREPARE FOR THE INEVITABLE
written and performed by Elena Belyea
CREATIVE TEAM
Written and performed by ELENA BELYEA
Directed by EMMA TIBALDO
Production/Stage Management and Sound Design by TORI MORRISON
Production Design by ALISON YANOTA
Dramaturgical support by IRIS TURCOTT, TORI MORRISON, EMMA TIBALDO, JON LACHLAN STEWART
Original direction by JON LACHLAN STEWART
Promotional photos by LAWRENCE PHILOMENE
ABOUT THE SHOW
“Earns its transformation from laughs to tears as it sinks its teeth into weighty subject matter. By the end, Belyea has made us laugh, terrified us, and tugged at our heartstrings. An A+ show!” - Vue Weekly
"There’s no denying this show’s ... gut-wrenching power.” - Montreal Gazette
"You see, boys and girls... bad things happen to good people all the time. So, it’s our job to make sure we’re as prepared as possible for the innumerable threats that can and will come our way. And not just prepared prepared. Miss Katelyn prepared."
Montreal, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland. Welcome to class 3B at Saint Joseph’s Elementary School. Your teacher, Miss Katelyn, knows the world is a dangerous place and her life-saving lesson is about to begin. As the gun control debate rages and teenagers take to the streets in protest, Miss Katelyn’s Grade Threes Prepare for the Inevitable is a timely exploration of panic, prevention, and paranoia in a post-truth world, as a well-intentioned school teacher conducts an unsanctioned presentation on how to survive a school shooting.
Miss Katelyn’s Grade Threes has had three sold out runs in Edmonton, AB and Montreal, QC in 2015, 2016, and 2018 respectively (two in English, one in French), as well as a run in Calgary (Downstage Theatre) and Wells (Sunset Theatre). The French translation, translated by Olivier Sylvestre and produced by Surreal So Real Theatre is preparing to tour to theatres across Québec next summer (2019).
Production History: Presented at the 2015 Montreal and Edmonton Fringe Festivals, the 2016 Centaur Theatre’s Wildside Festival and Workshop West’s Chinook Series, and in 2018 by Calgary's Downstage Theatre, Edmonton Fringe’s Studio Theatre, and Wells’ Sunset Theatre. The French translation, translated by Olivier Sylvestre and produced by Surreal So Real Theatre premiered in Montreal in April 2018 and is preparing to tour to theatres across Québec in summer 2019..
Selected Press
" ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ -- On the last day of school, Miss Katelyn (Elena Belyea) decides to teach Class 3B (the audience) about safety. After attendance is called, our jittery, impassioned teacher launches into today’s lesson: how to survive a school shooting. ... Unlike so many other dark comedies at the Fringe, this show earns its transformation from laughs to tears as it sinks its teeth into weighty subject matter. ... An A+ show!" - Vue Weekly (Full article here).
"Finally, there’s Miss Katelyn’s Grade Threes Prepare for the Inevitable, an initially amusing, finally genuinely disturbing take on the phenomenon of school shootings. The first two rows of the audience are assigned class name tags and solicitously advised by teacher Miss Katelyn (played by the show’s creator, Elena Belyea) on the best ways to outwit a rampaging gunman. Not surprisingly, Miss Katelyn turns out to be a powder keg of neuroses herself, and we, her little charges, gradually realize where the real danger lies ... There’s no denying this show’s sincerity or gut-wrenching power.” - Montreal Gazette (Full article here).
"Playwright and performer Elena Belyea manages to poke fun at the darkest of subjects, providing a general meditation on surviving the inevitable, whether it’s a shooting or whatever life brings you.” - Cult Montreal (Full article here).
“Miss Katelyn’s Grade Threes Prepare for the Inevitable is one of the most engaging plays I’ve seen. ... You can’t help but buy into this world that Elena has created and active engagement of the audience is one of the most interesting parts of the show.” - After The Houselights (Full article here).
