This Won’t Hurt, I Promise

Produced by Tiny Bear Jaws + presented by Rapid Fire Theatre.

Premiered at the 2023 Edmonton Fringe festival, selected as one of four official holdovers.

1 actor. Run time of approximately 1 hour.

Anxiety. Phantom bedbugs. An eccentric kink. Writer/performer Elena Belyea’s stand-up hybrid is a balm for trying times.

A touring production of this show is ready and rarin’ to go. If you’d like to see a script, press kit, and/or archival video, please reach out.

ARTISTIC TEAM 
Written and performed by Elena Eli Belyea
Directed by Geoffrey Simon Brown
Stage Managed by Steven Sobolewski
Dramaturgy by Jenna Rodgers
Additional dramaturgical support by Geoffrey Simon Brown and Steven Sobolewski
Writing support by Rob Baker and Syd Campbell
Set and lighting design by Stephanie Bahniuk
Design Associate: Rebecca Cypher
Sound and video design by Tori Morrison
Assistant Produced by Mac Brock

Selected Press

“Belyea keeps the jokes coming at a lightning-fast pace, mining … deeply personal experiences for rich laughs". ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ .5” - Edmonton Journal | Full review here.

“As a wordsmith (we know this from the crackling dialogue in her plays) [Belyea] likes to talk things through fast, and loop back, adjusting a turn of phrase, editing thoughts on the fly. As applied to stand-up, it’s an appealing delivery. …. This show, as you’ll find out, is one possibility. It’s built on empathy.” - Liz Nichols | Full review here.

Archival photos and promotional photos by Brianne Jang.