Free Download "Khaaaaan! the Musical" Original Cast Recording

You can now download the Khaaaaaan! the Musical Soundtrack from Bandcamp. Just click download on the player above.

Scene from "Sexing Hitler" getting a cold read on KC Live

Michelle Davidson and Joel Nichols demonstrate what a cold read is like using a scene out of Sexing Hitler. It's all to promote the new KC Fringe Presents reading of White Rabbit, Red Rabbit at Union Station this month. Tara Varney is reading on March 16.

"The Amanuensis" Staged Reading

A staged reading of my new full-length play, The Amanuensis, will take place at the Midwest Dramatists Center on Monday, February 9, at 7 p.m. The Midwest Dramatists Center is located at the Writer's Place, 3607 Pennsylvania.

The Amanuensis tells the story of a young musician from England who goes to live with the composer Frederick Delius in France. His goal is to help him write music, but he finds the elderly Delius is both paralyzed and blind, and hasn't composed a note in years. This is a true story based on the book Delius As I Knew Him by Eric Fenby.

Directed by Tara Varney, the reading will feature Michael Golliher as Eric Fenby, Bob Allen as Frederick Delius, Nancy Marcy as Jelka Delius, and Jason Miller as Percy Grainger.

The reading is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, please visit the event's Facebook page.

Kudos for "Red Death" from The Pitch

 The Pitch has named Red Death as "The Best Fringe Fest Surprise":

The KC Fringe Fest tends to lean heavily on burlesque and blue comedy (not that we’re complaining). But Red Death, Bryan Colley and Daniel Doss’ latest collaboration, surprised us with something new: a deliciously dark chamber opera based on an Edgar Allan Poe plague narrative. The production was as polished as a regular-season premiere, and the moody piano score and striking stage pictures (care of director Tara Varney) made the show a standout for its nuances as much as for its novelty.

Thank you, Pitch!

I should also mention that Red Death was the best attended show of the entire festival, out of nearly 100 different events. Thanks to everyone that came out to see it!

"American Institution" Staged Reading at Midwest Dramatists Center

Midwest Dramatists Center is proud to host a staged reading of American Institution, a new comedy written by Midwest Dramatists Center playwright Bryan Colley and directed by Tara Varney - the team behind Red Death, the best-attended show at the 2014 Kansas City Fringe Festival.

The Cast:

• Devon Barnes
• Melody Butler
• Coleman Crenshaw
• Amanda Kibler
• Zac Parker
• Jeff Smith

Please be part of the crowd at this new crowd-pleaser, and be prepared to share your feedback with the playwright, director, and cast. 

7:30pm Monday, September 8 at the Midwest Dramatists Center/The Writer's Place, 3607 Pennsylvania. Admission is free.