KC Fringe Blog

KC Fringe Unified Auditions

March 13, 2026 No Comments

Bring Your Work. Be Seen. KC Fringe Festival is hosting Unified Auditions for performers who want to share their talent and connect with Fringe producers plus local theater and film casting partners. This is a welcoming space to show what you do best and get in front of people who are looking for performers like you. You’ll have 5 minutes to present material of your choice. Monologues, songs, dance, physical performance, juggling, or another performance style are all welcome. Audition Dates & Times Friday, March 20 | 4:00–8:00 PM Saturday, March 21 | 2:00–6:00 PM Sunday, March 22 | 2:00–6:00 PM Location AT: Actor Training Studio-5350 W. 94th Terrace, Suite 103, Prairie Village Guidelines Nothing physically dangerous No nudity If singing, bring your own music and playback device Auditions will be recorded (your application serves as your video release) How to sign up Email Andy Garrison at andy@actortrainingstudio.com to reserve your time slot. Email submissions only. If you need to cancel, please give at least 5 days’ notice. All KC Fringe producers are encouraged to attend, and performers are welcome to share this opportunity with others. Break a leg!

From KC Fringe to the Main Stage: Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me by Eboni Fondren

March 10, 2026 No Comments

From KC Fringe to Quality Hill Playhouse One of the great joys of KC Fringe is watching artists take risks on our stages—and then seeing those ideas grow into something even bigger. Last summer, audiences at the KC Fringe Festival were captivated by Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me, a powerful one-woman show created and performed by internationally acclaimed vocalist Eboni Fondren. Through storytelling, music, and striking visual moments, Fondren honored the legendary women who shaped jazz and helped shape her own artistic journey. Now that Fringe favorite is stepping onto a larger stage. From March 4–15, 2026, Fondren brings Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me to Quality Hill Playhouse for a full feature run. This deeply personal performance celebrates the lives and legacies of iconic jazz women including Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, Nancy Wilson, and Kansas City’s own Julia Lee. Through poetic narration, vintage visuals, costume transformations, and her dynamic vocal stylings, Fondren weaves together history and personal reflection in a show that is both musical tribute and cultural storytelling. At Fringe, audiences experienced how the show moves fluidly between history and contemporary voice—honoring the women who paved the way while allowing Fondren’s own artistry to shine. Rather than imitating these icons, she interprets and evolves their influence, creating something entirely her own. The result is more than a concert and more than a biography. It’s a celebration of resilience, artistry, and the enduring power of women’s voices in jazz. Moments like this are exactly why KC Fringe exists. Our festival provides a space where artists can experiment, share new work, and connect with audiences. Seeing those projects continue to grow beyond the festival—reaching new venues and new audiences—is something we celebrate wholeheartedly. If you missed the show at Fringe, now is your chance to experience it. And if you were lucky enough to see it last summer, this full production offers a wonderful opportunity to revisit the journey and support a Fringe artist as the work evolves. Get your tickets now! Tickets:📞 816-421-1700🌐 www.QualityHillPlayhouse.com KC Fringe is proud to have been part of this show’s journey—and we can’t wait to see where she goes next.

MN Fringe interview with KC Fav Timothy Mooney

February 13, 2026 1 Comment

Check out this great interview from Minnesota Fringe as Timothy expresses his thoughts about KC Fringe, IF (Indy) Fringe and our Midwest Trifecta! I once asked touring artist Tim Mooney a question while we sat around at Fringe Central years ago. Knowing that he was constantly on tour to be both a performer and a proselytizer for the good words of Shakespeare and Moliere, I wanted to know how many one-man shows he had in his head ready to go at that very moment should the opportunity arise to bring one out. I think my jaw dropped when he went quiet and started to do internal calculations. He had to count on fingers. And then he ran out of fingers. “Right now? Eleven,” he said, “but with a day to prep, maybe fourteen.” This guy’s been everywhere all the time and he’s gone beyond tour-sperienced into tour-mastery. So when I was looking for an artist to tell me about KC Fringe (Kansas City), I know one performer that was guaranteed to have made the rounds there. Hey there, Tim. How many fringe festivals have you done now? I’m currently at NINETY-FIVE fringes, and am looking to hit 100 either this year or next. Still waiting on those lottery balls to fall my way! That’s beyond impressive, dude. Well, let’s start here and see which shows you’ve done here and where MN Fringe audiences might know you from….whoa. 2006: Criteria 2007: Moliere than Thou 2008: Karaoke Knights 2010 & 2022: Lot o’ Shakespeare 2011: Dancing Nude 2012 & 2013: Fringe Orphans (with local producing company Navel Gaze Productions) 2012: The Greatest Speech of All Time 2014: Shakespeare’s Histories 2015: Breakneck Hamlet 2019: Man Cave, a One-Man Sci-Fi Climate Change Tragicomedy 2020 (virtual, Covid year): Tim’s Paranoid Delusions 2021: Breakneck Comedy of Errors 2023: Breakneck Midsummer Night’s Dream 2024: Breakneck Twelfth Night Holy balls, Tim. Phew! You’ve performed in Minnesota Fringe more years than I’ve worked here. Hell, beyond that, the first time I performed in the festival was 2009, so you’ve got me hella beat across the board. What show have you brought to KC Fringe? Oh wait. It’s you. What SHOWS. Plural. Well, I’ve ALSO done most of the shows that I did in Minnesota at the KC Fringe, but last year (the year that I got pulled for the Midwest Trifecta) I brought my 6-person Breakneck Midsummer Night’s Dream to KC. Midsummer had its World Premiere at MN Fringe, but with 6 people to manage, I don’t want to do that one more than once a year. It won Best Ensemble at the KC Fringe and I’m hoping to bring it to Indy this year! Congrats on those wins!!! Color me not surprised. Well done, friend. So KC Fringe is just as much a home for you as Minnesota it seems. By now, I feel like I sometimes LIVE in Kansas City. I’ve got a very reliable billet who I’ve been friends with for almost 20 years, and I always drop in on them when I’m passing through town, whether or not the fringe is on. Love a good billet. That’s something that our