Previews: TAMING THE WEST at The Don Steele Theatre At The Historic Santa Fe Depot

The Depot Theatre is proud to present TAMING THE WEST, a delightful new Dodge City Days musical by Debra A. Cole, with music by Matthew Hanne! TAMING THE WEST runs from July 26 to July 28 only, at The Don Steele Theatre, in the Santa Fe Historic Depot in the heart of Dodge City. This original musical gives us an closer look at the Harvey House girls and the cowboys they tamed. 

The Depot cast features Amy Romeo, Natalie Peters, Lola Costa, Madison Houser, Cora Gutierrez-Ortiz, Jorge Rodriguez-Lopez, Ryan Burton,  Zechariah Stammer, Levi Emery, Kale Lowrey, Keith Tallent, Leonard Rodenbur, and Amber Fuller. Along with a with a chorus of Cowboys, this cast delivers a charming look at the sometimes overlooked manner in which the Wild West was won!

“This delightful mini-musical came to my attention as I attended the 2025 Inge Festival in Independence, KS,” remarked Director Paula Makar. The Inge Festival celebrates the literary contributions of William Inge, who was born and raised in Independence, as well as new playwrights all over the US, and Kansas in particular. “I was lucky enough to strike up a conversation with local playwright Debra A. Cole, who hails from Lawrence. She asked me what I was up to, and I told her I was preparing to direct SpongeBob: The Musical at The Don Steele Theatre in Dodge City. Debra told me she had written a mini-musical specifically about the Harvey Girls and the Santa Fe Historic Depot. I asked her to email it to me, and I passed it on to Board Member Gayla Rodenbur, who thought Taming The West would be perfect for Dodge City Days, and here we are!”

The creative team includes Paula Makar, Director; Jessica Ralston, Musical Director; Gayla Rodenbur, Set Design; Brogan Tweedy, Lighting Design; and Marcy Taylor, Costume Design.

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