KC Rep's SANTALAND DIARIES Runs Now thru 12/24 at Copaken Stage

Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 50th anniversary celebration with the return of David Sedaris' The Santaland Diaries, directed by Kansas City Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Eric Rosen. This hilarious send-up of David Sedaris' tale of elfin' woe in his brief, misguided career as a Macy's elf, skewers the sentimental love of all things Christmas. This show will feature Brian Sills, who starred in last year's production as Crumpet, the disgruntled Macy's holiday elf. Shanna Jones, whom audiences saw open the production last year as one half of The Shenanigans, will perform holiday musical numbers during the performance. Performances run tonight, December 6 through 24 at KC Rep's downtown Copaken Stage in the Power & Light District. Press night is Thursday, December 11, 7pm curtain. This performance, as a work of satire, contains material that might be objectionable to some audiences. Appropriate for ages 16 and up. Past production high resolution photos can be found here.

Brian Sills is a New York City-based actor, originally from Toronto, Canada. His work includes KC Rep: The Santaland Diaries, and the Emcee in Cabaret. New York: The Machine (Park Avenue Armory & Donmar Warehouse, UK), Himself And Nora (NYMF). National Tour: The Lion King (original cast). Regional Theatre: Three seasons at the Tony Award winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater where credits include The Taming of the Shrew, Cymbeline (Joseph Jefferson Award nomination), The Three Musketeers, The Two Noble Kinsmen and How Can You Run With A Shell On Your Back?. The Heidi Chronicles (Asolo Repertory Theater), Assassins (Milwaukee Repertory), Amadeus (Clarence Brown Theater), Around The World In 80 Days (Cleveland Play House), My Life Is A Musical (Bay Street Theatre), Unlock'd (Ravinia Festival). TV: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Film: Baby On

Board, Nothing Like The Holidays, Rocky Marciano. Upcoming: World Premiere of Sherry Kramer's new comedy How Water Behaves (Capital Repertory Theatre).

Eric Rosen (Director) was the founding Artistic Director of Chicago's About Face Theatre (AFT) from 1995 to 2008, and is a writer, director and producer. Original projects
include Venice (KC Rep, Center Theatre Group-LA, Public Theater-NYC, "Best Musical of 2010"-TIME Magazine); Wedding Play (Steppenwolf/AFT, Jefferson nomination); Winesburg, Ohio (Step­penwolf/AFT-Jeff Award, Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company-Barrymore Award, KC Rep); Clay (AFT, Lookingglass Theatre-Chicago, Center Theatre Group, KC Rep, Lincoln Center/CT3-Drama Desk Nomi­nation, Jeff Award); and Undone, Whitman and Dream Boy (Jeff Award, several productions across the country). In addition to Venice, other Rep directing credits include: Clay; Winesburg, Ohio; world premiere of A Christmas Story, The Musical! (a hit musical on Broadway-three Tony nominations, including Best Musical); Cabaret; August: Osage County; The Whipping Man; Pippin; Death of a Salesman; Ro­meo and Juliet; and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. Additional directing credits include productions at Lincoln Center, Center Theatre Group, Steppenwolf, Goodman, Alliance, Lookingglass, Chicago Shakespeare, Hartford Stage, 5th Avenue, Prince, Cincinnati, Melbourne (Australia) and workshops at Sundance, O'Neill, Playwrights Horizons, and the Public Theater. He has developed and produced over 40 world premieres, including Doug Wright's Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning I am My Own Wife and work by Mary Zimmerman, Frank Galati, Stephen Flaherty, Moisés Kaufman, David Cale and The Civilians, among others. He holds a doctorate in performance studies from Northwestern University, has twice served as an NEA panel­ist, and serves on the Board of Directors of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization of non-profit theatres.