We need help for our 2024 season! Donate or volunteer with the link above.

We need help for our 2024 season! Donate or volunteer with the link above.

 

We’re planning a SPICY 2024 Season

Mild 🌶 : Don’t miss Cyclopedic for Young Audiences production of “Dragons Love Tacos” June 20-30

Medium 🌶 🌶 : Cyclopedic After Hours at KC Fringe Festival production of “Romantic Fools” July 20-27.

Smokin’ Hot 🌶 🌶 🌶 : We can’t wait to tell you about our Smokin’ Hot show we’ll produce late in 2024.

We’ll be at the wonderful Arts Asylum (824 E Meyer Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64131) for our entire season (and we hope to announce a fall/winter show there soon too). See more information about our 2024 season.

We’ll need the support of donors again to make our ENTIRE 2024 season successful.

Our 1st show, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fair(l)y (stoopid) Tales was in July, 2022. We not only had an amazing show with the 3rd highest attendance at KC Fringe Fest, but we WON Best of Fringe 2022, KC City Stage. We could not have done it without the support of our donors. We were able to pay our actors; and for most it was their first professional paid acting role. Our 2nd show, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, the Rock Experience ROCKED and again with your support we were able to pay our actors.

You can support Cyclopedic Ensemble by donating through Paypal or GiveButter.

SPICY 2024 Season Giving Levels

Mild 🌶  Under $100

Medium 🌶 🌶  $100

Hot 🌶 🌶 🌶  $250

Extra Spicy 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶  $500

Smokin’ Hot 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶 🌶  $1000+

If your company matches donations to non-profits, don’t donate now. Instead, email cyclopedicensemble@gmail.com to get started with a matching donation.

Any and all donations are awesome and appreciated.

All donors will be listed in the program. We'll provide the tax donation letter to you promptly; we are a 501c3 (non-profit)!

We're fundraising primarily to ensure we can pay our actors and technicians. We also need to pay expenses like venue fees, production rights, promotional materials, costumes, etc.

We believe engagement in live theatre can change the world & provide opportunities for early-career actors. 

Our Core Values are

Understanding: Contribute to inclusive change through understanding and learning about others by living in someone else’s shoes via live theatre. 

Opportunity: Change the world through shared audience experiences. Provide opportunity for early-career actors in what may be their first paid acting role

Passion & Engagement: Engaging diverse audiences and creating a passion for live theatre and social change.

Meet Our Team

  • Eric Yazell - Artistic Director

    Eric Yazell retired in May 2020 as the Theatre Program Coordinator at State Fair Community College; he began this role in 2000 and during this time established Children's Theatre for 4500 students a year. After retirement, Eric worked as a Creative for the Apple store in Leawood, KS.

    Eric has directed over 75 plays and musicals including Over the River and Through the Woods, Urinetown, Young Frankenstien, All My Sons, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, She Kills Monsters, Noises Off, Women Playing Hamlet, Honus and Me, and Night of the Living Dead Live. He also loves theatre for youth productions directing Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience, U:BUG:ME, How I Became a Pirate, The True Story of Three Little Pigs, and many others.

    Eric graduated from State Fair Community College (SFCC) in 1988. At the University of Central Missouri he earned bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication and a Master of Arts Degree in Theatre. He began his teaching career in 1992 as a Speech & Theatre Instructor at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri.

    Eric has received multiple awards and commendations including: Best Alumni Awards from UCM and SFCC; many Kennedy Center American Commendation Awards for Comic Direction, Sound Design and Dragon Design; Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri Hall of Fame Award and Loren Reid Service Award; and

    Eric has directed Stinky Cheese Man and Naked Mole Rat for Cyclopedic Ensemble.

    LinkedIn

  • Kristen Henning - Dramaturg

    Extraordinary director and a fantastic mom. Dragons Love Tacos director, Kristen Henning has directed 30+ productions over the last 14 years at the University of Central Missouri, State Fair Community College and Metropolitan Community College.

    Kristen is the Theatre Program Coordinator at State Fair Community College. She earned both a BA in Theatre and an MA in Speech Communication from the University of Central Missouri. She also earned an MA in Theatre History/Dramaturgy from UMKC.

    Kristen has had several scenes and shows invited to perform at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF): Invited production 2020, Invited scene 2022. Commendations for directing: Junie B Jones (2023), Little Women, the Musical (2023), Be More Chill (2019)

  • Adriana Randall - Creative

    Adriana earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) in Theatre from the University of Central Missouri. They have been involved in theater for 14 years both on and offstage; if it's art, they will try it! Adriana’s creative skills are a welcome addition to the board! They have skills in set design, scenic design, acting, directing, stage managing for more than 40 theatre productions. 7 of the shows in the last 10 years were for youth/education.

    At the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Adriana has competed in the Irene Ryan Acting Semi-finals: twice as partner, twice as a nominee

  • Chris Opatrny-Yazell - Costumer

    Chris fulfills many roles for Cyclopedic. She’s the Board Treasurer and Secretary. Creatively, she volunteers as the costumer. She designed and built the costumes for both Naked Mole Rat and Stinky Cheese Man. Behind the scenes Chris is the one who picks up the loose ends for Cyclopedic.

    Chris i is a professor of Supply Chain Mgt & Business as a Force for Good at the University of Central Missouri. She has both an MBA and a PhD.

    LinkedIn

  • Holden Childress

    A most amazingly creative content creator. Holden Childress has experience as an actor, member of Goodbrew, a new Indie Band, video creator and so many other tech skills. You’ll love his content for Cyclopedic!

  • Alexander Howell

    Alex, was once an actor with Eric at SFCC. Before that, he played several roles at the Academy Theatre, as well as Blue Springs Community Theatre. His resume is long but distinguished. Now he helps us get things done!

  • Stinky Cheese Man. 2022 Best of KC Fringe City Stage,

    Our 1st show, produced in July 2022. We won Best of KC Fringe City stage, and had a ton of fun! Check out our reviews on YouTube.

  • Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, The Rock Experience. 2023 KC Fringe, City Stage, Union Station

    We really rocked out our second show produced in July 2023. Check out video highlights on YouTube.

  • Cyclopedic for Young Audiences

    Summer 2024 show at the Arts Asylum in KC! June 20,21,27,28 @7pm, June 22,23,29,30 @2:30 pm

  • ROMANTIC FOOLS Cyclopedic After Hours (Mature Audiences)

    Our show for Mature Audiences will be in the KC Fringe Festival performing at the Arts Asylum. We’ll have 5 performances between July 20-27.

Inquire