“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct.”
-Carl Jung
genre play
Creating movement and directing stories across a variety of genres and through the melding of genres is where Tara's imagination thrives. It all centers on what the moment requires to bring the sensation to the audience.
"Serendipity"
Premiering April 2025 KCYB
Exploring the unexpected good luck of how we meet our best friends, our soulmates, or share unrepeatable joyous moments with others.
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Contemporary
Theatre
Jazz
"Choices?"
Examine the topics of curation, time and place, the attention economy, and autonomy. Colliding exponentially are the compounding, fleeting, embodied experiences of a layering of choices that create the landscape of our daily lives.
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​Who decided on who would decide what I would see today?​ Do I ever get to have a choice?​ Do I know what my attention is worth?​ How did my life come to intersect with others’ lives in this moment?
Written, Directed, & Choreographed by: Tara Leigh Burgat
Cast Members: Shon Michael Anderson, Katelyn Arnold, Tanner Ashenfelter, Allison Fitzsimmons, Cooper Holmes, Essy Siegel
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Performance Art
Movement
Acting
Vocals
Milking Christmas - A New Musical
Award: Commendation for Choreography by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 5
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Milking Christmas centers on Macey, one of the eight maids-a-milking from the iconic “12 Days of Christmas” song. The play takes on tried and true themes of the genre: the history of Christmas, the source of Christmas magic, and the presence of some nefarious force behind both.
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Directed by Michelle Miller
Written by Ryan McCall & Friend Dog Studios
Performed by the University of Kansas
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Woke up this morning (with my mind stayed on freedom)
The lyrics and powerful vocals by the Resistance Revival Chorus give a rich landscape to embody rising into your own power. This demo is performed by the Kansas City Ballet Summer Intensive.
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Contemporary
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"Wrong" by zava
Presented during the Jayhawk Performance Lab, a festival-style showcase for performance makers to share new works. Footage is from tech rehearsal.​​
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Power Jazz
Interdisciplinary
Live Music
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The Librarian
by Yansol jung
There is a library and your life is stacked within its shelves. The Librarian charges 200 bucks a minute to help you rewrite whatever you want. Then a clown walks in…​
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Theatre Direction
Live Music
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Performed as part of the Jayhawk Performance Lab, a festival-style showcase for 10-minute plays or musicals.
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additional reels
View more samples of my work on YouTube