Local Artist Turns Sadness into Art….Groundbreaking

Darrious Varner is sitting on a bus, headed to work most likely. He had been working on

a piece about Depression at the behest of local playwright Shannon Geier and after turning in a

finished piece, felt inspired to push the 10 minute play further. “Do You Miss Me” was the story

of two people, but one person. The story told was cyclical, it starts with a monologue and ends

with the same monologue, modified. It was about a person battling their Depression and

overcoming. It was very personal, in fact, it was his story. Telling that very personal, very dark

story felt so cathartic and healing that he just had to keep writing.

Flash back to the bus. I’m experiencing some of the worst vertigo I had, had in the

longest time and that’s when it hit. On that bus ride I wrote the entire monologue for the scene

“Vertigo” in the play and that’s how so much of the play happened. Stream of consciousness

and almost like word vomit. Fast forward to the finished product. It’s been sent off to a few of my

favorite and most trusted people and now I’m sitting down with some close friends to read

through the play. Two of those friends, Laurell and Elizabeth, would go on to perform in the

World Premier performance.

January 12th, 2019, “My Infinite Sadness” premiered at The Chapel and was

widely praised. I was in a whirlwind, I couldn’t believe people wanted to see this little show that I

wrote. I couldn’t believe I had enough mental energy to actually put the show together, literally

from words on paper to feelings and emotions and magic on the stage, I did all of it. It was...I

seriously don’t even have words for how I felt and still feel about the run and the response. But

lemme tell y’all putting that show together was a CHORE! It happened, it was amazing, and I’m

honored by everything that happened. After closing night I was left with a bunch of questions,

but the one that stood out the most was “Where the hell do I go from here?!” It was such a

success there had to be a next step so I wracked my brain for solutions and almost immediately

I thought about the Fringe.

Most of my friends had mentioned that I should submit the show to Fringe and I toyed

with the idea for a long time. After the response, the desire of the actors to perform the show

again and my desire to make this show into as many different ideas as my brain could come up

with, I decided to do it. And just like with being able to book The Chapel on my birthday for the

premier, the stars were aligned again and the Fringe submissions opened the day my show

closed.

Fast forward one more time to the Kick Off event, we’re in. My mind is racing with ideas.

My mind hasn’t stopped racing since then and I am so ready to start my third Fringe journey

with a show that is 100% mine and 100% yours. I can’t wait for you all to see “My Infinite

Sadness”.