A baby, a pandemic and a frightening complication
Aid recipient: Local actor, choreographer and Littleton native Becca Greer, a graduate of Heritage High School and Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minnesota, moved back to Colorado five years ago and last appeared in Inspire Theater Company’s 2018 staging of “The Little Mermaid,” directed by Brandon Bill and Tanner Kelly. Other musical credits include “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Mary Poppins,” “Monty Python’s Spamalot” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Choreography credits for Inspire include “Thoroughly Modern Millie Jr.,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “High School Musical Jr.” and “Freaky Friday.” She also has choreographed productions at Legend and Lutheran high schools. Becca is currently a teaching assistant at Parker Performing Arts. She married Dallas Greer in 2018.
Her medical story: On March 1, Becca gave birth to her first child, Clara, via C-section. Two weeks later, COVID19 shut down the globe. And on March 18, Becca was rushed back to the hospital for treatment of a hole in her stomach that risked making her septic. As she recovered for the next two weeks, she had to be fed through a pic line. Becca and Dallas paid as many bills as they could after insurance, but when they kept coming in, they submitted the final six to The Denver Actors Fund totaling $1,992.86 for our consideration of compensation.
How we have helped: The Denver Actors Fund Board of Directors has voted to pay the fully requested remaining $1,992.86 the couple owes for this medical incident.
A message from Becca: “The Denver Actors Fund gave my family such a sense of relief with their financial aid. After the birth of our daughter two weeks before COVID19 turned the world right side down, my husband and I were both without income. This unexpected medical expense would have been so detrimental without the Actors Fund’s help. My family is forever grateful, and we can’t say ‘thank you’ enough.”
How you can help us help us help more Colorado theatre artists: The Denver Actors Fund now has made more than $650,000 available to Colorado artists in need, including more than $250,000 in the first nine-plus months of 2020 alone, including more than $100,000 through our DEAR Fund to support Colorado theatre artists who have lost the ability to earn income during the COVID-19 shutdown. If you would like to make a donation to The Denver Actors Fund, simply mail checks in any amount made out to Denver Actors Fund at P.O. Box 11182, Denver, CO 80211. Or use this donation link, with our humble thanks.
Read testimonials from other Denver Actors Fund beneficiaries here
Note: At The Denver Actors Fund, anonymity of aid recipients is presumed and fully protected, unless and until the recipient chooses to have their story told.
ABOUT THE DENVER ACTORS FUND:
The Denver Actors Fund is a modest source of immediate, situational relief when members of the local theater community find themselves in medical need. In addition to $650,000 in financial relief, a team of more than 60 Denver Actors Fund volunteers have offered good neighborly assistance to more than 100 beneficiaries including meal prep and delivery, child care, transportation, errands, construction, pet-sitting and more. For more information, visit our web site at DenverActorsFund.Org.
HOW TO APPLY FOR AID:
To apply for Denver Actors Fund aid: Fill out this brief online form here
GET INSTANT, FREE MEDICAL ADVICE: The Denver Actors Fund has launch of a major new FREE medical service for qualified Colorado theatre artists: We are partnering with Hippo Health to provide access to emergency medical evaluations via video conferencing with a Board-certified physician. Click to read more about this wonderful, innovative new partnership that will further improve the lives of artists!
MORE WAYS TO HELP:
DONATE ONLINE:
Go to our online giving site at: ColoradoGives.Org
DONATE BY MAIL:
Send checks made out to The Denver Actors Fund to:
P.O. Box 11182
Denver, CO 80211
VOLUNTEER:
Ever thought about taking a more active role in The Denver Actors Fund? Click here for more information
SHOP AT KING SOOPERS
Sign up for King Soopers’ Community Rewards Program and raise money for The DAF just by shopping for your groceries – and it doesn’t cost you an extra penny. It’s like the Amazon Smile Program. To sign up, simply go here and designate The DAF as your preferred non-profit. Each quarter, King Soopers sends us a donation based on how much our supporters have spent. Thanks to all of you who are shopping for The DAF.
COME TO THE EVENTS THAT SUPPORT US:
Note: All events are tentative based on COVID-19 developments:
AVAILABLE NOW: This year “Miscast,” the major annual fundraiser for The Denver Actors Fund, has pivoted to “CAST 2020,” a professionally produced on-demand video concert featuring Colorado theatre artists performing in roles they WERE cast to play before the coronavirus shut down their shows. “CAST 2020” includes nearly a dozen showstopping songs by an all-star lineup of Colorado theatre performers:
- Rebecca Myers, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center’s ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’
- Lisa Kay Carter and Seth Dhonou, Arvada Center’s ‘Something Rotten’
- Kalyn Heffernan of Wheelchair Sports Camp with Michelle Rocqet, Phamaly Theatre Company’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’
- Scott Hurst, Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s ‘Curtains’
- Mary Louise Lee, Vintage Theatre’s ‘Gypsy’
- McKayla Marso, BDT Stage’s ‘The Sound of Music’
- Cal Meakins, Forge Light Theatreworks’ ‘Bare: The Musical’
- Keith Hershman and Jessie Oblazny, Magic Moments’ ‘Take the High Road’
- Mercedes Perez, Lake Dillon Theatre’s ‘Man of La Mancha’
- Jenna Moll Reyes, Aurora Fox’s ‘Freaky Friday’
- Camryn Torres, Miners Alley Playhouse’s ‘Once on This Island’
For your donation of at least $20, you will be sent a link to the video within 24 hours. You can then watch the concert at your leisure. Reserve your link today
‘Miscast’ is the major annual fundraiser for The Denver Actors Fund. It produced each year by Robert Michael Sanders and Kenny Moten, wit 100 percent of all proceeds going to The DAF. CAST 2020′ was recorded primarily at Focus Event Studios in north Denver and edited by Ray Bailey TV. We are eternally grateful to all of them for making this important event possible, and to you for watching.
OCTOBER 16-18: “Time Capsule: An Outdoor Concert featuring Denver’s Rock & Roll Divas,” a series of three outdoor concerts to be held at 2763 Blake Street, is an effort to save and support Cap City Tavern, a haven for the local theatre community (owned by actor, director and choreographer Piper Lindsay Arpan and her husband, Dino McTaggert.) Cap City, like many area restaurants, is trying to hang on through the pandemic. And still, the McTaggerts are pledging to give 10 percent of all proceeds to The Denver Actors Fund. The concert features Susan Draus, Shannan Steele, Aubrie Hamrick, Lynn Keller, Piper Lindsay Arpan, Justin Francoeur, and Brian McRae. A $35 ticket gets you in the door, and a $40 VIP add-on gets you unlimited open bar throughout the show. Bring your mask, lawn chair, and your dancing shoes, and get ready to rock out to tunes from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Treat yourself and those you love to a safe, memorable concert, while supporting the local Denver theatre and restaurant community. Ages 21 and over for the 6 p.m. performances on Friday and Saturday; while the 2 p.m. Sunday matinee is open to all ages. Says Piper: “Should Mother Nature cause us to cancel a performance, ticket holders may reschedule for any other scheduled performance or donate their ticket purchase to the Denver Actors Fund.” Click here to reserve your seats.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23: At 7 p.m., Julia Tobey and Eugene Ebner present an uplifting, nearly all-Colorado video concert to launch her new Sublimelight Studios, with 10 percent of proceeds going to The Denver Actors Fund. The concert will be pre-recorded and broadcast on October 23 on Sublimelight’s YouTube channel. The concert hosts are Grammy Award nominee Neyla Pekarek (formerly of The Lumineers, more recently of the Denver Center’s developing musical “Rattlesnake Kate”), Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford (“You Can’t Take it With You”), three-time Emmy Award-winning composer Denise Gentilini, and Tony Award nominee Beth Malone (“Fun Home.”) Performers slated to perform or speak include Elizabeth Welch (“The Phantom of the Opera”), Gregory Treco (“Hamilton”), Jason Veasey (“The Lion King”), Josh Franklin (“The Prom”), Piper Lindsay Arpan (“Spamalot”), Shannon Steele, David Nehls, Robert Michael Sanders, Megan Van De Hey, Kenny Moten, Lauren Shealy, Jalyn Courtenay Webb, Jessica Hindsley, Lynzee and Chris Jones, Adriane and Marco Robinson, Julie Payne, Natalie Oliver-Atherton, Jennifer Condreay, Paul Page, Dixie Krystals, Shirley Delta Blow, Sophia Dotson, Evan Gibley, Hannah Katz, Abby Linderman, Eden Lane and Sue Leiser. Ensembles performing include Black Iris Collective, Spinphony, The Beverly Belles and The Honey Taps. All in 90 minutes (!). The goal is to raise $75,000 by November 23 to support Sublimelight, a new arts and wellness community set to open in Denver in 2021. The studio will offer shared studio space for arts and wellness professionals, including dance, voice, acting, yoga, Pilates, photographers, videographers, massage, meditation, nutrition, acupuncture experts and more. Donations from the concert will be used to pay for initial startup costs and operational expenses. Viewers can watch from home anytime after 7 p.m. October 23. The organizers are asking for a “donate what you can” in return for watching, with a $20 minimum. Register here. Or join a socially distanced premiere party at Cap City Tavern at 7 p.m. October 23. Register here for Cap City.
NOVEMBER 20: Do you remember The Country Dinner Playhouse? More than 4.6 million theatregoers attended 200 plays and musicals at The Barn, as it was affectionately known in southwest Denver, from 1970-2007. When things were really cooking, the Playhouse drew 150,000 people every year while serving up country-style buffet to its loyal patrons. It has been 13 years since the Country Dinner Playhouse abruptly closed its doors. Among those put out of work were the beloved Barnstormers, an octet of singers who provided the theater’s pre-show entertainment as well as table service for the audience. There were more than 100 individuals who had been Barnstormers over the years, many of whom have gone on to major carers on the stage and screen. Stephen C. Turner, currently featured in Candlelight Dinner Playhouse’s scaled-down production of “Camelot” in Johnstown, has gathered a sizeable percentage of them for an upcoming online reunion concert with 100 percent of the proceeds going to The Denver Actors Fund. “This year, The Barn would have celebrated 50 years of business,” said Turner, a Barnstormer from 2004-7. “Now seems like a great time for a reunion concert. The Denver Actors Fund is a great organization that has helped many of our friends in the local theater community. We want to help them any way we can, without putting ourselves or our friends in any danger.” The concert will air from 7-8:30 p.m. on November 20. Tickets will go on sale soon for a minimum donation of $10 per viewer. Check back here for the link when it becomes available. Meantime, read more about the Country Dinner Playhouse here.
ONGOING: “Waiting for Obama,” the audio version of a play that was an official selection at the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival, has been released as a (free) fundraiser for The Denver Actors Fund. A Colorado Springs family is convinced that Barack Obama is coming for their guns in the final weeks of his presidency – and they’re right.) The play features Laurence Curry, Drew Horwitz, Chris Kendall, Leslie O’Carroll, Jenna Moll Reyes, Jessica Robblee, Luke Sorge and Mare Trevathan. It was recorded by the staff of Parker Arts at the PACE Center as an in-kind donation to The Denver Actors Fund. Listen for free on all major podcasting platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Podbean. Just by listening, you will be raising revenue for The DAF! ‘Waiting for Obama’ was recorded by the staff of Parker Arts at the PACE Center and edited by Ray Bailey TV as in-kind donations to The Denver Actors Fund. The actors also donatedtheir services.
ONGOING: “Quarantine Week by Weak” is a new photographic coffee-table book by Susannah McLeod and her wife, Chloe McLeod, who chronicled their home life during the COVID19 shutdown with a light-hearteded photo series documenting their lives during quarantine. They produced more than 35 sets of humorous photos comparing the beginning of quarantine to later in the “stay-at-home” period. Susannah pulled out her camera and we started to play,” said Chloe McLeod. As popularity for the series grew on Instagram and after a feature in Westword, the couple started exploring options to publish the series as a book to benefit The Denver Actors Fund. To order, visit http://mcleod9creative.com/shop/quarantine-week-by-weak-photo-book. This project is generously sponsored by: The Albritton Family; Natalie Bowen and Jim Corbett; Dave Dyer; Julie Dyer; and Denise Gentilini and Lynette Prisner. Additional support provided by Angie Flachman and Sandy Birkey at The Publishing House and Sandra Lee Stuart.
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