DAF is there to catch local director after he takes a bad fall
Financial-aid recipients: Patrick and Melissa Swift-Sawyer are longtime contributors to the Colorado theater community. Patrick’s roots go back 45 years, from performing in melodramas at the historic Imperial Hotel in Cripple Creek (where he grew up) to The Crystal Palace in Aspen, Boulder’s Dinner Theater, The Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins and the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse in Johnstown, where he spent six years as Food and Beverage Manager and two as Production Manager. Roles of note there include playing Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (opposite his wife as Golde) and Edna in Hairspray. Patrick is also a frequent director with the Longmont Theater Company, with recent credits including “Young Frankenstein” and “The Producers.”
Melissa performed for more than 250,000 patrons starring in Always…Patsy Cline at the Denver Center’s Galleria Theatre from 1995-99. She has since played many roles at the Candlelight and the Arvada Center. The Denver Post called her voice “magnificent” and her performance “transformative” as the racist mother of a pioneering DJ in Memphis. The Sawyers make their home in Westminster.
Their initial medical story: Back in 2016, Patrick underwent emergency triple bypass heart surgery. The Sawyers had only Medicaid at the time. The Denver Actors Fund made $4,500 available to the family to pay for their initial uncovered medical expenses to date and help with living expenses as Patrick recovered. Targeted donations form the community kicked in another $667.
The latest chapter: Patrick was preparing to direct “Something Rotten” for the Longmont Theater Company but had to withdraw after injuring his right quadriceps tendon on Christmas Eve 2021. Patrick was coming down the stairs at home when he caught his toe on the stair behind him, tearing his tendon. Surgery followed on Jan. 6.
How we have helped: The Denver Actors Fund has paid the family’s two out-of-pocket bills from their ordeal, totaling $2,752.52. That brings the total overall support for the Sawyers from the DAF to $7,919.52.
How you can help us replenish: If you would like to help us replenish, simply mail checks in any amount made out to Denver Actors Fund to P.O. Box 11182, Denver, CO 80211. Or use this donation link. Your donation will be applied to the replenishment of the DAF’s general fund.
‘IT IS SO COMFORTING TO KNOW THERE IS AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO GO THE EXTRA MILE TO HELP THOSE OF THEIR OWN KIND IN TOUGH TIMES.’
A message from Patrick and Melissa Sawyer: “We can’t thank The Denver Actors Fund enough for all you’ve done for us over the years. It is so comforting to know there is an entire community of people who go the extra mile to help those of their own kind in tough times. We look forward to supporting the DAF in any way we can going forward to help this amazing organization help others in need.”
(Note: At the Denver Actors Fund, anonymity of aid recipients is presumed and fully protected, unless and until the recipient chooses to have his or her story told.)
ABOUT THE DENVER ACTORS FUND:
Video above: The Denver Actors Fund receives the Colorado Theatre Guild’s 2016 Community Impact Award.
The Denver Actors Fund is a modest source of immediate, situational relief when members of the local theater community find themselves in medical need. To date the Fund has allocated more than $950,000 to artists facing medical need. In addition to financial relief, a team of more than 100 Denver Actors Fund volunteers offers good neighborly assistance 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 YOU CAN HELP:
To DONATE the Denver Actors Fund:
Please CLICK HERE (with our humble thanks)
HOW TO APPLY FOR AID:
To apply for Denver Actors Fund aid: Fill out this brief online form here
MORE WAYS TO HELP:
DONATE BY MAIL:
Send checks made out to the Denver Actors Fund to:
P.O. Box 11182
Denver, CO 80211
COME TO THE EVENTS THAT SUPPORT US:
MONDAY, APRIL 25: Our friends at the Firehouse Theater Company have designated their upcoming Industry Night performance of Pearl Cleage’s “Flyin’ West,” presented in partnership with 5280 Artist Coop, as a benefit for The Denver Actors Fund. The play, directed by the intentionally lower-cased donnie l. betts, follows former slaves who took advantage of the Homestead Act and went west to build new lives for their families. The New York Times calls it “a potent, gripping play and a plea for all women with vibrant lives to tell their oral stories.” Thanks to cast, crew, volunteers and producer Helen Hand, a longtime DAF donor. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the John Hand Theater, 7653 E. 1st Place, on the campus of the Colorado Free University. Tickets 303-523-3232 OR firehousetheatercompany.com
CAST
- Kenya Fashaw as Fannie
- Adrienne Martin-Fullwood as Sophie
- Latifah Johnson as Miss Leah
- Don Randle as Wil
- Hunter Yasmine as Minnie
- Abid Hassan as Frank
SUNDAY, MAY 8: Our friends at the Arvada Center have designated the 2 p.m. matinee performance of “Stick Fly” as a benefit for The Denver Actors Fund. Fifty percent of all ticket proceeds will be donated to The DAF. This fundraiser was the brainchild of cast member Abner Genece, who received DAF assistance after he and his son were nearly killed in a violent car collision. “Stick Fly,” written by by Lydia R. Diamond and directed by Jada Suzanne Dixon, is described this way: “What should be a relaxing summer weekend on Martha’s Vineyard goes south when the LeVay brothers bring new girlfriends home to meet their wealthy and imposing parents. But Mom’s not there, and Dad’s acting weird. Lydia Diamond’s refreshing and bold story grapples with race, class, jealousy and cultural expectations.” Tickets at 720-898-7200 or go to arvadacenter.org
Read Abner’s harrowing story here
CAST
- Lavour Addison as Kent “Spoon” LeVay
- Ryan George as Flip LeVay
- Abner Genece as Joe LeVay
- Constance Swain as Taylor
- Kristina Fountaine as Cheryl
- Noelia Antweiler as Kimber
CREATIVE TEAM
- Jada Suzanne Dixon: Director
- Christine Moore: Stage Manager
- Brian Mallgrave: Scenic Design
- Shannon McKinney: Lighting Design
- Meghan Anderson Doyle: Costume Design
- CeCe Smith: Sound Design
- Constance Swain: Fight Director
- Lynne Collins: Artistic Director of Plays
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 mcleod9creative.com. 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.
ONGOING: “Waiting for Obama,” the audio version of DAF Founder John Moore’s play that was an official selection at the 2016 New York International Fringe Festival, has been released as way of raising funds 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. Featuring 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! Or, WATCH the recording as a pay-per-view video for $9.95 on Broadway on Demand. ‘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 donated their services.
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