DAF helps local theater couple move past young daughter’s frightening hospital ordeal
Aid recipients: Luke Rahmsdorff-Terry is a longtime local actor, director and sound designer, most recently appearing in Vintage Theatre’s “The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong.” His wife, Susan Rahmsdorff-Terry, is a costume designer, most recently for “Ann” at the Cherry Creek Theatre. During the pandemic, Luke performed in the COVID-19 Theatrical Response Team’s Zoom presentation of “Who’s on First?” Before that, he played Ed Carmichael, the chime-playing son-in-law, in Lowry Spotlight’s farewell production of “You Can’t Take It With You.” Luke is from Evergreen and graduated from Conifer High School and Western State College of Gunnison. Susan, originally from Bend, Ore., frequently designs for Benchmark Theatre, including “You Will Get Sick” and “What You Will.” She also has worked at Vintage and Town Hall Arts Center, among others.
Their initial medical story: For more than 25 years, Luke has had a mild hearing loss that has gradually become more severe. His doctors recommended that he purchase Kirkland Signature Hearing Instruments to help not only with his day-to-day, but in all aspects of his theater work as well. The cost of the recommended aids was $1,643.18, which the Denver Actors Fund board unanimously voted to pay.
A message from Luke: “I honestly don’t know what to say except what seems so feeble but … thank you. Thank you to The Denver Actors Fund, thank you to the entire community and thank you to everyone else who needs to be thanked. Hearing loss is hereditary on both sides of my family, and I’ve neglected my hearing loss for far too long. As an actor, hearing loss is a frightening prospect, but it’s even more so as a sound designer. Knowing I’m going to be able to address it in the proper way instead of putting it off is a huge comfort and a weight off of my mind. It’s really inspiring to see how the community does come together when one of their own is in need. This is case in point for that. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart.”
More to the story: The couple’s young daughter was hospitalized in April with dehydration and high fever. A few days later they returned to the emergency room, and she was eventually diagnosed with pleural pneumonia. She was kept in the hospital for two weeks.
How we have helped: The Denver Actors Fund paid for the couple’s entire out-of-pocket expenses for their ordeal, which came to $6,565 in bills to Children’s Hospital, CU Medicine and individual doctors. That’s when we discovered the couple are also working down a large bill from an ear surgery the baby had last November, which was scheduled to run them $150 a month for the next few years. Because that is a qualifying DAF medical expense, we paid off that balance as well. Including previous DEAR and Kindness Fund stipends and other miscellaneous medical expenses, the Denver Actors Fund has now made $11,892 available to the Rahmsdorff-Terry family in COVID and medical relief.
A milestone: With this gift, the Denver Actors Fund has now made more than $1,000,000 available to Colorado artists in medical need.
‘THIS IS FAR BEYOND ANYTHING WE MIGHT HAVE IMAGINED’
A follow-up message from the family: “There are simply no words. We are out of medical debt for the first time in four years. We are overwhelmed with this incredibly generous action by the Denver Actors Fund. We have been trying to put into words just how much this means to us: The outpouring of love and support when she was in the hospital, the support we received while we got back into the swing of things at home, and now having this massive weight lifted from not having to worry about any medical debt hanging over our heads is far beyond anything we might have imagined. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We hope our story will encourage other people to apply for aid and also encourage others to donate.”
How you can help us help us replenish: If you would like to help us replenish by donating to the Denver Actors Fund, 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, 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 his or her story told.
HOW YOU CAN HELP US REPLENISH:
To DONATE the Denver Actors Fund, please CLICK HERE (with our humble thanks)
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 $1,000,000 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 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
VOLUNTEER:
Ever thought about taking a more active role in the Denver Actors Fund? Click here for more information
COME TO THE EVENTS THAT SUPPORT US:
MONDAY, AUGUST 1: Our friends at Firehouse Theatre Company have designated their Industry Night performance of “Pride and Prejudice” as a benefit for the Denver Actors Fund, with 100 percent of proceeds going to The Denver Actors Fund. Kate Hamill’s adaptation is a hoot of a show, definitely not your grandmother’s Jane Austen. Bold, surprising, boisterous and timely, this is “Pride and Prejudice” for a new era as it explores the absurdities and thrills of finding your perfect (or imperfect) match in life. Hamill was named playwright of the year by the Wall Street Journal in 2017 and is known for her female-centered new plays and adaptations. 7:30 p.m. at the John Hand Theater at 7653 E. 1st Place, Denver, CO 80230. Tickets are only $15 (normally $25) on this night only. Order yours or get more information at firehousetheatercompany.
This production is directed by Julie Kaye Wolf and features in its cast: Emily Ebertz as Lizzy; Emanuel Wright as Darcy; Kate Poling as Jane/Miss de Bourgh; Andrew Uhlenhopp as Mr. Bingley/Mary; Kelly Uhlenhopp as Mrs. Bennet; Jeff Jesmer as Mr. Bennet/Charlotte Lucas; Meghan Ralph as Lydia/Lady Catherine; and Jay Miller as Mr. Collins/Wickham/Miss Bingley.
“Pride and Prejudice” continues through Oct. 2, so go see it even if you can’t come on DAF Night.
Thank you to all involved, including cast, crew, creatives, staff, Producing Artistic Director Helen Hand. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to help the DAF help Colorado theater artists.
MONDAY, AUGUST 15: The Denver Actors Fund has surpassed $1 million in medical assistance made available to members of the Colorado theater community, and to celebrate, we are partnering with the Candlelight Dinner Playhouse to host a benefit concert headlined by Broadway star Beth Malone. The Colorado native and Tony Award-nominated actor received a 2015 Tony Award nomination for originating the role of Alison in the groundbreaking Broadway musical “Fun Home.” She recently appeared as the Angel in the off-Broadway revival of “Angels in America” and originated the role of Molly Brown in the recent reimagination of the classic Broadway musical “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” Malone is currently a series regular on Apple TV’s new series “City On Fire.” Malone is a cousin of Bryanna Scott, who was the resident stage manager at the Miners Alley Playhouse from 2010-20. Scott, at just age 29, was diagnosed with Stage 3C ovarian cancer in 2021 and, to date, the Denver Actors Fund has picked up all of her out-of-pocket medical expenses. Malone wanted to stage this concert as a way of acknowledging the work the Denver Actors Fund does for the entire community, and to help it replenish. She is calling her special concert “Thanks a Million.”
Thanks a Million!: An Evening with Broadway’s Beth Malone
- When: Monday, Aug. 15
- Who: Beth Malone, featuring David Dyer on piano and a guest appearance by Jalyn Courtenay Webb
- Where: Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Marketplace Drive, Johnstown
- Time: Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; seating begins at 6 p.m.; Show begins at 7:30 p.m.
- Tickets: $35-$50, with VIP seating for $75 (includes a meet-and-greet after the concert, and a photo opportunity with Beth Malone)
- Food: Dinner service is not being offered at this performance. Appetizers, desserts and drinks will be available for sale
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS TO ‘THANKS A MILLION’
THURSDAY, AUGUST 18: Please Join us for Miners Alley Playhouse’s Industry Night performance of “Hair,” the American tribal love rock musical. MAP is continuing its trendsetting commitment to dedicate ALL PROCEEDS from one designated performance of each run to go to The Denver Actors Fund. “Hair” celebrates the ’60s counterculture in all its barefoot, long-haired, bell-bottomed, beaded and fringed glory with songs like “Aquarius,” “Good Morning, Starshine,” “Hair,” “I Got Life,” and “Let the Sun Shine In.” Exploring ideas of identity, community, global responsibility, and peace, “Hair” remains relevant as ever as it examines what it means to be a young person in a changing world. Since 2014, MAP has generated more than $50,000 in donations to The Denver Actors Fund. If you plan to go see the play, please consider attending at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 18 All tickets are reduced to $15-$23 for this performance only. Miners Alley Playhouse is located at 1224 Washington Ave., in Golden. Call 303-935-3044 or choose your own seats at ovationtix.com (LOW TICKET ALERT: Only 32 tickets currently remain.)
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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