‘Thanks to The Denver Actors Fund, I will be able to hear my director, my fellow actors and the band’
Aid recipient: Kathleen Traylor of Littleton is one of the founding members of Phamaly Theatre Company, which she helped to create in 1989 when she and four other students from the Boettcher School in Denver grew frustrated with the lack of theatrical opportunities for people living with disabilities. Kathleen has been a regular performer with the now internationally acclaimed theatre company over the years, notably playing Penelope Pennywise in Urinetown and Golde in Fiddler on the Roof. After several years off due to with medical complications, Kathleen will returning to the stage this spring in Phamaly’s 30th anniversary gala concert, to be presented at three locations from May 24-June 6, and she has been cast in Phamaly’s upcoming summer production of a not-yet-publicly named Broadway musical. Kathleen went to Thomas Jefferson High School and is the mother of noted local actor Daniel Traylor.
Her medical story: Kathleen was born with multiple disabilities resulting from a condition known as Amniotic Band Syndrome. But the reason we are helping her out now is that she was recently diagnosed with severe hearing loss and nerve damage in both ears. But with the proper hearing aids, Kathleen can return to performing because Phamaly has a system by which technicians can feed the sound directly into her hearing aids. Kathleen has Medicaid insurance, but that does not cover hearing aids for adult patients.
How we have helped: The Denver Actors Fund board has unanimously voted to reimburse Kathleen Traylor for the full $1,380 cost of her new hearing aids.
A message from Kathleen: “Thanks to The Denver Actors Fund, I will be able to hear my director’s instructions, as well as my fellow actors on the stage and the band during performances! I don’t know how I could have purchased my hearing aids without the help of The Denver Actors Fund. This is a wonderful program Denver is fortunate to have!”
