Meet the Denver Actors Fund’s 600th individual aid recipient: Miranda Guettlein and her dog, Charlie!
Who we helped: Miranda Guettlein, dialect coach for StageDoor Theatre’s current production of “Sweeney Todd” in Conifer, is a Knight-Thompson Speechwork (KTS)-certified voice, speech and accents teacher. Miranda is a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) and the editor-in-chief of its academic journal, “The Voice and Speech Review.” She has a master’s degree in linguistics from CU Boulder, a bachelor’s degree in inguistics from Regis University, and taught voice and speech at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Previous coaching credits include “A Murder on the Orient Express,” “The Pirates of Penzance,” “Titanic,” “The Scarlet Pimpernel” and “Noises Off.” She was born in Arvada, graduated from Ralston Valley High and now lives in Fort Collins. Her companies as an actor and dialect coach have spanned The Candlelight, Town Hall Arts Center, Evergreen Players, OpenStage, Firehouse Theatre Company and more.
Bonus bio! Miranda’s dog, Charlie, is a 9-year-old Australian Cattle Dog. She was rescued from the Humane Society of Boulder Valley in 2016 when her mom “just went to pet some dogs” during her last week of college. Since then, Charlie has completed puppy school, gone on lots of adventures, and worked to overcome her anxiety and rough puppyhood. She most enjoys spending time with her mom and her Christopher, and taking care of her “rat baby.”
Charlie’s medical story: Charlie had to have emergency dental surgery to remove 12 teeth – and for a dog, dental health is the window to overall health. Doctors found that the roots of many of Charlie’s teeth were eroding. The procedure came to nearly $1,500, wiping out Miranda’s savings
How we helped: The Denver Actors Fund Board unanimously approved a $500 grant – the most allowed in any 12-month period to a PAWS Fund recipient.
‘NOTHING CAN DEMONSTRATE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DENVER ACTORS FUND’S CARE FOR THIS COMMUNITY BETTER THAN ITS CREATION OF THE PAWS FUND.’ – MIRANDA GUETTLEIN
A message from Miranda: “I don’t think that anything could demonstrate the magnitude of care that the Denver Actors Fund has for its community better than the creation of the PAWS Fund. They made it so accessible to ask for and receive support, even if you’re the kind of person who hates asking for help. Charlie means the world to me, and it’s such a massive relief to know that she is now healthy and pain-free, and that I didn’t have to bear the burden of the massive unexpected cost on my own. Thank you, donors and DAF, from both of us! Support local theater, the artists who create it, and the pets who keep them sane by donating to the DAF, and by seeing productions that give a portion of their funds to keep the mission going!”
LOW FUNDING ALERT: DONATE TODAY TO KEEP THE PAWS FUND GOING!
What is up with the PAWS Fund?: The PAWS Fund is a 1-year-old separate fund administered by the Denver Actors Fund to help qualified Colorado theater artists (both on- and off-stage) with sudden veterinary medical expenses. It launched in May 2023 with $35,000 in seed money that, with your kind donations, has grown into a 67,000 fund. Problem is, about $64,300 of that already has been distributed to qualified applicants. The leaves the the PAWS Fund with a present remaining balance of just $2,752. If designated donations to the PAWS Fund continue to come in, the PAWS Fund will continue. If not, it will expire whenever the balance is gone. If you would like to help us keep it going, simply mail checks in any amount made out to Denver Actors Fund, P.O. Box 11182, Denver, CO 80212. Please write “PAWS Fund” in the memo field. Or use this donation link, with our humble thanks. When you donate online, be sure to use the pull-down menu that gives you the option to specifically designate your donation to the PAWS Fund by choosing “Domestic Animal Medical.” Otherwise, as always, your donation will go to the General Fund and will be reserved for our primary mission, which is paying qualified applicants’ own (human!) medical bills.
