When you’ve gotta have heart (surgery), you’ve gotta have the Denver Actors Fund
About Jessica Swanson: Jessica is a Denver born-actress, director and choreographer. Most recently, she played Cassie in “A Chorus Line” with Phamaly Theatre Company and both directed and choreographed the regional premiere of “Anastasia” at The Arts Hub in Lafayette. She has worked in dozens of Denver performance spaces including Town Hall Art Center, the Colorado Railroad Museum, Denver Zoo, Candlelight Dinner Theatre, Denver Center and the PACE Center. She also teaches theater and manages Wands & Wishes, a local immersive character and princess party company.
Jessica’s medical story: Jessica underwent heart surgery on Christmas Eve Eve. In her words: “I’ve been struggling with frequent fainting and constant dizziness for about five years. This procedure was a new treatment called a cardiac neural ablation to treat fainting and a chronically low heart rate. My case and recovery journey is going to be included in a case study coming out in 2026 as evidence to make the treatment more broadly practiced. Since the surgery, I’ve only fainted twice in four months. Before the surgery, it was happening once or twice times a week.”
‘THE DENVER ACTORS FUND SUPPORTS ARTISTS IN WAYS YOU CANNOT FIND ANYWHERE ELSE.’
A message from Jessica: “There is nothing like the Denver Actors Fund. It supports artists in ways you cannot find anywhere else. It’s why I’ve never left this community.”
How you can help us help us help more Colorado theater artists: If you would like to make a donation to help The Denver Actors Fund 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, with our humble thanks.
Read testimonials from other Denver Actors Fund beneficiaries here, or click on a recent name below:
The Denver Actors Fund has now made $1,700,000 available to Colorado theatre artists.
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.
Read more Denver Actors Fund testimonials by clicking here
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 presents the memorial video at the Colorado Theatre Guild’s 2023 Henry Awards.
The Denver Actors Fund is a 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 $1.7 million to more than 625 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
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. 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.
DONATE YOUR CAR
The Denver Actors Fund is now registered to accept vehicle donations, thanks to a new partnership with Vehicles for Charity. You can turn your unwanted but usable vehicle into greatly appreciated funds for The Denver Actors Fund. The process is simple. The DAF will receive 80 percent of auction proceeds, and a receipt for the donation will be sent to you that can be used for tax purposes. Read all about it here.
SHOP AMERICAN DOG: We have an exciting new partnership to share! American Dog, a USA-made company that makes dog toys, dog beds and accessories, has put together a special promotional offer to support the PAWS Fund. When you use the code DAFPAWS at checkout, 10% of your purchase will be donated to the PAWS Fund. Visit americandog.com/ to learn more! Thank you so much to Tina Anderson and our friends at American Dog!
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, JUNE 16: Please join us for Miners Alley Playhouse’s Industry Night performance of “Ring of Fire,” a world premiere. On this night only, $47 tickets can be yours for only $28, with all proceeds going to The Denver Actors Fund! “Ring of Fire” is a high-energy jukebox musical that brings the legendary songs of Johnny Cash on stage, weaving his iconic hits into a story of love, resilience, and the American spirit. This journey of a man in search of his own soul is an almost mythic American tale, as Cash grows up in the heartland, then leaves to find misadventure, success, faith, redemption and the love of a good woman, before at long last returning home. A must-see for fans of timeless country music and the Man in Black’s enduring legacy. If you plan to see “Ring of Fire,” please consider joining us at 7:30 p.m. on MONDAY, JUNE 16. Booking for this special performance opens on June 2. Call 303-935-3044 or choose your own seats at minersalley.com. Miners Alley Playhouse is located at 1100 Miners Alley in Golden. Since 2014, MAP has generated more than $74,000 in donations to The Denver Actors Fund through evenings just like this one. Thank you to all involved, including Len Matheo, Lisa DeCaro, Warren Sherrill, Jonathan Scott-McKean, Amy Arpan, cast, crew, creatives and staff. We love you, Miners Alley Playhouse!. And if you can’t join us on DAF Night, please support the companies that support the DAF. This musical runs through June 29.
MONDAY, JUNE 16: (NOTE DATE CHANGE FROM JUNE 9!) Please join us for Vintage Theatre‘s Industry Night performance of “Torch Song,” with 50 percent of all proceeds donated to The Denver Actors Fund! “Torch Song,” by Harvey Fierstein, is Vintage Theatre’s 2025 “Director’s Choice” This regional premiere is the two-act revival of Fierstein’s award-winning “Torch Song Trilogy.” Here, all Arnold wants is a husband, a child and a pair of bunny slippers that fit. But a visit from his overbearing mother reminds him that he needs one thing more: Respect. Join us at 7:30 p.m. June 16 at 1468 Dayton St. in Aurora. All seats (normally $39) are just $20.75 for this night only. Order yours at vintagetheatre.org. Thank you, Director Tom Bruett, Artistic Director Bernie Cardell, Jennifer Schmitz, all the cast and crew, and all of you for coming!- Monday, June 23: “Follies In Concert”
FRIDAY, JULY 11: Our friends at Openstage Theatre & Company in Fort Collins have a unique, signature program to support The Denver Actors Fund called “Final Fridays.” On the, yes, final Friday of every mainstage production run, cast members gather in the lobby after the show to greet departing audience members and collect bucket donations for the DAF. Next up: OpenStage will be collecting after the Friday, July 11, outdoor performance of “Pride & Prejudice.” In this fast-paced Kate Hamill adaptation of the Jane Austen classic, the outspoken Lizzy Bennet is determined to never marry, but can she resist her enterprising mother, and society itself? This performance will take place in a park and under the stars, so you can walk in, bike in or drive in. With food trucks! Directed by Heather Ostberg Johnson. Tickets regularly up to $39 but are just $25 for industry, with a limited number of $15 tickets while they last for those using the code 15FOR15. Please see this show anytime before July 12, but if you want to support the DAF as well, why not join us on July 11 at The Park at Columbine Health Systems? Note the 7 p.m. start time. Tickets at https://openstage.com/show/pride-prejudice/#tickets
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2026: Save the date for the third annual “Applause for PAWS” cabaret at the Denver Improv.
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.
