Denver Actors Fund offers the only help we can when couple faces imaginable grief
Who we helped: McKayla Marso McDonough and husband Seamus McDonough are one of Colorado’s first families of theater. McKayla is a veteran performer with credits ranging from Broadway national tours, Norwegian Cruise Lines and The 5th Ave Theatre in Seattle; to numerous regional theaters across the Denver metro area including BDT Stage and the Arvada Center. She played Maria in the penultimate musical at BDT Stage. She graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in musical theater and is is currently the owner and director of The Dance Front in Louisville. Seamus is the Associate Artistic Director at Theatre SilCo in Silverthorne after having served as Artistic Director at BDT Stage, where he first got a job in the kitchen at age 14. They are the parents of 3-year-old Rogan,
Their medical story, in McKayla’s words: “The months between April 2024 and September 2025 were, by far, the most trying times of my life. For me and for my family. In that time, we were blessed with three very wanted pregnancies and ultimately defeated by three devastating miscarriages. Two of these losses were second trimester miscarriages that resulted in D and C procedures. Additionally, in July 2025, I was diagnosed with a coconut-sized dermoid cyst near my right ovary resulting in a cystectomy. The past 18 months have seen me through three surgical procedures and left my family with not only the emotional struggle of losing three babies, but the financial burden of medical bills.”
How we helped: The McDonoughs have incurred enormous expenses throughout their medical odyssey, but they mostly managed to keep up on their own before reaching out for Denver Actors Fund assistance. To date, they have only sought help paying off the last $3,000 of one Kaiser-Permanente bill that was originally for more than twice that amount. They remain eligible for further consideration of medical relief should additional bills trickle in … as they do.
THESE HAVE BEEN, BY FAR, THE MOST TRYING TIMES OF MY LIFE.’ – McKAYLA MARSO McDONOUGH
