Phamaly Theatre Company Shines the Spotlight on Performers with Disabilities

Phamaly Theatre Company produces professional scale plays and musicals year-round throughout the Denver Metro region, cast entirely of performers with disabilities across the spectrum (physical, cognitive, emotional, blindness, deafness…etc.). Phamaly was formed in 1989 when five students of the Boettcher School in Denver, Colorado, grew frustrated with the lack of theatrical opportunities for people living with disabilities, and decided to create a theatre company that would provide individuals with disabilities the opportunity to perform. Four of these five founding members remain active as actors in Phamaly productions today (Kevin Ahl, Kathleen Traylor, Gregg Vigil, and Teri Westerman).



For its first show in 1990, the founders of Phamaly produced the musical Guys & Dolls, directed by Gregg Vigil. With massive community support and interest from performers with disabilities, the following year Phamaly presented the musical Oklahoma!, bringing in Mark Dissette to direct. Mark remains heavily involved with Phamaly as an actor today, and has performed in almost every production by Phamaly. That year, Phamaly also began its tradition of performing in the Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, thanks to the support of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.



Phamaly actress Ashley Kelashian

Future Fashion Designers Address Apparel Barriers for Consumers with Physical Challenges

by Amy Saffell

Being a wheelchair user brings about many obvious challenges, but often these challenges are only obvious to chair users themselves and not the rest of society. One such challenge is that of clothing. Chair users want their clothes to be both functional and fashionable, but much of the clothing found in stores doesn’t have the desired look for someone living life sitting down, doesn’t give the wearer easy access to handle personal care needs, or includes features difficult for someone with limited hand function. While not often considered by clothing manufacturers, clothing that takes into consideration the needs of people with disabilities may soon be more widely available thanks to professors and students at the University of Missouri.

In 2011, School of Health professor Allison Kabel attended a meeting to address curriculum changes on campus. As a social scientist with a research background in the area of illness, disability, and culture, Kabel had built an interest in how disability and culture merges and had studied how people who had sustained spinal cord injuries rebuilt their lives, often making their own personal adaptations in the world around them because a product that could assist them didn’t exist.

Robyn's mobileFRIENDLY Recipe - Balsamic Tomato Tilapia

 

mobileWOMEN Contributor, Robyn Keller
 

Well, I don't know about the rest of you but I have enough of winter and everything that goes with it, including heavy food!

 

The following recipe is light and summer-like with grape tomatoes which are always easy to find any time of year. In fact, emerging science suggests that tomatoes, which contain the antioxidant, lycopene, are one of the best cancer fighting foods. Cooking actually boosts it's antioxidant power. Not to mention, a full cup of grape or cherry tomatoes contains only 27 calories providing 1.8 grams of fiber, 6 grams of complex carbohydrates and 1 gram of protein.

 

So, give this recipe a try and envision warmer days soon to come!