DENVER — “It really does feel like a family, the name fits very well,” says Apollo Blue, an actor and writer with the Phamaly Theater Company based in Denver. “They’re always welcoming, kind.”
The Phamaly theater company was founded in 1989, originally named for “Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League,” and now just goes by Phamaly Theater Company. The organization puts on theatrical productions featuring artists with disabilities of all kinds. They write, act, direct, and more.
“Phamaly theater company is a creative home where artists with disabilities get to feel the fullness of their humanity, and not be marginalized or judged” says Sheila Ivy Traister, a director and actor with the company.
Sheila’s disabilities came later in life, following multiple car accidents and a horrible fall, leading to a traumatic brain injury, visual challenges, and seizures. “I was a fan of the program, and then when I went through my personal challenges [I thought] this might be a wonderful playground for me, with people who would understand what I was going through.”
Apollo Blue has been with Phamaly for three years now. He’s an amputee, a three-time cancer survivor, and has also been diagnosed with ADHD. “I plan to work with the theater company as long as I’m in Colorado, as long as they’ll have me,” he says. Apollo’s love of theater dates back to childhood, when his dad was a high school drama teacher.
