Phamaly Theatre Company's Artistic Dector Regan Linton Discusses How They Are Surviving the Health Crisis

Phamaly Theatre in Denver, a company made for people with disabilities, is without a summer show for the first time in 30 years, have cancelled its run of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland" at the Denver Center's Space Theatre, The Know reports.

Artistic director Regan Linton chatted about what the company is doing to survive these times.

"It's a unique balance, in that we do have a lot of people who are immune-compromised, or who don't have health care that's adequate or are at risk because if they do get sick, it's going to be worse for them," Linton said. "So we've been really cautious but also realize the compounding nature of this moment, where already we have some folks who live isolated lives because of their disability identity. When you take away the one thing that is usually keeping them connected, or one of the few things, it's an even worse compounding experience."

Alice in Wonderland is now set to open in summer 2021.

The theatre will also hold an online fundraiser.

"We decided on a webathon," said Linton. "(It's) a tongue-in-cheek, sarcastic take on the Jerry Lewis Telethon."

The show will stream online on October 18.

Read more on The Know.

In 1989, PHAMALy (Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League) was founded by five students from the Boettcher School in Denver, all living with disabilities, who had grown frustrated with the lack of theatrical opportunities for people living with disabilities. In 1990 PHAMALy produced its first show - Guys and Dolls.

PHAMALy's founders were ahead of their time in building an inclusive organization that directly served disenfranchised individuals with disabilities from all racial, ethnic, gender, and class identities. Throughout its history, Phamaly has maintained its dedication to this principle of inclusion while creating innovative reinventions of established works.

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