Phamaly’s Founders

A Rich History

In 1989, PHAMALy (Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League) was founded by five students from the Boettcher School in Denver, Kevin Ahl, Richard Britton, Kathleen Traylor, Gregg Vigil, and Teri Westerman Wagner. Living with disabilities, they had grown frustrated with the lack of theatrical opportunities for disabled artists. 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.

Today, the organization has changed its name to Phamaly Theatre Company (PTC), but its dedication to exclusively featuring actors with disabilities continues. At every performance, you will see actors with all nature of disabilities: physical, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, and trauma-related. PTC gives actors a supportive space to explore and develop their craft, empowers artists within their disability identity, educates the community about access and inclusion, and entertains audiences with high-quality, award winning theatre.

In 2022, Phamaly's Founders were recognized at the Colorado Theatre Guild's Henry Awards with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

A woman and three men in wheelchairs smiling.
lifetime
A white woman with white, long hair. She is smiling with her arms crossed. She is wearing a blue blouse in front of a red background.

Kevin Ahl

Founder

A white woman with white, long hair. She is smiling with her arms crossed. She is wearing a blue blouse in front of a red background.

Kathleen Traylor

Founder

A white woman with white, long hair. She is smiling with her arms crossed. She is wearing a blue blouse in front of a red background.

Teri Westerman Wagner

Founder

A white woman with white, long hair. She is smiling with her arms crossed. She is wearing a blue blouse in front of a red background.
DSC_7989f

Richard Britton

Founder

DSC_7989f

Gregg Vigil

Founder

photo from a performance of Honk
Three people sitting, one in a wheelchair, one with cowboy hat, one with a cane (Oklahoma from 1990s)
Woman in wheelchair cuddling with man on bench.
Woman in wheelchair and blue dress from the 20s, man standing behind in checkered suit and mustache.
Older man in wheelchair speaking to younger man with blue mask around his neck. (Romeo and Juliet Workshop)
Man in wheelchair and suit on a stage painted with construction signs.
Older man in wheelchair speaking to younger man with blue mask around his neck. (Romeo and Juliet Workshop)
Gregg Vigil performing. He is in a motorized chair and a suit.
A production photo of Spring Awakening. Actor Kathleen is speaking and looking out at the audience. Behind her is a German dress on a hanger. Kathleen is wearing formal late 1800s inspired clothes.
Black and white photo of two men, one in a wheelchair both with their arms crossed over their chest