Denver Center Theatre Company mourns death of Shana Dowdeswell

Shana Dowdeswell in the Denver Center Theatre Company's "Two Things You Don't Talk About at Dinner." Photo by Jennifer M Koskinen.
Shana Dowdeswell in  the Denver Center Theatre Company's "Two Things You Don't Talk About at Dinner." Photo by Jennifer M Koskinen.
Shana Dowdeswell appearing in the Denver Center Theatre Company’s “Two Things You Don’t Talk About at Dinner” in January 2012. Photo by Terry Shapiro.

By John Moore
Dec. 17, 2012

The Denver Center Theatre Company is mourning the death of Shana Dowdeswell, who appeared in “Two Things You Don’t Talk About at Dinner” in January at the Space Theatre.

Dowdeswell died of acute alcohol poisoning Dec. 12 after a night of binge drinking in New York City.

“It has taken me a few hours to even put any of this into words,” director Wendy C. Goldberg wrote on her Facebook page. “I think the simplest thing to say is, ‘Rest in Peace.’  We lost you way too soon.”

Added castmate Catherine E. Coulson: “This is an enormous loss for Shana’s family and for all those – including all of us – who love her. … May her memory be a blessing as we mourn the loss of a wonderfully gifted and generous young woman we were privileged to know.”

Dowdeswell played Rachelle in “Two Things You Don’t Talk About at Dinner.” She plays a waitress in the upcoming film, “The Big Wedding,” and last year appeared on an episode of ABC’s “Body of Proof.” Her off-Broadway credits included the plays “Distracted,” alongside “Two Things” castmate Mimi Lieber; and “Substitution,” by Anton Dudley.

“Two Things” and “Distracted” were both written by Lisa Loomer.

Dowdeswell registered a blood-alcohol content of 0.39 at the time she was found.

By John Moore

Award-winning arts journalist John Moore was named one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the United States by American Theatre Magazine during has 12 years at The Denver Post. Hen then created a groundbreaking new media outlet covering Colorado arts an culture as an in-house, multimedia journalist for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. He also founded The Denver Actors Fund, a nonprofit that has raised more than $600,000 for theatre artists in medical need. He is now a journalist for hire as the founder of Moore Media Colorado. You can find samples of his work at MooreJohn.Com. Contact him at culturewestjohn@gmail.com