GrandDawn: Spotlighting Dawn Behrens, the Parts She Played, and the Memories She Made

Town & Gown performer and supporter Dawn Cawthon Behrens passed away on Thursday, December 19, 2024. This post is dedicated to recounting memories of Dawn and expressing the affection held for her by a few of the many volunteers who knew her, admired her, and laughed with her.

Dawn's last performance at Town & Gown was as Anne Abernathy in Guys & Dolls.

Parts Played

Thanks to Renae Perry, we can start by looking at the shows in which Dawn had a part:

• Summer 2014: Legally Blonde: The Musical (ensemble)

• February 2015: Mama Won’t Fly (various roles)

• Summer 2015: Seussical the Musical (General Genghis Kahn Schmitz)

• Summer 2016: Into the Woods (Jack’s Mother)

• Summer 2018: The Addams Family Musical (Grandma)

• December 2018: It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (Trixie Devine)

• Summer 2019: The Drowsy Chaperone (The Superintendent)

• October 2019: Sweeney Todd (Stage Manager)

• December 2020: Winter Revue

• August 2021: Stage & Screen Musical Revue

• Summer 2022: Guys & Dolls (Anne Abernathy)

Memories Made

I met Dawn when I was lucky enough to share the stage with her in Into the Woods in 2016, my very first show returning to Town and Gown. She played Jack’s mother with a fire, but also a sweetness, that truly captured that character. I never knew her to not be joyful, or to give less than 100% both on and off stage. Dawn always went out of her way to support her other friends and actors whether she was in a particular production or not. She will be dearly missed and never forgotten.

Scott Martin

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My first show here at Town & Gown was Into the Woods in 2016. I was so nervous being in such an incredibly talented group of people, but Dawn really helped me feel at home. And in Addams Family in 2018, she happily became my and several other cast member’s “GrandDawn”. I never thought I would direct one day, and hearing her words after my debut was a gift I’ll never forget. I will miss her contagious laughter and heart-warming hugs after every show. As a newcomer, she welcomed me with open arms, and I will make sure spread that same light to others. I never knew I needed a “GrandDawn,” but God did. And I am so blessed to have known her.

Dominique Cannon

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The first time I worked with Dawn Behrens it was on Into The Woods. We had several young actors and she immediately became known as “GrandDawn.” She was a constant in our late night IHOP runs, and not only was she the consummate professional, she wanted to make sure everyone was taken care of. Many of those “kids” are now 30-year-olds who still lovingly remember her as GrandDawn.

When I was directing my first show, I needed to fill the grandmother role. I immediately thought of Dawn, and she gladly accepted. I knew she would perform exceptionally, and she did, but what she really did was support me during an exceptionally difficult time and help me protect my actors. That was the thing about Dawn: she was so professional and always stood up for what was right even if it made people mad, but was always loving and caring. The void left by her will be felt for years at Town and Gown.

Bunny Stanphill

Dawn as Jack's mother in Into the Woods

My first memory of Dawn Behrens comes from summer 2014 when she just “owned” the role of the judge presiding over the courtroom during the trial scenes in Legally Blonde: The Musical. She just blossomed into that part and played it to slightly campy perfection. It was a joy to watch.

I was also lucky to share the stage with Dawn in It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play in December 2018. That was a brilliantly directed show in which Dawn played a professional pianist named Miss Trixie Devine, who provided musical accompaniment during our “live radio broadcast” from the New York studios of radio station WBFR. Dawn was talented and terrific.

Kevin Gerfen

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Dawn was the sweetest, most supportive person! I adored her. I have a decent collection of show gifts I’ve received over the years. However, I have one that Dawn gave me from The Drowsy Chaperone in my kitchen that I look at pretty much every day and think of her. I loved seeing her at our shows. She recently saw me in The Wild Women of Winedale and was so sweet and supportive of me. I don’t go on stage often. We’d often talk about our cats. I had a calico named Lola and she had one named Gigi that we would tell stories about.

Knowing she won’t be in our audience or on our stage anymore is really heartbreaking.

Kim Harrison

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Dawn was a grandma to everyone in the best way possible. Always kind, always supportive, with such a quick wit. I got to know her better through being the music director, and later a cast member in Town and Gown’s 2022 production of Guys and Dolls. She was our perfect “Abernathy” figure, and I cried every time she sang her solo to Renae. I later had the opportunity to sing many services with her at St. Andrews Episcopal Church. I was always so enamored that she continued to sing so beautifully at church, after many battles with her health. I will always be grateful that music was what brought us together.

Jessie Dawn Chambers

In It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Dawn played Trixie Devine, playing piano for the Mistletones: Pamela Forney (Dawn's daughter in real life) on the left, Andrea Pauline in the middle, and Betsy Keough Flood on the right.

I have so many fond memories of Dawn. My favorite theatre memory was during Guys and Dolls. It was my dad’s first (and only) show at Town and Gown. He was a missionary at the mission run by Dawn’s character and mine. Dawn was extremely helpful when it came to making sure my dad knew when and where to come on stage. It was also lovely to watch her perform, “More I Cannot Give You.” She always treated me like a “bonus daughter,” and sharing that moment on stage with her was beautiful and poignant.

Renae Perry

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I first met Dawn when I was the stage manager for The Addam's Family musical and she played the Grandma. She was so silly and wonderful in that role. My favorite memory of Dawn was when she was in Guys and Dolls as Anne Abernathy. The cast and crew would become still and quiet to hear her sing "More I Cannot Wish You," and we could always hear at least one audience member give a big sniffle. I will miss the light, humor, and compassion she brought to Town and Gown.

Courtney Pilkington

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Dawn was one of those actors whose musical talents and spot-on comedic timing made her a joy to see onstage. I always looked forward to seeing her in a Town & Gown show. However, I think my favorite memory of her was when we portrayed twin sisters in a hilarious murder mystery fundraiser in 2015. We had so much fun riffing off of each other and leading the audience on through our improvised spats. Ever since that show, we always referred to ourselves as ‘sisters.’ I will miss her.

Cindy Sheets

Dawn as General Genghis Kahn Schmitz in Seussical the Musical

The first time that I met Dawn was in 2022 during Guys and Dolls. It was my first musical, and I think that somehow she could sense that I was nervous about the whole process having never done it before. From very early on in the rehearsal period she made it a point to encourage me every time that we crossed paths, and we immediately built a bond throughout the show that has stuck by me ever since. She had her moments backstage that could make the entire cast burst into laughter, and even though she was older than the rest of us, her youthful spirit was still very much intact, and it was just as obvious as ever that she had a tremendous love for live theatre and those with whom she performed.

After that show wrapped, Dawn and I would keep in contact as much as possible. Anytime I crossed paths with her my day was instantly a little brighter. She was always there with a smile and a hug, and even as her mobility became more limited she never seemed deterred. I will always remember a castmate seeing me tearing up after a performance that Dawn attended. She came to see me in the lobby and told me how proud she was of my work and everything that the cast had done. When my castmate asked me why I was getting emotional, all I could say was that giving Dawn a show that she enjoyed after all she’d done was the greatest reward I could hope for.

I’ll miss Dawn dearly, and I know I’m not the only one. But I will forever cherish who she was and how she helped me in my journey.

Kyle Alan Thederahn

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Dawn was always looking out for others. I remember vividly the day she and Pamela came over to our house for the first time, in November of 2018, to practice the Mistletones’ music for It’s A Wonderful Life… She knocked on the front door, and when I opened it, said with nary a greeting, “Oh honey, you should never leave your garage door open when you’re home alone!” I think about those words often, and I smile and chuckle to myself at the honest caring and sweetness they conveyed, with the teeniest hint of reproach - just enough to let you know that you mattered to her.

Betsy Keough Flood

Dawn as the Superintendent in The Drowsy Chaperone

I was in two shows with Dawn: It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play and Guys & Dolls. She also had a role in a piece I wrote for the annual short play festival, and she participated in a table-read/workshopping of a full-length play I had written. We also worked in neighboring buildings on campus. I'm pretty sure we never crossed paths without making each other giggle.

For instance, I was brought in to cover various characters for It's a Wonderful Life, which mimics a 1940s radio drama. The few men who had been cast were struggling a bit with finding different voices for the many, many characters in that show, and at one point, Kevin Gerfen approached me to thank me for my help.

KEVIN: Tim, I'd like to pay you a compliment.

DAWN (from the far side of the stage): WHAT???

TIM: Shut up, Dawn! This has never happened before!

It's that kind of good-natured, goofy teasing that I will remember best -- and will miss most -- about Dawn (who, by the way, never said anything to me about calling her GrandDawn).

Tim Prasil

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My most enduring memories of Dawn are her ever-present smile and her laugh. By far, most of my interactions with her were at Town & Gown. She loved being there and loved the T&G people. When she was there, she seemed to always have a smile on her face. And, when she was in that elevated state of mind, a big laugh never seemed to be far away. For a person of such small stature she had a monumental laugh. It seemed to fill the arena and all the outlying hallways and rooms of the Town & Gown building. She will be missed.

Keith Sheets

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You can learn more about Dawn's life here. If you'd like to add to these tales about Dawn and expressions of love for her, feel very free to do so in the comments.