
In
this town, one cannot swing a cat without hitting
an actor that will go on
about how much they love
working with Alison Davies. Had they done comedy
with
her, they wouldn't be the least bit surprised to
find out how adept she was
at drama or vice-versa.
They might be slightly surprised to know she was a
championship swimmer. They might be genuinely
taken off-guard to hear
she participated in the
Cancer 3-Day Walk between Fort Worth and Dallas
3
years ago as a Cancer Survivor.
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They
certainly would be pleasantly stunned
to hear that she first beat her cancer
in 1975.
Having worked with nearly every major theater in the
region,
and many of the minor and fleeting companies,
one can pretty well assume someone
in the room
could confirm any anecdote there was to tell about
her outrageous
humor, wry smile and surgical sharp wit
or about her generosity, reliability
and friendship.
Rover alone boasts her involvement in four productions
Lady
Windermere's Fan, Love
From a Stranger,
Surviving
Grace, Musical
Comedy Murders of 1940,
and our One
Day Only 3!,
As much as they'd all clamor to add a fun
quip
to the fray, nobody would want this line:
Alison passed a few weeks ago
after months of battle with
recurring cancer of the stomach and intestines.
The cancer
came out of remission about two years ago, but was contained
by
surgery and radiation. Alison celebrated her second
recovery, got new head
shots and dusted off her resume.
But her luck was running out.
After
an extended trip "Down Under" Alison became ill again in
February. For months
she battled symptoms and faced chemo
with declining energy, until a final
surgery determined that the
cancer was too extensive to remove.
The
body of a competitive swimmer does not go
readily and fought her resignation
for several weeks.
Her family returned her to New Zealand.
Kiwis always
return to their territory. They are fiercely
loyal and dogged defenders of
their homes and
interests and are generally impossible to categorize.
So
are the birds.
For her numerous friends still here in
the States,
there will be a tree dedicated
September 7, 2008 at 4:00
p.m.
at the Dallas Arboretum
8525 Garland Road
Dallas, Texas 75218
The
organizers will need a head-count so let us forward your
name
and information via email contact_azz_at_roverdramawerks.com
As
Alison has performed the work of Ken Ludwig many
times, enjoying his writing
well enough to perform in his
Lend Me A Tenor twice! Rover Dramawerks
would like
to dedicate the run of his Shakespeare in Hollywood
to her memory including a Memory Book for her family
to which we
ask members of the theater community to
contribute.
Any good drama
knows that the secret of a good ending
is to let the audience laugh a good
bit before asking them
to cry. That should help explain the sudden quiet now.

Please
make plans to help Alison's family and friends
remember her either by attending
her tree dedication
September 7, or by contributing to her Memory Book.
If
you wish to contribute an anecdote but cannot make
it physically to the performances
of Rover Dramawerks'
Shakespeare in Hollywood September 11 - October 4,
please
feel free to send them
here
and we will get them
to her family.
J.
Rice - V.P. of Production, Rover Dramawerks
Alison's
family has asked that donations in her honor go to the Rover Dramawerks company.
We are very humbled by their thoughts of us, and truly appreciate how she always
graced our lives and our work. To make a contribution in Alison's honor, checks
may be mailed to
Rover Dramawerks, 1039 East 15th Street, Suite 202,
Plano, TX 75074.
Donations can also be via our Contribute
page (link top left of all pages). Please include a note that these donations
are in memory of Alison Davies so we may share your thoughtfulness with her family.
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