Shane

Shane Wallis died in a motorcycle accident last Thursday night.

I just spent a half hour trying to figure out how to write that last sentence. While Shane only worked on two Rorschach shows, he made a deep impression on everyone who he came in contact with. He had an enthusiasm for life that was infectious. His smooth Southern drawl and his innate sense of himself made him compelling to be around both on and off stage.

Shane is pictured on the far right in our production of Behold! He and Hugh as the bellboy consipracy theorists had some of my favorite moments in that show. "Kelpew?" And this summer Shane was with us on the Georgetown Campus for Dream Sailors. I can still see him now strumming his guitar and singing Brown-Eyed Girl with the rest of us.

While I was never in a show with Shane, I know those of you who knew him better will feel his loss for a long time coming. This has been a year of loss in DC theatre, men and women older than Shane were snatched from us this year, Shane's loss is just the capstone to a year of what seems to be pointless loss. I ask everyone to keep Shane's family and children in their prayers this year and remember him in whatever way seems best to you. If you didn't know Shane say a prayer anyway, you would have liked him.

Shane's friends over at Theatre J have also remembered him on their blog.

There will be a memorial at some point very soon in DC for Shane but his family will be remembering him starting tonight in his home state of Mississippi. Details below:

Visitation of Shane will be from 5:00pm-8:00pm, on Monday, December 22 at Riverwood Family Funeral Home, 76 Hwy 51 S Brookhaven, MS 39191.

Service for Shane will be conducted at 11:00 am, on Tuesday at Riverwood Family Funeral Home. Graveside service will be conducted shortly there after at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, 2305 Pleasant Hill Dr SE Bogue Chito, MS 39629.