Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson Reunite with Dawson’s Creek Cast to Honor James Van Der Beek

The Dawson’s Creek reunion was full of laughs and some tears as the cast came together like never before.

Michelle Williams, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Mary Beth Peil, John Wesley Shipp, Mary-Margaret Humes, Nina Repeta, Kerr Smith, Meredith Monroe, and Busy Philipps all appeared in the one-night-only charity event on Sept. 22, in partnership with F Cancer.

The night held a bittersweet tone with the notable absence of Van Der Beek, who was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer last year. The reunion at Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City featured a live reading of the show’s unforgettable pilot episode to raise awareness for F Cancer and show support for Van Der Beek.

As each character took the stage, they were met with rounds of applause. Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped in as Dawson. Holmes’ take on her grand entrance as Joey Potter got big laughs, with the actress immediately crossing her arms, slouching her shoulders and making a crooked face.

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Fans also loved seeing how favorites from later seasons were incorporated into the pilot re-read. Smith read for a few different roles — Joey’s sister’s boyfriend, Bodie, as well as Dawson’s film teacher, Tamara Jacobs’ boyfriend and newscaster Bob.

Monroe read as Nellie, while Busy played the infamous Tamara Jacobs, Pacey’s teacher. Fans in particular roared at the interactions between the two, which included two kisses throughout the night.

The popular WB teen drama aired its season finale on May 13, 2003, concluding the journeys of a core group of friends as they experienced the ups and downs of friendship and romance in high school and college. Dawson’s Creek was also known for covering heavy issues like mental health, death and homophobia among typical teenage fare like prom dates, new friends and first love.

While Van Der Beek, 48, was unable to attend the charity event held at the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York City in person, he appeared via a pre-recorded video that was projected onstage. In the video, the actor thanked fans for purchasing tickets to the event and introduced Miranda as his understudy.

“I have been looking forward to this night for months and months ever since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together,” Van Der Beek began. “I can’t believe I’m not there. I can’t believe I don’t get to see my cast mates, my beautiful cast, in person.”

He continued, “And I just want to stand on that stage and thank every single person in the theater for being here tonight. From the cast to the crew to everybody who’s doing anything and has been so generous, and especially every single last one of you — you are the best fans in the world.”

“Thank you for coming. It’s just absolutely humbling just how much you did for this night, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you to every single person here,” he said.

The actor’s family felt the love, with wife Kimberly and their six kids attending on James’ behalf. They were introduced to a standing ovation and later joined the cast on stage in a singalong of the show’s theme song, “I Don’t Want to Wait” by Paula Cole.

Kimberly later thanked the cast and the fans for delivering a night that “was so special to the whole family.”

“More importantly, just feeling my husband fill the entire theater and the love for him… we’ll be unwinding this one for a while. But thank you for the love and the support and for the prayers because this right here, friends, centers my husband on my heart. It was a beautiful night and I missed my husband. I can’t wait to get back to see him tomorrow.”