Local theater community mourns young Dallas couple killed in crash
Dallas car crash leaves two SMU graduates dead
Two graduates of SMU who were active in the North Texas theater scene were killed in a car crash last week near the Dallas Arboretum. FOX 4's Peyton Yager has more.
GARLAND, Texas - The local theater community is mourning the loss of a young couple killed in a car crash last week.
The crash happened on Oct. 6 at the intersection of Garland Road and Magellan Circle, near the Dallas Arboretum. 22-year-old Madison "Madi" Duren, and 23-year-old Julian Harris were killed. Both were active in the local theater scene.
Details of the Garland road crash
What we know:
The young couple started their careers together in Dallas, dedicating their lives to theater through acting, writing and performing.
Shockwaves were felt by friends, colleagues, classmates and mentors.
Wherever Harris went, Duren was never far behind. Wherever Madi went, Julian was sure to follow. The two shared a love that was unmistakable.
Duren graduated from SMU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater and Harris graduated from SMU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater with honors. The couple graduated a year apart and were both immersed in the North Texas theater community.
Hit-and-run investigation underway
The backstory:
On Oct. 6, the couple was killed in a crash near Garland Road and North Buckner Boulevard off White Rock Lake. Dallas police say they responded to a reported three-vehicle crash, but one vehicle had left the scene.
Harris was pronounced dead at the scene while driving the couple’s Prius. Duren later died at the hospital.
The second vehicle, a Hyundai Elantra, had a woman and two children, ages 1 and 3, in car seats. That family was injured and survived.
Investigators believe the young couple in the Prius pulled out onto Garland Road and were T-boned.
Dallas theater community on the loss
Local perspective:
Both Duren and Harris were described as widely talented and innovative in acting. They also studied clown work.
"They were like the Romeo and Juliet of our building," said Tina Parker of Kitchen Dog Theater. "They are 22 and 23 years old. They just graduated college."
They were inspirations to their peers and mentors.
"It’s not just what they were about to be. It’s what they already were. It’s also that they were already representing young people," said Mac Welch of Teatro Dallas. "There are long-term ripple effects in the arts community that aren’t just they would have had good performances. They would have been community shapers."
Under the spotlights just two days before the crash, Harris starred in a show at Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas called "The Absentee."
The crash forced co-artistic director Tina Parker to face the days after a final bow.
"Put one foot in front of each other. What else can you do? No day is promised," Parker said. "Because you just never know."
What's next:
Dallas police said they are still investigating. No arrests have been made.
Police have not provided an update on the third vehicle that left the scene or said whether speed was a factor.
The investigation is ongoing.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4's Peyton Yager.