Busy Phillips is opening up about the "unbelievably special" experience of reuniting with her fellow Dawson's Creek stars in honor of James Van Der Beek. "It's taken me far too long to post about our Dawson's Creek Reunion show at the Richard Rogers Theater last week but the truth is, it was so unbelievably special that it's taken me this whole week to process the 2 days we spent rehearsing the reading and reconnecting with one another and spending time with Kimberly [Van Der Beek] and the kids," Phillips, 46, wrote in a post shared via Instagram on Sunday, September 28. She continued: "I'm so grateful to everyone who responded immediately to our texts saying yes! and BEYOND grateful to my dear Rene for helping to host the evening and to Lin [Manuel Miranda] - who was a great Dawson Leery in a pinch and to Norm Lewis- who made us all cry singing Music Of the Night- which we had hoped James would be able to sing. A huge thank you to Kevin Williamson and Greg Berlanti and Jason Moore and Jeffery Sellers and Tommy Kail and Suzanne Gomez and Betel Daniel and everyone who worked so hard to make this night happen." The actress, who portrayed Audrey Liddell on the hit series, went on to thank "everyone who works at the Richard Rogers" as well as the current cast of the hit Broadway show Hamilton "for graciously letting us invade your dressing rooms for the night. James Van Der Beek's Wife Shares BTS Pic From 'Dawson's Creek' Reunion "I'm so grateful to the fans that showed up and donated and bid to raise money to support F Cancer and James. And especially to James and Kimberly and their children - for continuing to show us all what real love and strength looks like in the face of this disease," she continued. "James was missed so much but his videos and the light of his family lifted us all up!! F cancer for REAL." The Monday, September 22, event was also attended by Phillips' former costars Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams, who reprised their roles as Joey Potter, Pacey Witter, and Jen Lindley, respectively. Van Der Beek, 48, who played Dawson Leery in the original series, was unable to attend due to an illness. The actor revealed in August 2023 that he had been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. The reunion was created to raise funds for cancer research and treatment in honor of the star. Dawson's Creek reunion Cindy Ord/Getty Images for F Cancer "This is the evening I'd been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January... So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment," the actor wrote via Instagram on September 21, just one day before the event. "Despite every effort... I won't get to be there. I won't get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most." The actor went on to reveal that Hamilton's Miranda would step in for him in his absence, though Van Der Beek did make a virtual appearance of sorts by way of a video message. "I can't believe I'm not there," the actor said via a video shared prior to the cast reuniting on stage. "I can't believe I don't get to hug my castmates, my beautiful cast, in person, and I just wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight - from the cast to the crew to everybody who donated their time and has been so generous. And especially every single last one of you. You're the best fans in the world. Thank you for coming." How 'Dawson's Creek' Reunion Addressed James Van Der Beek's Absence On Sunday, Phillips made sure to give a special shout-out to her costar Jackson after the pair shared a passionate kiss during their on-stage performance. "And finally- LOL to Josh's response to me when I said after our last rehearsal 'I mean we COULD really kiss' and he looked at me and said, 'I mean...I think we gotta give the people what they want,'" she wrote.