Scot Copeland of Nashville Children's Theatre dies at 62
Friends, colleagues and theater lovers gathered at Nashville Children's Theatre Thursday evening to see a preview performance of "Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott" — which is exactly what Scot Copeland would have wanted.
NCT's producing artistic director, a respected leader in the world of theater for young audiences, died suddenly late Wednesday at the age of 62.
The theater released a brief statement on Thursday: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved Artistic Director, Scot Copeland. He passed away last night, February 24th. His passing is a great loss to NCT, the Nashville Theatre community, and the Theatre for Young Audiences community as a whole.”
Condolences poured in throughout the day on Facebook. A more formal statement is expected Friday.
Copeland recently celebrated his 30th anniversary at NCT, having accepted the position of artistic director in 1985. During that tenure, he produced nearly 180 plays, directed more than 120 and wrote 11 of his own.
But his greatest ambitions were not for himself, but rather for the company he so loved. Under his leadership, NCT earned a sterling reputation for its ambitious programming and professionalism. In 2004, NCT was ranked by Time magazine as one of the top five children’s theaters in the country. And in 2015, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Nashville Children’s Theatre presented the world premiere of “Jack’s Tale: A Mythic Mountain Musical Adventure,” which Copeland wrote in collaboration with composer Paul Carrol Binkley.
“It’s just a massive loss,” said Jamie Farmer, who has performed in many shows at NCT over the years, including recent productions of “Cinderella” and “Charlotte’s Web.” “I feel like Scot will always be my artistic champion. He understood me as an artist, more than any director I’ve ever known. I always felt so safe and loved at NCT. And in ‘Charlotte,’ he gave me the most glorious opportunity of my artistic life.”
Amanda Card grew up attending shows at NCT and credits Copeland with inspiring her to become an actor.
"Scot had that magical ability to find those beautiful moments in a show that might not even be on the page," said Card, whose favorite NCT roles include Fern from "Charlotte's Web" and Piggie in “Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play!” "And anyone who ever worked at NCT knew that Scot was 100 percent in their corner — he trusted the actors, believed in us and took risks on us. For anyone who ever worked there, NCT is home. And I think we all feel a bit like orphans right now."
Offstage, Copeland was known for his tremendous warmth and humor. In an interview with The Tennessean in December, Copeland’s longtime colleague and friend, NCT company stage manager Daniel Brewer, said: “We couldn’t do this day in and day out without a sense of humor, and Scot can be as goofy as anyone. But he’s also one of the very best in the business. He has an eye for talent, he knows where all the interesting work is being developed, and he’s got the artistic spark to bring it all together.”
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In that same interview, Copeland found himself looking to the future.
“It’s a remarkable time in this town, and we’re pretty proud to be part of this artistic community. Who knows what the next 20 years will bring? Like any other arts institution, NCT will adapt and move forward, continuing to achieve outstanding work.”
Copeland is survived by his wife, René D. Copeland, producing artistic director of Nashville Repertory Theatre, and two sons. Funeral arrangements are pending.