The Fort Wayne Youtheatre's mission is to educate, engage, and entertain regional youth and families through theatre arts.
Call for Support: (260) 422-6900
Our Location: 2426 Lake Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805
Email Now: [email protected]
HARVEY COCKS
Born: April 3, 1925
Died: March 31, 2022
HARVEY COCKS may not literally have been, as the old theatre adage goes, “born in a trunk”…but close. Born in Glen Cove, Long Island, Harvey’s father was a vaudeville theatre manager who took his son to rehearsals and shows at the various theatres he managed throughout the country. Known as “the Boy on the Box” because “They put a box in the wings for me and I would sit and watch all the performers.” With such an upbringing, a life in the theatre seemed predestined.
Harvey first moved to Fort Wayne when his father became the first manager of the Emboyd Theatre (now known as the Embassy). He left when, at the age of 18, he booked a Broadway role on his first audition and was off to appear in the long-running comedy Life with Father. Harvey continued to work extensively in New York and regional theatre, appearing in such standards as Finian’s Rainbow and Pal Joey. His first directorial gig was attended by theatre legends Helen Hayes, Katherine Cornell and the Lunts. Harvey also spent 2 ½ years serving with the U.S. Army in Europe.
In 1971, he and his wife Jean returned to Fort Wayne to help his father run Quimby Village. In 1978, he became Executive/Artistic Director of the Fort Wayne Youtheatre and the rest is history.