Schools

Roast Set for 'Cockpit in Court' Theater Founder

F. Scott Black, who founded Cockpit in Court in 1972, will be honored Saturday, May 19 at CCBC Essex.

F. Scott Black never intended to enter a career in theater.

The longtime academic dean of CCBC’s School of Liberal Arts planned on being a lawyer after graduated from the College of William & Mary with a political science degree. The Vietnam War changed all of that as Black was drafted and joined the Marines.

Black said that experience changed him and the course his life would eventually take.

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“The Marine Corps taught me a lot of things: That you owe a lot to your family, you owe a lot to what you should do, but you also owe something to yourself," he said. "I decided to try to do what I wanted, which was to go into the theater."

Many in the CCBC Essex community are glad that Black did. He arrived at what was then-Essex Community College in 1972 to help launch the theater department and has been on campus ever since. A big part of Black’s legacy is his work on founding the Cockpit in Court summer theater series.

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Cockpit in Court, which Black served as managing artistic director from 1972 to 1998, attracts many of the top community theater actors in the region along with many who just enjoy being on stage.

This season’s series includes productions of “The King and I” (June 15-July 1), “Steel Magnolias” (June 22-July 1), “Doctor Doolittle” (July 13-22), “Sunset Boulevard” (July 20-Aug. 5) and “Laura” (July 27-Aug. 5).

To help commemorate the 40th anniversary of Cockpit in Court, CCBC Essex is hosting a fundraiser/roast of Black, set for 6 p.m. Saturday, May 19 at the campus’ B Building. 

“This tribute for Scott provides the perfect lead-in to our blockbuster 40th anniversary…” said James C. Hunnicutt Jr., the artistic director of Cockpit, in a statement. “And no one is more supportive of Cockpit than F. Scott Black.”

Black said he has enjoyed teaching so many people through the years, which also included a 20-year run owning and operating the F. Scott Black Dinner Theatre in Towson from 1981 to 2001.

Many of those former actors have gone on to professional careers in the arts, while others just enjoy being involved with Cockpit in Court. He said he also enjoys seing the children of many of his original students now getting involved in theater.

“Theater can be so many things to so many people,” Black said. “It can teach people about confidence, public speaking and expression. To others, it serves as a release and something they can enjoy following a stressful week.”

Black said he is looking forward to the roast and joked he is ready for any stories that may come from it.

“I’ve met a lot of people through the decades at CCBC Essex and I’m sure there are plenty of stories to tell,” Black said. “I’m just going to have fun and enjoy the experience.”

Tickets for the roast are $40 each for a silent auction, buffet dinner and the roast. Contact the Box Office at 443-840-2787 (ARTS) to purchase.


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