Timoth Copney: Dancer, Actor and Bolton Street Synagogue Member

Timoth Copney has played many roles in his life — both on and off the stage.

The Baltimore City resident, 67, used to be a dancer and a stage and television actor. While he no longer acts, he’s still deeply involved in the world of theater as a director, chair of the board of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival and a writer for websites like BMoreArts and Broadway World.

And on top of all that, he still finds time to work as a connector for arts and culture as part of the Jewish Connection Network’s Community Connector Program and as a member of the board of trustees at his congregation, Bolton Street Synagogue. Currently, he lives with his husband.

But Copney says that his journey into the arts world began with his brother, whom he looked up to as a singer and piano player as they were growing up in a fairly integrated neighborhood in Dayton, Ohio.

“I wanted to be on stage because my older brother was, and I wanted to do everything like him,” Copney recalled. “He was a nightclub and cabaret singer.”

Copney moved to Atlanta when he was 15 because he was offered a scholarship to the Atlanta Ballet Company. This served as an entry point into musical theater and television acting, and at an opportune time for him.

“Lots of shows in the ‘70s had one Black guy in the chorus, and it was usually me,” he said. “It was great because it was during the time of ‘The Wiz’ and ‘Bubbling Brown Sugar’ and ‘Purlie Victorious,’ and Black shows were popping up all over the place. There was a lot of work.”

In one of his most notable roles, Copney was the lead dancer on “Julie,” a Canadian variety show hosted by actress Julie Amato. He lived in Canada during the show’s run. He described the show as being similar to “The Carol Burnett Show,” and he often had the opportunity to mingle with celebrity guests such as actress Georgia Engel and actor Jimmie “JJ” Walker.

Copney’s Jewish journey came much later in his life. He grew up living next door to a synagogue in Dayton and had many Jewish friends when he was young, but he did not have any interest in the religion until his brother married a Jewish woman and died shortly after having a daughter with her. Copney helped his sister-in-law raise her daughter, Kamilya, and the family would often celebrate the Jewish holidays together.

He became more interested in Judaism when he befriended his coworker’s husband, a retired rabbi.

“He used to come by the office in the early 2000s. I was really interested in converting, so I started reading Jewish history, and we would discuss it and he would answer my questions,” Copney said. “When I did decide that I wanted to convert, he got sick and passed away within three months. After that, Judaism fell by the wayside for me.”

This changed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. With the pandemic still being mysterious and threatening at the time, Copney felt that his future was uncertain and that he wanted to make a change.

“I took a couple of classes along the way, but I hadn’t really paid attention until the world started to change so drastically,” he said. “I actually finished my conversion journey a little earlier than most, because I raised a Jewish child and was already familiar with the culture and history.”

Since Copney retired from acting, he has taken on several leadership positions in the community, largely informed by his past acting experience and his identity as a Black and Jewish member of the LGBTQ community. He was involved with the development of the Queer Jewish Arts Festival at The Gordon Center, which had a successful debut in 2022 and has continued in the years since.

He has also reentered the world of education, graduating from one of Na’aleh: The Hub for Leadership Learning’s programs last year and about to graduate with a degree from Morgan State University.

“I’m very proud of the work I’ve done in both my classes and in finishing my conversion and becoming a full-fledged, reputable Jew,” Copney said. “I did the study, I did the work, I did the prayers for the life I lead. … I owe a lot to my husband, who is my biggest cheerleader. A lot of what I’ve done over the past 25 years, I did because I want to be the kind of person who deserves him.”