Dudley Cocke was director of Roadside Theater from 1978 to 2018, and from 2012 to 2014 he simultaneously served as acting director of the Appalachian media center Appalshop, of which Roadside is one branch. Under his direction, Roadside performed its original plays in forty-nine states, with extended runs Off-Broadway in New York City, and represented the United States at international festivals across Europe. In addition to his primary responsibilities at Roadside, which included stage directing and playwriting, he co-founded two national multicultural arts coalitions and served on the boards of three private philanthropies. He received the 2002 Heinz Award for Arts and Humanities.
Dudley Cocke