DeMarius R. Copes

DeMarius R. Copes is an American stage and film actor from Fairfield, Alabama, in the Birmingham area. He began dancing at fifteen and appeared in theatrical productions at the Virginia Samford Theatre, Red Mountain Theatre, and Shades Valley High School before attending Rider University.

Copes earned his Actors' Equity membership through the 2014–2015 first national tour of Newsies the Musical. He subsequently performed in The Prom in 2016, prior to that production's Broadway run, and appeared in the Washington, D.C. premiere of Mean Girls in 2017 under the direction of Casey Nicholaw. When Mean Girls opened on Broadway in April 2018, Copes made his Broadway debut with the production, remaining with the company until June 2019.

In August 2019, Copes joined the touring company of Hamilton. That same year he participated in a concert celebrating the Write Out Loud contest winners. He went on to play Oliver in the 2021 film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen, extending his work into screen performance.

Copes appeared in the original Broadway cast of Some Like It Hot in 2022, a production also directed by Nicholaw. He received positive reviews for his performance as Jerry/Daphne when he filled in for J. Harrison Ghee, and remained with the company through fall 2023. In 2024, he was cast in New York City Center's production of Once Upon a Mattress, performing in the ensemble and later taking on the role of the Jester.