Beverley Cooper

Beverley’s writing for theatre includes Thin Ice (co-written with Banuta Rubess – Dora/Chalmers Awards), Clue in the Fast Lane (co-written with Ann-Marie MacDonald), The Eyes of Heaven and The Woman in White (adapted from the novel by Wilkie Collins).  Her play Innocence Lost: A Play about Steven Truscott was a sold out hit at the Blyth Festival in both 2008 and 2009 and was a finalist for the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award. Innocence Lost was on the Globe and Mail bestseller list, a first for a Canadian playwright. Innocence Lost has had highly acclaimed productions at the National Arts Centre, the Centaur Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre. Other plays include; The Lonely Diner: Al Capone in Euphemia Township (Blyth Festival, Vertigo Theatre); Janet Wilson Meets the Queen (nominated for a Prix Rideaux award, GCTC); and If Truth Be Told (Blyth Festival). In 2024 Beverley had two new plays premiere back to back: The Trials of Maggie Pollock (Blyth) and Jim Watts Girl Reporter (4th Line Theatre). Beverley’s plays are published by Scirocco Drama. Beverley's writing is represented by Colin Rivers at Marquis Literary: colin@mqent.ca

Beverley currently directs audio books for Penguin Random House. She has directed over thirty titles, including books by Margaret Atwood, Miriam Toews, Tanya Tagaq, David A. Robertson, Marina Endicott and many others.

She has written extensively for CBC radio drama; both original dramas and adaptations. Her adaptation of Rohinton Mistry’s epic novel A Fine Balance and her original drama It Came from Beyond!  both earned her nominations for a Writer’s Guild of Canada Award. Beverley worked as the story editor on the award winning radio series Afghanada, as well as producing the second season and directing five episodes.

Beverley has dramatized the following books for radio: Alias Grace, Away, The Secret World of Og (Silver Medal Award Winner, New York Festival - International Radio Awards) and The Englishman’s Boy. Other original dramas includes the hugely popular series The Super Adventures of Mary Marvelous.

Megan Follows has recorded an audiobook presentation of the Lucy Maud Montgomery classic, Emily of New Moon. This new adaptation, by Dave Carley and Beverley Cooper, is available, in a Voices in the Wind Audio Theatre Production from Blackstone/Audible. Here’s a link to a CBC interview with Megan about the project.

Beverley trained as an actor at Studio 58 in Vancouver. She has performed in theatres across Canada including the premieres and tours of Nothing Sacred by George F. Walker and Goodnight Desdemona, Good-Morning Juliet by Ann-Marie MacDonald. She has worked frequently with Video Cabaret, including The Cold War and City for Sale. Beverley has also acted in TV, radio and film including the feature film Zombie Dearest and the TV movie Crossing the Line. While not actively pursuing acting work, she is still occasionally asked to bring her skills to tread the boards, which she happily does.

Beverley has taught playwriting at the National Theatre School, Toronto Metropolitan University’s Chang School of Continuing Studies (Act II) and is currently on the faculty of the Humber School for Writers. Beverley has taught numerous workshops in both playwriting and writing for audio drama and has presented her work at Women Playwrights International conferences in Mumbai, Stockholm, Cape Town and Santiago. Beverley also works regularly as a dramaturge and was a dramaturge for the Ergo Arts Pink Fest from 2018-2021. She has given presentations in research-inspired theatre, often does readings of her work and has presented key-note speeches.

Coming up! Two play premieres.

I am thrilled to have two plays being produced this summer, back-to-back. Jim Watts: Girl Reporter opens at 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, Ont, August 1, 2024 and runs until August 24th. The Trials of Maggie Pollock opens at The Blyth Festival on August 2nd, running in rep until August 29th.

The Trials of Maggie Pollock is based on the true story of Maggie Pollock, a hardworking farm woman, who, in 1919, is tried for “witchcraft”. Once she is charged, the enforcers of the judicial system must face their own complicated relationship to life after death and the “crafty sciences”. Through the process, Maggie is both helped – and hindered – by her spirit guides. Do we have a presence after death? Is she really a witch? Or is this just another swipe at a woman with unusual powers? Come to be entertained, enlightened and just a little bit frightened.

Kelly Nestruck in the Globe and Mail recently named The Trials of Maggie Pollock as one of the most anticipated new plays of the year. It's directed by Siminovitch finalist Ann-Marie Kerr.

Here’s the link for more info.

AND ALSO!

Jim Watts: Girl Reporter will be performed in a beautiful outdoor theatre. The play starts in 1930s Toronto. Jim (Jean) Watts is a fiery, non-conventional, self-identified bisexual young woman, deeply involved in leftist politics, angered by deep income and class disparities endured by millions of people during the Depression. When Civil War breaks out in Spain, Jim is adamant that she should join the side of the democratically elected Socialist government. But can one person make a difference?

The play is a fascinating exploration of the experience of trailblazing Canadians who illegally flocked to Spain to fight fascism, attempting to stop its march across Europe. Jim Watts was the only woman to join Canada’s regiment in Spain, the MacKenzie-Papineaus. The play takes us from Toronto to Madrid, from political rallies to the battlefields of Spain. Directed by 4th Line Artistic Director Kim Blackwell and featuring a cast of 29!

Here’s the link for more info.

Also! With the support of Lighthouse Theatre, Beverley is co-writing, along with Dave Carley, an adaptation of the delicious LM Montgomery novel, Emily of New Moon.

For information about writing work and rights contact  Colin Rivers at Marquis Literary <colin@mqent.ca>

For all other information contact  Beverley Cooper <beverleycooperwriter@gmail.com>

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A note about this photo of August Strindberg's desk. The playwright used  high quality writing materials: British steel nibs, French ink and hand-made paper. The arrangement in the photo is exactly as it was at the time of his death, in meticulous order.