Beverley Cooper

Beverley Cooper is a writer, actor, dramaturge and teacher. She has written for theatre, TV, radio and film. Beverley’s writing for theatre includes; Thin Ice (co-written with Banuta Rubess, Dora and Chalmers Awards, published by Playwrights Canada Press); Clue in the Fast Lane (co-written with Ann-Marie MacDonald); the critically acclaimed The Eyes of Heaven (published by Scirocco Drama); The Woman in White (adapted from the novel by Wilkie Collins) which was produced at Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton; Innocence Lost: A Play about Steven Truscott was a sold out hit at the Blyth Festival in both 2008 and 2009, finalist for the 2009 Governor Generals Literary Award, published by Scirocco Drama, was on the Globe and Mail bestseller list, a first for a Canadian playwright and had a highly acclaimed productions at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, The Centaur Theatre in Montreal and Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto; The Lonely Diner: Al Capone in Euphemia Township (Blyth Festival, Vertigo Theatre, published Scirocco); Janet Wilson Meets the Queen (nominated for a Prix Rideaux award 2016, GCTC, published Scirocco) and If Truth Be Told (Blyth Festival, published Scirocco). Her most recent play: The Other: A Strange Christmas Tale was produced by 4th Line Theatre. Beverley 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. She worked as the story editor on the award winning radio series Afghanada, as well as producing the second season and directing five episodes. She 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. Beverley’s television writing credits include episodes of Ready or Not, Sesame Park and Street Legal. She has also written a film script entitled The Partly True Adventures of Pearl Heart. Beverley trained as an actor at Studio 58 in Vancouver, and has performed in TV, film and in theatres across the country. She also directs audio books for Penguin Random House. Beverley has presented her work at Women Playwrights International conferences in Mumbai, Stockholm,  Cape Town and Santiago.  Beverley is the coordinator of The CASA Project, a charitable arm of the Playwrights Guild of Canada. CASA supports women-identified playwrights living in South Africa. Beverley is a member of PEN Canada: an organization that assists writers around the world who are persecuted for the peaceful expression of their ideas. She lives in Toronto. Beverley holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph.  You can follow her work on Facebook