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Cooper was born in Los Angeles, California. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in
Theater (Acting) from UCLA's School of Theater, Film, & Television. After UCLA, he
became the Associate Artistic Director of Ark Theatre Company while also teaching
acting classes at Theatre of Arts in Hollywood. He received his MFA in Directing from
Baylor University after directing his thesis production of Joan Ackermann’s Ice Glen. He then went on to teach movement, musical theatre, and introductory courses as
a Visiting Lecturer at Baylor University’s Department of Theatre Arts. He has trained
in The Viewpoints and The Suzuki Method with Anne Bogart & SITI Company at their Summer
Theater Workshop. He has also trained in Japanese Noh performance at Kyoto Art Center’s
Traditional Theater Training. Directing credits include “Harp with Human Head (Kundi)” [Devised], The First Celestial Adventure of Mr. Antipyrine, Fire Extinguisher by Tristan Tzara, Grand Concourse by Heidi Schreck, and Honeymoon in Vegas by Jason Robert Brown.
After Baylor, he became a Visiting Instructor of Theatre at Hastings College where
he taught classes in acting, movement, and directing. Favorite HC Theatre directing
credits include Abigail/1702 by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, and The Whale by Samuel D. Hunter.
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Conference Presentations
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“To Thine Own Self Be True: Creating Unique Directorial Concepts in Cross-Genre Shakespearean
Adaptation,” Comparative Drama Conference (CDC), Orlando, FL 2018
“Weathering the Storm: The Supernatural in Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer,” Texas
Educational Theatre Association (TETA) Academic Symposium, Galveston, TX 2018
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| Publications |
“Performing Kamishibai: An Emerging New Literacy for a Global Audience (review).”
Asian Theatre Journal 37.1 (Spring 2020).
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| Research Interests |
- Japanese Noh Theatre
- Physical Theatre
- Devised Theatre
- Shakespeare in Performance
- Ritual, Mythology, & Folklore
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