MARY COOPER

Mary trained a journalist before starting to write for theatre, radio and screen. She has written for major theatres, touring companies, BBC Radio Four and Channel Four – as well as prisons, schools,
galleries, museums, community centres, womens’ groups, local authorities, and charities.

I enjoy shaping my writing, and the writing process, to the needs of my collaborators and their audiences.

Mary has written verbatim plays, and bilingual and trilingual plays; she’s co-written, team-written, devised, mentored, dramaturged, created dramas from academic research, brought family histories to life, adapted diaries, letters and novels, and been a script consultant and researcher for other writers.

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From M6 Theatre Company

 

 

Thorough research is an essential part of Mary’s writing process; whether that’s academic and archival research, interviews with people who know stuff through living it or studying it, visiting the ‘real world’ setting of a drama, or simply by testing ideas with collaborators and their intended audience.

Whatever my starting point, whoever I’m working with, I’m fully committed to making the best possible work; to provoking the audience to think and feel – and to see the world with new eyes.

Alongside her writing Mary is a skilled and inspiring workshop facilitator and teacher. She has been a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing and taught for Arvon, University of Leeds, University of Bolton,
Cambridge University and Huddersfield University.

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