STAGE Mary Cooper______________________________________________________________________
2012
PINOCCHIO – Z Arts/Breaking Cycles. Dance theatre adaptation, directed by Benji Reid.
Manchester December 2012, and national tour. 2013/14
2011
IN THE PICTURE – short play for young people, 13+, commissioned by M6 Theatre. About the use of online
pornography by young people.
.
A VILLAGE LIFE – full-length play, commissioned by Northumberland Touring Theatre for National tour.
2010
DOING THE CAF – Scene It Theatre, Commissioned by Rochdale local authority for use in training,
addressing issues raised by the use of the Common Assessment Framework. (CAF)
2009
MISSING OUT– Commissioned by Action for Prisoners’ Families. Clean Break Theatre, London.
2008
ID:ME – Text for national tour by Ludus Dance, Lancaster. 13+
BEST FRIENDS – Dance theatre piece commissioned M6/Ludus Dance for 4+
UP TO HERE – Commissioned by University of the West of England. Play voicing concerns of health-service
users in the light of health service reforms. Touring conferences and used in training.
2007
FAMILY BUSINESS – Two monologues, commissioned by Action for Prisoner’s Families and M6 Theatre.
MY PLACE – commissioned by Tutti Frutti, Leeds for primary school children.
2006 THE AIR LOOM – scenes towards a full-length play, adapted from the book by Mike Jay and commissioned
by Shoestring Theatre, Bradford.
CLUELESS – a short monologue about young people and mental health. Commissioned by M6.Touring
North West 2006/7.
SPEECH TO RITA – structured from devised material about traumatic childbirth for Progress Theatre and
The Royal College of Midwives. Performed at A Normal Birth? conference June 2006. And touring.
2005
RISKY BUSINESS – a short monologue commissioned to be performed at the European Commission
conference Future Europeans, November 2005.
HOMEWARD BOUND – A 25 minute drama commissioned by Action For Prisoners’ Families for a national
conference in April 2005. Looks particularly at the moment of release from prison.
Also touring schools and prisons in autumn 2006/7. 2M, 1F.
CLOSE TO HOME – A short monologue aimed at young men, commissioned by Rochdale and Bury Youth
Justice Team currently touring schools in the North West.
PROM NIGHT – a short monologue written with Bangladeshi writer, Rafika Razzaque, aimed at young Asian
women. Toured Autumn 2005/spring 2006.
2004 – ANDREW’S ANGRY WORDS – An adaptation of the children’s book by Dorothea Laechner
commissioned by M6 Theatre Company to tour to 5 to 8 year olds.
BETWEEN THE LINES – a short monologue aimed at boys between 13 and 16 commissioned by Rochdale
and Bury Teenage Pregnancy Team. Touring autumn 2004/Spring 2005
2003 – SPARK – A 60 minute play for M6 Theatre Company about teenagers and parents. Toured spring
and autumn 2004.
ON THE CASE – A 30 minute drama set in a social services case conference from hell. Initially
commissioned by Rochdale Social Services for staff training. 4F/1M. Toured to Tyneside, Staffordshire,
Bolton MBC and Cornwall.
WHEN SARAH MET STACEY – A 15 minute drama about the work of national charity Homestart.
Commissioned by Homestart and subsequently made into a short film 2F
2002 - ANOTHER PLANET - Two linked monologues written for M6 looking at the differing attitudes of young
men and women towards pregnancy. Toured April to August 2002. 1M/1F
BREATHING SPACE – commissioned by M6 Theatre Company for national tour Autumn 2001 – Autumn
2002. Invited to the Toronto Theatre Festival 2003 with British Council sponsorship. Shortlisted for a DORA
award for Best Touring Production 2003. 1M/3F. Translated into German for production 2006.
1999 - GRASS - Commissioned by Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah for tour to youth centres and schools
nationally. A post Stephen Lawrence play about racial violence. 45 mins. Cast 2F/1M. Director: Anthony
Haddon.
FOREVER - Commissioned by M6 Theatre Company on subject of parenting for tour to schools in North
West region. 70 mins. Cast 2M/1F. Director: Greg Banks. Television adaptation commissioned by Channel
Four education 2001. Retoured nationally by M6 2002/2003/2004. Toured by Haymarket Theatre,
Basingstoke, 2010.
1998 - TROUBLE - Commissioned by M6 Theatre company looking at issues around exclusion. For audiences aged
11 upwards including adults. 65mins. Cast: 2F/1M Director: Greg Banks. Includes some Polish.
HEAD ON - A drugs education programme including six monologues, peer-led workshops, a workers’
resource book, published scripts and a book of interviews with young people about drug use. Commissioned
by BASE 10 drugs project and produced by West Yorkshire Playhouse Schools Company for schools and
community audiences. Retoured February to May 2000.
Directors: Gail McIntyre, Natasha Betteridge, Barbara Marten. Cast: 2M/1F. 20/25 mins per monologue.
Shortened versions of two of the monologues, CARE and COOLING OFF, were produced by Haringey Drugs
Education Team in 2004. PYRAMIDS was produced by The Haymarket Theatre, Basingstoke in 2004.
1996 - KEEPING MUM - a forum theatre play devised with 1 in 4 Theatre and Mind The Gap, Bradford
about young people and mental health. Director: Tim Wheeler. Approx 40 mins.
- BLENDING IN - a full-length play written for community touring commissioned by Eastern Angles and coproduced with the Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich. Cast: 4F/2M Director: Ivan Cutting.
- THE MONKEY RUN - Storyline for New Perspectives Theatre, Mansfield towards a community play for the
former mining villages of Blidworth and Rainworth, Nottinghamshire. Director: Philip Burgess.
1994 - THE WRONG SIDE OF THE RIVER - Commissioned by Humberside Theatre in Education to tour
local secondary schools and community audiences. Looking at personal and group identity through the story
of three generations of a local family. Dir: John Haslitt. Cast 1M, 2F and 1 touring musician. Approx 90 mins.
- MIXED BLESSINGS - Music/dance theatre piece about mixed race relationships. Commissioned by Red
Ladder Theatre to tour nationally to girls’ groups.Dir:Kully Thiarai. Cast 2F. Approx 65mins.
1993 - GLORY - Commissioned by Theatr Powys and Powys Area Child Protection Committee on the subject of
bullying to tour to top juniors. Welsh translation by Gareth Miles. Toured in Welsh and English, Spring `94.
Dir: Gail McIntyre. Cast 2F,2M. Adapted to a shorter version for Theatr Clwyd. October 95 . Produced by
Action Transport Theatre, Cheshire, Jan 97.
- TIDELINES - Commissioned by Spiral Theatre at The Nuffield, Southampton to tour to 9-13 year olds in the
south of England and the Channel Isles. Written in French and English. Dir: Chris Baldwin. Cast: 1M,2W.
Also produced by Sheffield Crucible Education, Autumn '95, West Yorkshire Playhouse TIE
Spring/Summer '96. Wolsey TIE, Ipswich, Autumn ‘97 and Action Transport, Spring ‘98.
On the theme of grief and loss/death and divorce.
- KOLA PATA BHUT/THE HOPSCOTCH GHOST - Commissioned by Half Moon Young Peoples
Theatre, London. Co-written with Shamim Azad in English and Sylheti-Bengali. Toured to School
Years 1 & 2 nationally. Dir: Chris Baldwin. Cast: 3W,1M + 1 musician. 50 mins.
1992 - NOWHERE FAST - Commissioned by South Leeds Youth Theatre. Written/devised with the company for
local tour. Cast of 25 plus musicians. Adapted as a musical. About a ram raid at a shopping mall.
1991 - ALWAYS WITH YOU - Commissioned by Token Gestures Theatre, Bradford for Leeds upper secondary
tour. Concerned with HIV/AIDS. Dir: Ava Hunt. Cast: 2W, 1M. Also produced by Half Moon YPT in autumn
'92 and translated into Portuguese for production in Porto, Portugal. April '94. Approx 90 mins.
CONSEQUENCES - Commissioned by Red Ladder Theatre Company to tour nationally to Asian Girls'
Groups. Written in Sylheti-Bengali and English. Dir: Kully Thiarai. Cast, 4W. Also adapted as four part series
for young people's television.
1990 - A BETTER PLACE - Commissioned by Watford Palace Theatre in Education Company to tour to
upper secondary audiences in Hertfordshire schools. Dir: Alan Orme. Cast 3W. 60 mins.
SACRED GROUND - Commissioned by Watford Palace TIE about the local printing industry. Toured to
community audiences in Hertfordshire. Dir:Alan Orme. Cast, 2W, 3M. Approx 120 mins.
1989 - AWAY WITH THE FAIRIES - Commissioned by Yorkshire Women Theatre to tour to community
audiences. Looking at tranquilliser use. Dir: Glenis Burgess. Cast, 3W. 60 mins.
CONSEQUENCES - first draft of play which was subsequently commissioned by Red Ladder.
Emerged from writing workshops with Bangladeshi girls' group in Beeston, Leeds.
HEARTGAME - Arose from drama sessions with Bangladeshi girls' group in Leeds. Rehearsed reading at
the Crucible Studio, Sheffield. Produced at Soho Poly Theatre and toured by Asian Cooperative Theatre. In
English and Sylheti-Bengali. Dir: Hettie MacDonald Cast: 3W, 2M. Published by Methuen, Plays By Women.
Vol 8, 1991. Approx 60 mins.
1987 - ASKING FOR IT? - Commissioned by Yorkshire Women Theatre for community tour. On the theme of
violence against women. Dir: Glenis Burgess. Cast, 3W. Approx 60 mins. Also produced by Spring Street
Womens' Theatre Group, Hull and Watford Palace TIE. Published by Yorkshire Women Books.1990.
CLOSE TO THE BONE - Co-written with Rupert Creed for national tour by Remould Theatre Company,
Hull. The radio version was nominated for a Sony Award. Dir: Rupert Creed. Cast, 4W, 1M. Approx 105
mins.
1986 - DOWN THERE - Commissioned by Yorkshire Women Theatre for community tour. On the theme of cervical
cancer. Dir: Glenis Burgess.