Melissa Cooper is an American playwright, actor, and director. She attended Reed College and graduated from New York University with an MFA in acting. After shifting from acting to writing and directing, Cooper worked as a dramaturg and artistic associate at Dallas Theater Center and Portland Stage Company. She co-founded two experimental theatre festivals: the Big D Festival of the Unexpected in Dallas and “a little festival of the unexpected” in Portland.
Cooper’s work primarily focuses on experimental plays and adaptations. She wrote two adaptations of ancient Greek plays: Little Medea and Antigone Now. Her other work includes Nothing But Music, Red Badge Variations, and four ventriloquist plays that have had performances in New York City and Seattle. Cooper has taught or directed at Southern Methodist University, Boston University Theater Institute, and Amherst College, among others.
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