Beverley Cooper is an award-winning playwright, dramaturge and teacher. She has written for TV, film and extensively for CBC radio drama. Her plays have been produced widely across Canada. They include Thin Ice (co-written with Banuta Rubess, Chalmers/Dora Award), Clue in the Fast Lane (co-written with Ann-Marie MacDonald), The Eyes of Heaven, The Lonely Diner, Janet Wilson Meets the Queen (nominated for Prix Rideau Award) and If Truth Be Told. Innocence Lost: A Play about Steven Truscott was a finalist for the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award, was on the Globe and Mail bestseller list, a first for a Canadian playwright, and has had highly acclaimed productions at the Blyth Festival, National Arts Centre, Centaur Theatre and Soulpepper Theatre. In the summer of 2024, she had two premieres of her plays: The Trials of Maggie Pollock (the Blyth Festival) and Jim Watts: Girl Reporter (4th Line Theatre). Her newest play, Humour Me will premiere at Here for Now Theatre in July 2025.
Beverley holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph and has presented her work at Women Playwrights International conferences in Mumbai, Stockholm, Cape Town and Santiago. Beverley has taught playwriting at the National Theatre School, Toronto Metropolitan University’s Chang School of Continuing Studies and is on the faculty of the Humber School for Writers. Beverley is the 2022 recipient of the Bra D’or Award: an award that recognizes an individual for their efforts in supporting women playwrights. Beverley’s plays are published by Scirocco Drama.
