Michael Cooper is an Outer Critics Circle and MAC Award nominated songwriter, recipient of the 2005 Jonathan Larson, Daryl Roth, and the TRU Daniel Marshall Multicultural Awards. His lyrics were sung on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in It Shoulda Been You, starring Tyne Daly and directed by David Hyde Pierce (previously seen at the George Street Playhouse and Village Theatre, book by Brian Hargrove, music by Barbara Anselmi). Off-Broadway: City Of (Original Song with Anton Dudley). BA in Theatre from Williams College; MFA from NYU Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. His musical, Sunfish, which he co-wrote book and lyrics and produced (co-book and music by Hyeyoung Kim), was awarded the top jury honor (Best New American Musical) at the Daegu International Music Theatre Festival, South Korea in June 2013. Sunfish received its regional premiere at Stoneham Theatre, MA (Broadwayworld Award Best Musical) and was showcased at the 2010 ASCAP Workshop with Stephen Schwartz, the 2006 NAMT Festival of New Musicals, the TRU Reading Series, and was a finalist in Alliance Theatre’s Kendeda Playwriting Competition. Other credits include: Rites of Passage, Museum Pieces, The Dome, and News To Me! (Prospect Theater Company); The Strange Affair of Dr. Crippen (Theatrebuilding Chicago, music by David Mallamud); Lizardman! (Libretto, Audience Favorite, Short Attention Span Festival and recently performed and recorded by The Albany Symphony's Dogs of Desire, music by David Mallamud) and Luna Park, commissioned by SUNY Cortland (music by Hyeyoung Kim). Selected for The York Theatre’s NEO5 Concert series, the ASCAP Johnny Mercer Songwriting Project, 4x15 at The Musical Theater Factory, New York Theatre Barn's New Work Series (Timelines) and NYTB The Choreography Lab, and the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. Upcoming: Second To Nun, with playwright/lyricist Anton Dudley, and Love, Always, a new musical revue with bookwriter Bill Connington. Associate Producer forZombie, an award-winning short film based on the novella by Joyce Carol Oates. Member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild. Michael is also the President of Three Hundred Bags of Rice, Inc., a theatrical production company, and serves on the Advisory Board at Astoria Performing Arts Center.
