Norfolk Actor diversifies into Writing – Marie Cooper

Marie Cooper Writer

An Actor not a Writer

Over the years, Marie has been an avid reader and dabbled in scribbling, creative writing, poetry, songwriting, journaling and blogging.

Despite this, she stubbornly resisted a literary path, mostly because she doesn’t like sitting still for as long as it takes to write things down. She has discovered, however, with the wonders of modern technology, that she can write as she bibbles about.

She has, until recently, vehemently, some might say stubbornly, argued that she is an actor, not a writer.

In early 2018, in an attempt to write herself into a most excellent role, she went to a couple of writing workshops and finally put pen to paper again.

Performed Scenes

Marie experimented with writing a couple of short scenes rather than a full stage play. She watched her first scene, ‘Lily’ performed at a Scratch evening at The Garage with ScriptEast. A scene that began with a God stuck up a tree. Marie had just read American Gods – no coincidence. Then she watched her scene ‘Abandoned Places’ brought to life as part of the Jenny Lind Art’s Project community play, ‘Spirit of the Place’. Marie was slightly confused. People (who hadn’t even realised she’d written the scenes) actually seemed to like what she’d written.

Bolstered with newly found confidence and enthusiasm for the written word, she began to write a serious stage play.

A writer's desk covered in notebooks and pens
Marie Cooper’s Writing Desk

Writer and Actor

The intention was, to write herself into the play.  However, the story and the characters she created, from a mountain of research, had other ideas and took on a life of their own. Now Marie is a writer, trying to write herself into plays. She has considered maybe writing a play about an actor, trying, yet consistently failing, to write herself into her own plays.

On her writing journey, Marie discovered the wonderful National Centre for Writing at Dragon Hall in Norwich, which took her writing seriously, gave support, awarded her a Literary Consultancy Free Read in 2019 and a place to go and made her feel like she was finally home.

She began unashamedly calling herself a writer and hasn’t stopped writing since. She began writing stage plays and screenplays. One of which she is now writing into her debut novel, a dark fantasy about magic gone wrong.

In 2024 Marie was chosen as one of the six HighTide Writer’s Group playwrights.

Where can I read Marie Cooper’s plays?

There are a few of Marie’s plays currently available to read on the New Play Exchange. Please contact her directly on the contact page for requests to stage any of these creative works. You can read some of the recommendations that she has received for her work HERE


Writing Projects

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