“Chaotic, Rapid, and Unexpected”: An Interview with Christopher Cooper
“I’m really big on advocacy and representation, and that’s something that I hope to bring into every artistic encounter that I pursue.”
Christopher Cooper is a senior Theatre major and Writing minor who is passionate about storytelling and advocacy. When he is not in class, he can be found sipping coffee and frantically writing (at the same time), playing piano, and fueling his energy into any artistic outlet that he can. His play Eclipse was presented as a virtual staged reading in 2021 in collaboration with Nashville Repertory Theatre and The Theater Bug. In the Spring of 2023, his full-length play Falling was staged as part of the In Process Series Staged Reading Marathon, with the support of URECA Grant funding. He is also an avid performer, music director, scenic designer, and dramaturg. It has been a joy to add directing to that list.
Can you tell me a little bit about your experience with theater?
Yeah. So, I started doing theater going into middle school. I did a series of theater camps and I didn’t really know what it was. It started out as musical theater, and I thought it was film scoring because “musical” and “theater,” those were just what went together in my mind, and it was totally different. And I fell in love with it. I followed it all the way through middle school and high school, and I decided to pursue a degree in Theater with a Writing minor in undergrad. I’ve been working on productions here at MTSU ever since. I’m really big on advocacy and representation, and that’s something that I hope to bring into every artistic encounter that I pursue.
As for what I do in theater, I do a whole bunch of stuff. MTSU’s theater department isn’t a conservatory, so I’m not really narrowed into one thing. Which means I get to do many things, and it’s made me really marketable. I do acting, playwriting, directing, scenic design, musical directing, composing, just a bunch of things.
What was the moment when you realized “I want to do this, this is something I want to stick to?”
That’s really tricky. I don’t know at what point I went from “this is a really fun hobby” to “I want to pursue this.” I will say that when I was at the theater camp going into middle school, I would come home and listen to all these musicals. All the time. I would listen to Grease and Hairspray, and I would drive my parents crazy. I think it was at that point where I was like “Yeah, I really like this, I’m invested in this.” But I really think it was in high school when I realized that I could advocate for people through theater, and it went beyond John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in Grease. When I could really do something with it and affect people and tell stories of people who didn’t have voices, that’s when I really realized I wanted to really do it. And my experience with that was a brand-new play that someone had written, and so maybe that’s why I’m so gravitated towards new plays; it’s because I had that experience in high school.
So, I know that you are directing a staged reading of Jennifer Faletto’s newest play. What can you tell us about it?
At its core, The Second Steve is a play about a mother who is trying to remain the center of control. It’s also a story about change and how to navigate our authenticity when everything around us seems to be constantly in motion. That’s the no spoilers version.
Something that is unique about your situation is that you get to work directly with the playwright, which isn’t something that a ton of directors get to do. Have you directed anything before?
This is actually my first time directing a full-length play. I assistant-directed Cabaret last semester. But this is really my first time being at the helm of something.
Has working with Jennifer Faletto had an influence over what you thought your process would be at all — since you said this is your first time directing something like this?
Yeah, this is, like you said, a really unique and rare situation where we get to work one-on-one with the writer. Because this is for the In Process series, this is all process-oriented, right? So, the play itself I kind of became involved with at its inception, and I get to follow Jennifer on that journey to the end draft that we end up performing. My goal is to honor her text and give her an opportunity to see the work that she’s done in its most authentic way.
At the time of this interview, we are really at the beginning still with the writing process and everything. I’m sure that that kind of collaboration will be important, and I know that I’ll get to ask all the questions and get clarity on things since it is a process and isn’t something so established yet.
Is she still writing it?
Yeah, she is.
Have you been any influence in the writing aspect at all?
We’ve had meetings where we’ve talked about parts of the play that I’ve gotten to read so far. But in all honesty, this is really the beginning for both of us. I haven’t gotten to read the full play yet because she is still working on it. We’ve not gotten to the point where I’ve been able to cast the show or anything because I need to read the full play to see the arc of the characters and see how everything tracks. I know that once we get to that point though, that kind of collaboration is going to be important.
Is there anything about the directing process that you are really looking forward to?
Jennifer’s writing style is something that I identify with. She leans into the fun and the wacky and the crazy, and that’s something that I really love. And that’s part of it, just seeing our similarities.
Because I find myself involved in so many different parts of theater, I’ve found out that working in one area affects my knowledge of all the other areas. I know that once I’m able to work on directing this piece, it will inform how I write and how I act and do all these different things, and I’m excited to grow in that way.
Is this how you saw your first directing job going? You’re not directing a play that is already published and finished and that has been performed before where you have other stuff to go off of. You’re doing something completely new, no one has ever seen it, and it’s not even finished being written yet.
This really isn’t something that a lot of people get to take advantage of, so that in itself is really special. I have always been passionate about new plays, and so I’m lucky that I get to work on a new play, and it is my first time directing a full piece. What really makes this piece unique is it is a staged reading; it’s not a full production of a play. So, it’s really cool that I get to go from assistant directing a musical to going to the next baby step of directing a staged reading that’s really involved with the text, not necessarily blocking and telling actors where to stand, you know. Hopefully, after this, we can move on to the next step of directing a fully staged piece. It’s a nice little progression, and it’s not something that I necessarily expected, but it is something that I think will really benefit me.
Have you had any struggles so far in the process?
I wouldn’t say I’ve had any struggles. But one thing that I really love about Jennifer’s writing is that the way she reveals things about characters is subtle, and you have to sift through things. Like this last time I talked to her, I found myself asking a lot of questions, not because something wasn’t clear necessarily, but because I wanted to make sure that I was on the right track. So, while I haven’t struggled, I have had a lot of questions about where the play is going, and there are times when she won’t tell me and she’s like, “I want you to really experience this for yourself.”
How has your experience assistant-directing Cabaret influenced your thought process on what you are going to do for the staged reading? They are two very different pieces; Cabaret was a musical and it was a full production, and this is just a staged reading.
Cabaret and The Second Steve are so diametrically opposed. I don’t see them as being very similar pieces. I think one thing that I did take away from Cabaret is that process equals product, and it’s not the other way around. It’s important to have a vision for where you want to go with something but allow yourself to lean into collaboration and engage in the text and allow your actors to have fun with it. As an actor, there’s nothing that kills my vibe more than going into a room and the director is telling you, “You should do this, and you should do this, and this.” It should be more framework and not like a bible. So that’s something that I am going to take into this rehearsal room, just make sure my actors have room to explore things. One thing that the cast of Cabaret had that the cast of The Second Steve will not get to take advantage of is looking at previous performances of the material for inspiration. Frightening as that may sound, I truly think this will serve my cast well; they will only be able to look to the discussions we have in the rehearsal room to form their characters. Process leads to product. It is my mantra.
Do you see yourself directing similar plays to this in the future? Or even more plays by Jennifer Faletto? I know you said you really liked her style.
Yeah, I would love to direct more of her plays. I really resonate with her style a lot. I find a lot of depth in humor because, unless it is a stereotypical comedy, people joke and people laugh when something else is going on and there is something deeper happening. That’s really true in Jennifer’s play; the humor in it holds their (the characters’) weight. I really gravitate towards that kind of style of dark comedy, and I would love to direct more dark comedy in the future.
Can you give me three words that you think encapsulate this play and what you plan to do with it?
Chaotic, rapid, and unexpected.
Emma Whittaker is an English major at MTSU.
