Commissioned Plays
COMMISSIONED PLAYS ─────
Come Out Fighting
ENSEMBLE PLAY — WORLD WAR II
Four Black men enlist in World War II believing their blood might finally buy their citizenship. What they discover is that courage was never the question. Commissioned by Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective and the American Myth Center, Asheville, NC. Sound design by Emmy Award-winning Greg Hedgepath.
• IN WORKSHOP — PRODUCTION 2027/28
Fighting Light
ENSEMBLE PLAY — ADAPTATION
Based on the book Early Screening Saves Lives by Joe Greene. A young Black man's journey through advanced colon cancer — told with humor, transparency, and an urgent call to action. Commissioned by Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective following the success of Black Out at the 369 Festival.
• COMPLETED — IN PRODUCTION, ASHEVILLE NC
The Unfinished
ENSEMBLE PLAY — COMMISSION
Commissioned by a theater producer in Alaska who saw Black Out and approached Cooper with a story she had been carrying for six years — a young woman's journey through mental health. A story that found its playwright.
• IN DEVELOPMENT
Charlie
STAGE ADAPTATION — WORLD WAR II
The life of Lt. Col. Charles S. Hudson — the most decorated bombardier of World War Two. Athlete, boxer, oil driller, animal hauler, and defendant in a federal drug trial. Commissioned after the producer saw Cooper's short film Lucky Devil at the Pan African Film Festival. Approved by Hudson and his family.