TOMFOOLERY

I’m a stage director. I direct plays, musical theatre, and opera. I’m based in Glasgow, Scotland, UK.

I work on projects at range of scales, creating processes that support actors and acting. I’m into words, dramaturgy and playfulness, and my work usually involves music and song as central to the storytelling.

Theatre-making should be rooted in inclusion and collaboration. I seek to cultivate healthy, positive, celebratory creative environments, where all are respected and empowered with freedom and agency to do their best work.

Alongside my freelance work, I’m a part-time faculty member for the Musical Theatre department at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Current adventures

THE GLASGOW POISONER - a new musical co-written and co-directed by Tom Cooper and Jen McGregor, for A Play A Pie and a Pint, Òran Mór, Glasgow, 22-27 September 2025 https://playpiepint.com/the-glasgow-poisoner-a-new-musical/

then touring to Paisley Town Hall, 7-10 October 2025 https://tinyurl.com/GlasgowPoisoner

and Gaiety Theatre, Ayr, 15-17 October 2025 https://thegaiety.co.uk/events/a-play-a-pie-and-a-pint-october-2025/

ALADDIE a family pantomime, by Fraser Boyle, for Gaiety Theatre, Ayr. 29 November - 4 January 2026. https://thegaiety.co.uk/events/aladdie/

AMELIE actor-muso production for Royal Conservatoire of Scotland BA Musical Theatre, Glasgow, March 2026.

NICE WORDS

‘brilliantly directed by Tom Cooper’ - corrblimey.co.uk (Armour: a herstory of the Scottish Bard)

‘fantastic… the musical’s abundant comedy works at every turn… bravo director Tom Cooper’ - thequintessentialreview (A Little Night Music)

‘this is musical theatre that is challenging, compelling and compulsive’ - The Stage (Myths and Hymns)

‘Tom Cooper’s remarkable production’ - Times Literary Supplement (A Day by the Sea)

‘the best joy ride ever. Each musical number is a story within a story, fantastical in its unique creativity, simply brimming with ideas…. Director Tom Cooper leads his company with aplomb’ - musicaltheatrereview (Big Fish)

‘director Tom Cooper worked wonders… seriously high mischief’ - bachtrack (Gianni Schicchi)

‘a company that demands to be taken seriously’ - The Scotsman (Part of the Picture)

‘expertly nuanced performances… beautiful, intelligent, moving’ - Financial Times (The Trojan Women)

‘a first-rate production’ - Lancashire Evening Post (La Traviata)