Rachael Coopes is an award-winning and versatile writer whose work spans across various mediums.

Her writing journey began with a passion for theatre, where she honed her skills as a playwright. Her first play Art House was staged at The Old Red Lion-London, Edinburgh Fringe, The University of Washington – DC, USA and The Idly Bent Theatre Company – DC, USA. She has written two acclaimed plays for young people. Sugarland, co-created with Wayne Blair, was produced at ATYP and the Darwin Festival in 2014. It was ATYP’s first professional production in 30 years, broke all ATYP box office records, and won the Sydney Theatre Award for Best Production for Young People. Published in 2015, nominated for an AWGIE in 2015, a national tour 2016, won the Helpmann for Best Regional Touring Production 2016, nominated for a Green Room Award for Best New Work 2017 and a Drover’s Award 2017.

Following that, she replicated the process with Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, working with local young people and artists, part of a commission to write The Climbing Tree, which was staged in 2018 at BMEC and Riverside Theatre and subsequently nominated for an AWGIE in 2019. Rachael has also devised other theatre work such as The Decameron at The Old Fitzroy and Two Women for Griff Fringe at Griffin Theatre, I’m Not Sure I’m an Adult Yet for November ISM. In 2018 she was also awarded an honorary fellowship at The State Library of NSW, as their first-ever Creative Fellow. This provided research support for her work in development of a play based on the women who loved infamous Australian boxer Les Darcy.

Rachael was a writer for SBS cult comedy series Life Support, ABC’s Play School and Australian/Irish co-pro Ambience/ AirPig Productions/ Telegael children’s television series Drop Dead Weird. She wrote, produced and presented new interstitial series Moodies for ABC with Natasha Pizzica which identifies big feelings in little people, and provides them with mindfulness techniques to manage their emotions. It has been hugely successful on the ABC iView platform.

As an actor, she has starred in some of Australia’s most loved comedies and dramas such as Life Support, All Saints, Secret Life of Us, McLeods Daughters, Home and Away and Rake. In theatre, she has starred Stoning Mary for Griffin Theatre and The God Committee and Nothing Personal for Ensemble Theatre.

For two decades she has worked as a drama coach for ATYP, theatre, television and films such as The Sapphires, ABC’s Cleverman and Fighting Season by Kate Woods.

She is currently a presenter for Australia’s iconic Play School, singing and dancing on the screen and stage year-round for thousands of ecstatic toddlers.

She has three books published with Affirm Press - The Art of Forgiveness which explores how to properly let go and find peace, Find Your Strength which brings ancient teachings into the modern world, and Paris For Beginners, a memoir about love and finding yourself in the city of light based on her time living in Paris and looking back as a women in her forties, as who she was back then.