“I loved the choreography by Shelley Cooper! Cooper’s creativity was off-the-charts funny, with unusual dance moves that really cracked me up.”
— Rochelle Arnold, River Cities Reader
“Shelley Cooper brings with her an energy and excitement that is unmatched by other directors.”
— Philip William McKinley, Director of SPIDERMAN: TURN OFF THE DARK and Executive Director of MBP
“While watching 21 ethnically, culturally, temperamentally diverse student talents acting and sing their hearts out in this moving musical lament for those suffering from AIDS (Elegies...) , I felt hopeful about the state of Augustana Theatre in particular, and collegiate theatre in general. I also felt kinda hopeful about the whole world”
— Mike Schulz, River Cities Reader
“Shelley Cooper is as close to perfection as an artist can come. An artist as complete in skill as she is gifted with creativity, Shelley’s direction of Shawnee Summer Theatre’s Drowsy Chaperone resulted in one of the very finest shows to ever grace the theatre’s stage. She is a complete artist, a constant collaborator and as trustworthy of a director as you will find.”
“Shelley Cooper makes a fabulous, deeply affecting MBP debut, directing the sprawling, emotional 1985 Roger Miller musical with a sure, steady hand. She highlights the story’s rambunctiousness, deviousness, darkness and goodness with equally impressive aplomb.”
— Jonathan Turner, Rock Island Dispatch Argus
“During the show I forgot I was in Thailand watching a student performance. I was carried away and found myself reflecting on my relationships while discovering similarities with the characters on stage. Shelley managed to transform the young Thai students to NYC grown ups and I was impressed with the details that the actors were able to portray without ever having been or lived in the city or in the States.
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— Mariangela Chatzistamatiou, Director/Voice Professor, Mahidol University
““Director/choreographer extraordinaire Cooper was at the helm of the sharpest production I saw in 2022. Every little thing was thought-out and well-executed, and the dances were precise””