Nogales youth is a theater whiz, dreams of
Broadway
Sarah Prall,
Arizona Daily StarMichael Cooper holds an Aztec headdress used in his musical "Goddess of the Sun." |
By Ignacio Ibarra
The Arizona Daily Star
NOGALES, Ariz. -- Nogales High School senior Michael Cooper dreams of seeing his name in lights on Broadway one day.
At 17, Cooper has already written three musicals and demonstrated his talent as a composer and lyricist in original productions as sweeping as the conquest of Mexico and as intimate as the relationships of men and women.
"I can write about anything, but it's best if it interests me. I look for those key moments in time that scream out to be put to music," said Cooper.
His first musical "Under the Big Top" was produced in 1994.
The same year, he began working on his most ambitious production, "Goddess of the Sun," which was performed by the Nogales High drama department in April 1996.
His latest composition, "Season's Change," debuted as a community production for a Young Audiences fund-raising event last month. The response was so positive that it will be presented April 18 at the high school auditorium.
"I really love music and I love the theater. When I was young, my parents would take me along on business trips to New York and we'd see the hottest Broadway shows at the time. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to do that," he said.
David Cooper, a former co-owner of the Capin's Mercantile, said the trips exposed his son to a world that wasn't available in Nogales.
Celia Conconan, who heads the drama department, said she met Michael 12 years ago while directing his mother in a play. Even then, she said, it was clear that the boy was a "brilliant talent."
She was not surprised when as a freshman he approached her with a proposal for an original musical production.
Nor was she surprised by his tenacity during the two years it took to research, write and produce "Goddess of the Sun," his treatment of the conquest of Mexico and the story of Malinche.
"It's been incredible what we've been able to do because of his talent," she said.
Classmate Marlene Montes, whose beautiful voice won her a role in the chorus for the upcoming performance of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat," said working with Cooper has helped prepare her for a career in music.
"He's been an inspiration," she said.
Cooper is an honors student and will graduate in May from the International Baccalaureate Advanced Placement Program offered at his school. He's also involved in community volunteer work.
He's been accepted at a California theater school, but he's holding out to see what Yale does with his application.