Co-Founder

Camella Coopilton is a Nonprofit Professional, Performing Arts Educator, Playwright and Stage Manager who was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles where she developed a love of theater doing holiday plays at her childhood church. 

Camella received her BA in Theater from UC Santa Cruz. There, she participated in the African American Theater Arts Troupe(AATAT) and Rainbow Theater. Camella worked in nonprofit and after school art programs where she was able to co-write her first play “Stop Bullying for Once” with the students of The Village Project in Seaside, CA. 

Camella graduated from Antioch University in Seattle with her MA in Education where she wrote plays to teach teachers how to integrate theater into the Common Core Standards. While working and being a student full time, she stage managed for the Seattle Shakespeare Company. While in Seattle she opened an extension of Southwest Youth and Family Services Credit Retrieval program with two additional teachers, maintaining an educational foothold in under-resourced areas and students. Upon moving back to Los Angeles, Camella worked with the Ammunition Theater Company where she is now an Associate Member and UCLA’s Albert School of Music. She also has worked on films, including Kiana Harris’ AJE IJO SERIES: RIVERS OF NINE.

Camella is ecstatic that her role in BSE helps with the day to day operational  and structure building needed to run this brand new company. She is currently working as a PA on Slave Play as well as working on Blues For an Alabama Sky at the Mark Taper Forum at the Center Theater Group with director Phylicia Rashad.

Visit her stage management website at cooper.online.